Cohousing and Green Building Resources, Links and Contacts

ORGANIZATIONS:

Eco Housing Corp. and Environmental Design Group
See contact information in the footer at the bottom of this page.

Cohousing Association of the United States
Promotes the appreciation, interest, understanding, and development of cohousing nationally and internationally. Phone 303-413-9227.

Mid-Atlantic Cohousing
Promotes and supports the efforts of people to create cohousing communities in the mid-Atlantic region. A complete list of communities and contacts in the mid-Atlantic region can be found at www.cohomac.org.

Building Green Inc.
Foremost private-sector resource for green building information, including Environmental Building News, monthly journal, Green Spec Product Directory, Green Building Advisor, Annual Bibliography and green building listserves.

Center for Renewable Energy & Sustainable Technology (CREST)
Introductory information and resources on a wide range of subjects.

Iris Communications
Searchable database with basic info about green building products. On-line catalog of sustainable design reference material.

US Green Building Council
Information on the Council, its activities, and LEED Green Building Rating System.

Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH)
A public-private partnership to improve the development, dissemination, and use of new housing technologies.

SustainableBuild (UK) contains an extensive collection of features and articles written by professional journalists and experts - who have a particular interest, or a background in sustainable building techniques, materials and participants.

US Department of Energy (DOE)
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network
Referral to more than 100 tools on energy efficiency and other information.

US Department of Energy High Performance Buildings Database
A new online database with indepth case studies on a variety of U.S. green buildings, including Eco Housing’s Takoma Village Cohousing.

US Dept of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Energy Star Programs: Homepage for Energy Star Homes, commercial buildings and labeled products.

LOCAL GREEN BUILDING ORGANIZATIONS:

• Virginia Housing & the Environment Network
• Maryland Green Building Program

BOOKS:

NEW! Senior Cohousing: A Community Approach to Living independently. The Handbook. Charles Durrett, published by Ten Speed Press, Fall 2005 / Paper with flaps. ISBN: 0-945929-30-7.

The Cohousing Handbook: Building a Place for Community,
by Chris Hanson, ©1996. Published by Hartley & Marks Publishers,
Inc., ISBN 0-88179-126-1

Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves,
by Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett, ©1988, 1994,
published by Ten Speed Press, ISBN 0-89815-539-8

Collaborative Communities, by Dorit Fromm ©1991
Published by Van Nostrand Reinhold, ISBN 0-442-23785-5

House, by Tracy Kidder ©1999
Published by Mariner Books, ISBN 0-618-00191-3

A Primer on Sustainable Building
Excellent introduction to green building concepts and their importance – easy read; a good place to start. Available from:
Rocky Mountain Institute
1739 Snowmass Creek Road, Snowmass, CO 81654-9199
Phone 970-927-3851/ Fax 970-927-4178

PERIODICALS:

Cohousing: The Journal of the Cohousing Association of the United States (quarterly). The Spring 2002 issue featured an article about Designing and Building Green at Eco Housing's Takoma Village. Telephone: 303-413-9227.

Environmental Building News, monthly journal. The September 2002 issue features Cohousing communities, including Eco Housing's Takoma Village. See article.

Environmental Design and Construction Magazine
Periodical with editorials, case studies and other information. Free magazine with annual subscription. All content is also on-line at www.edcmag.com

CONFERENCES:
North American Cohousing Conference held biannually in odd numbered
years; regional conferences held biannually in even numbered years.
Contact: The Cohousing Network 303-413-9227

E-MAIL LIST SERVICES:

• The Cohousing-L. About 350 participants use this list many of whom currently live in a cohousing community; excellent source of up-to-the-minute info on cohousing. Sign up .
• Green Building is a discussion forum for anyone interested in green building issues on all types of projects. Sign up.
• Green Clips. Accessible, concise, frequently updated real examples in a free bi-weekly email. ChrisHammer@greenclips.com
  Or visit www.greenclips.com

TELE-TALK:
Irregularly held live telephone conference call on topics of interest to cohousers of all stripes. Topics are announced on The Cohousing-L e-mail list service and include: Common House design; working w/ professionals; children in cohousing; dealing with dogs, and more. First Thursday of the month at 10:00 EST. Reserve a space or find out topics zabaldo@earthlink.net or call 202-291-7892.
Limited to 30 participants. A service of the Cohousing Association of the United States.

To contact Eco Housing Corp. and
Environmental Design Group,
see information in the footer below.