Roger and Shauna, along with Shauna's two teenage sons Caleb and Noah, will call Dragonfly home.
Roger, a life long environmentalist and passionate conservationist, is drawn to the positive environmental possibilities in building Dragonfly: “I’m excited about efficient PassivHaus construction, having solar panels on our roofs, and having an elevator generating electricity for us just like a hybrid car. I'm also excited about creating beautiful indoor and outdoor community spaces, and hanging out for a game of chess or joining in on projects of common interest. Hearty dinners together, made in part with food grown in our own garden, and long lingering conversations afterwards; yum! We’re both a mix of introvert and extrovert; at times we tend to isolate ourselves. We like that cohousing facilitates community, but does not demand it.”
Shauna, working full-time and being a tremendously busy single mom realizes what a difference that cohousing could have made while her boys were growing up. “Work and church were my social life; now, at day’s end, with Dragonfly, I know I’ll be returning to welcoming neighbours, maybe a cup of tea, a conversation – I’ll be coming home to community. As for Caleb and Noah, they’re in grades 11 and 12; who knows how long they’ll be home? Regardless, we look forward to being surrounded by a community of friends and neighbours."
Showing posts with label environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label environment. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Common Ground and Kinship
The first stage of my working life was with Outward Bound, an international, non-profit, independent, outdoor education organization. There, I found an immediate kinship with the people that I had never felt with any group.
I have found the same immediate and easy sense of connection with the Dragonfly folks. So easy to find common ground for conversation based on common values. The community-based decision making process which was used at Outward Bound for policy making may appear to be cumbersome to some but it is ultimately the most effective and certainly one that appeals to my own need to maintain influence over the decisions that most impact me.
My two adult childen are based in Virginia and now Boston but they insist that I stay in Calgary to maintain their links to the city where they were born and spent their early years. Dragonfly would give me more than just a place to live but a "family" in the very best sense of the word while I maintain a place in Calgary for my progeny.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Interview in Edmonton Journal
Co-housing requires consensus, patience and coloured cards
BY SHEILA PRATT, EDMONTONJOURNAL.COM
NOVEMBER 27, 2011
EDMONTON —When it comes to making group decisions, Zaak Robichaud faced the ultimate challenge — how to get more than a dozen families together to come up with house plans they all liked for a new co-housing project in Calgary.
It helps, says Robichaud, to use consensus cards. At monthly meetings, everyone gets red, green and yellow cards to signal their views. If someone drops a yellow card, that means they have reservations. The issue has be to talked through.
“You can’t just object and walk away, you are obliged to come and help work it out,” Robichaud says.
It works, he says. But you have to be patient.
After two years, the Dragonfly group recently bought a piece of land in central Calgary near Bridgeland, the architectural design is underway and construction will start next year, he says.
That puts them two years away from moving in, so people have to be patient to get into co-housing, says Robichaud.
In this ambitious, $12-million co-housing project with 36 units, the average cost of a condo is $340,000. That will vary with the size of the unit, from one to four bedrooms.
There is an element of risk in co-housing, given that it takes four to five years from start to finish. The longer you carry the land, the more expensive it can be.
On the other hand, acting as their own developer, the group avoids the cost of a middleman, he says. And the risk diminishes as more units are sold.
When half the 36 units were sold, the group had the money to buy land and get design underway.
Robichaud is confident the complex will sell out, since plenty of people are interested in this new model of housing that combines the autonomy of private ownership with some shared space for socializing.
The group decided it wanted a large common space — 5,000 square feet.
So far, families with a total of 15 kids under seven are signed up, along with some seniors, teachers, doctors and professional people.
The group decisions are endless — one big structure or four separate fourplexes? How many elevators, how big a common room, how much energy efficiency?
But all the work is worth it, says Robichaud, who lives with his wife and two children in Calgary’s northwest suburbs.
“Out here the only thing in walking distance is a 7-Eleven convenience store and an Esso gas station. With two small children, we really feel isolated.” Living in co-housing will change all that.
“In co-housing nobody every pays for babysitting,” he says. “We look after each other.”
BY SHEILA PRATT, EDMONTONJOURNAL.COM
NOVEMBER 27, 2011
EDMONTON —When it comes to making group decisions, Zaak Robichaud faced the ultimate challenge — how to get more than a dozen families together to come up with house plans they all liked for a new co-housing project in Calgary.
It helps, says Robichaud, to use consensus cards. At monthly meetings, everyone gets red, green and yellow cards to signal their views. If someone drops a yellow card, that means they have reservations. The issue has be to talked through.
“You can’t just object and walk away, you are obliged to come and help work it out,” Robichaud says.
It works, he says. But you have to be patient.
After two years, the Dragonfly group recently bought a piece of land in central Calgary near Bridgeland, the architectural design is underway and construction will start next year, he says.
That puts them two years away from moving in, so people have to be patient to get into co-housing, says Robichaud.
In this ambitious, $12-million co-housing project with 36 units, the average cost of a condo is $340,000. That will vary with the size of the unit, from one to four bedrooms.
There is an element of risk in co-housing, given that it takes four to five years from start to finish. The longer you carry the land, the more expensive it can be.
On the other hand, acting as their own developer, the group avoids the cost of a middleman, he says. And the risk diminishes as more units are sold.
When half the 36 units were sold, the group had the money to buy land and get design underway.
Robichaud is confident the complex will sell out, since plenty of people are interested in this new model of housing that combines the autonomy of private ownership with some shared space for socializing.
The group decided it wanted a large common space — 5,000 square feet.
So far, families with a total of 15 kids under seven are signed up, along with some seniors, teachers, doctors and professional people.
The group decisions are endless — one big structure or four separate fourplexes? How many elevators, how big a common room, how much energy efficiency?
But all the work is worth it, says Robichaud, who lives with his wife and two children in Calgary’s northwest suburbs.
“Out here the only thing in walking distance is a 7-Eleven convenience store and an Esso gas station. With two small children, we really feel isolated.” Living in co-housing will change all that.
“In co-housing nobody every pays for babysitting,” he says. “We look after each other.”
Saturday, September 17, 2011
EcoLiving Fair in Calgary
Calgary enjoys another great gathering of eco-minded people at the EcoLiving Fair to be held on September 30 and October 1 at the SAIT Campus. Exhibitors will be present along with a speaker series on the Saturday including a presentation on cohousing (2:00-2:45* in MA112). Other presentations will be made from energy experts, cloth diaper enthusiasts, vegetarians and construction innovators.Come check it out!
*Note the new time.
Reduce: Opt Out of Yellow Pages
If you're like many of us, you don't even open your yellow pages and it goes straight to recycling. Save yourself (and the recyclers) the trouble and simply request not to receive the massive book. Sign up here.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Cohousing at the EcoLiving Fair in Calgary
I will be presenting "Cohousing: Intentional Community in Calgary" at the Calgary EcoLiving Fair. The exhibits and presentations will be at SAIT from September 30 to October 1.
Another member of our cohousing community, Roger Gagné, is presenting Opportunities in Alberta’s Renewable Energy Landscape.
Come check it out!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
The Dragonfly
I've spent the last week at Katepwa Lake in Saskatchewan surrounded by dragonflies. Here are some of them, as they are a symbol of our community.
Friday, June 24, 2011
From CAUSE
Calgary Journal reports on Dragonfly
Three of us Dragonfliers were interviewed last fall for this article in the Calgary Journal. The focus of the journalist was our ability to have less of an impact on the environment by
- Smarter Design
- Sharing More Things
- Cooperating
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