CONVERSATION CAFE COLLAGE - PARTICIPANTS INPUT

CONVERSATION CAFÉ  COLLAGE OF PARTICIPANTS INPUT

1)       WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE CONVERSATION CAFÉ TONIGHT?

·         I was curious about the concept of intentional/ co-operative living.

·         Living in community has always interested me.

·         Information gathering for what’s next for me.

·         A family member who experienced co-operative living thought I might find it interesting.

·         I wanted to understand the different types of intentional living.

·         It seems that co-operative housing could be a role model for our community.

·         I am interested in exploring greener/ more sustainable ways of living.

2)       WHAT QUESTIONS CAME UP DURING THE PRESENTATIONS?

·         How does the group learn to live together in co-operative/ intentional housing?

·         What needs to be in place to deal with day to day issues/ conflict?

·         What are the joint responsibilities in daily living?

·         How is private and public space divided up?

·         How can community awareness & education about this type of housing be generated so the conversation continues?

·         How accessible are bank funds for this type of venture?

3)       WHAT CONCERNS / EXCITES YOU RE CO-OPERATIVE LIVING ?

CONCERNS:

·         Protection of investment in the event of leaving or death? How is this done?

·         Group dynamics particularly conflict, how does this get worked out?

·         Would a co-operative house be as saleable as a regular house?

·         How will children/ grandchildren/ friends fit into this concept of living?

·         Mobility/ aging…how will the house design take this into consideration?

·         How can the transition from single family dwelling to co-operative living be smooth?

EXICITEMENT:

·         Decreased living expenses.

·         Less expensive than buying a house/ apartment on your own.

·         Intentional community where there is sharing of work, responsibility and fun together.

·         Support for one another in community.

·         Increased sustainability, decreased footprint, greener.

·         Freedom to travel and not worry about your home.

·         A more secure feeling living with others rather than alone.

4)       WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE IE. DECREASED FOOTPRINT / SUSTAINABILITY, WHAT’S HATCHIN FOR YOU?

·         Just starting to think about this, tonight gave me more information to consider.

·         We know that when our kids leave, we don’t want to live in the same big house, so what can we do differently?

·         We want to live with others that share our values / vision for the future…it could be urban or rural…this was a place to start.

·         Our thoughts are…how can we live more sustainably/ greener? If we don’t, what will the future hold?

·         Our question to ourselves is…what does the future hold for our children if we don’t decrease consumption and learn to live more sustainably?

Thank You to all participants at the March 27/12 Conversation Café hosted @ the Smorgasbord Restaurant !  Let’s keep the conversations going.