VILLAGE LIFE
Note: All references regarding developments, roads, sewers, water, gas, electric services and recreational amenities are to be understood as proposed until such time as they are actually completed.
VILLAGE LIFE
Note: All references regarding developments, roads, sewers, water, gas, electric services and recreational amenities are to be understood as proposed until such time as they are actually completed.
As Charles Durrett (one of the founders of the cohousing movement in the United States) has so aptly put it, cohousing is intended to give people what they need from a private point of view and what they want from a public point of view. The balance of community interaction and one’s private life is an individual decision and will vary from time to time.
This section about Village Life will introduce you to the many facets of the EcoVillage community that affect day to day life.
To give you an idea of who we are, here are short biographies of some of the Future Residents of EcoVillage:
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Home Environmental Consultant, and a writer. I love to hike, backpack, bike, and do photography. My two children have flown the coop, but my cat (Squirrel) is good company. I have been interested in living in such a community (especially one using environmentally friendly materials) for a long time, and look forward to building in the Spring of 2000!
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We were first attracted to the idea of EcoVillage, in large part because of the many changes we've seen in our hometowns (small towns in Ohio and Michigan). When we would visit our childhood homes, we were astounded and disturbed by the pace of development and the callous disregard for the natural world. Growing up in these communities we had creeks in which to catch turtles, playgrounds in which to catch balls, and neighbors who would catch us when we fell. We are alarmed that even in the short period of our lives, these precious opportunities seem to be disappearing. We would like our two young daughters (who are now preschoolers) to grow up with some of the same opportunities we experienced, and we feel as though the collective vision shaping EcoVillage will lead to a more fulfilling life experience for all of us.
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My husband is an engineer in the satellite/earth observation industry and I work part-time as the Marketing Director for EcoVillage. We have a daughter in elementary school and she is the guardian of two guinea pigs, a varying number of fish and in the future, a dog. We enjoy exploring the outdoors -- hiking, camping and biking. My husband loves to fix things -- even those that are not broken -- and he is looking forward to tackling many village improvement projects, along with other EcoVillagers with similar interests. I am looking forward to being part of an alternative education effort -- be it an EcoVillage school or a homeschool cooperative. We were drawn to EcoVillage because we wanted to be part of a real community. While being involved in the development of this project, we've made many wonderful friends. We’ve also learned a lot about group process and decision making. In addition, we’ve become much more environmentally aware. My mother is planning to move to EcoVillage, too.
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I have always dreamed of living in a community dedicated to "living lightly on the land" and with a sense of community. I’m a single grandmother who enjoys being surrounded by gently rolling hills and open land. I also enjoy being with like-minded people of all ages and sharing ideas, fun and getting things going. I like bike riding, hiking and reading. I love life and people. My family is scattered in Ohio and New Mexico. I am currently living in Loudoun County and working for the Loudoun County Government. Formerly I was a Head Start Teacher.
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We have recently moved to Leesburg from Kyoto, Japan. Kyoto is my wife's hometown and the city where our three-year old daughter was born. My wife and I work as teachers in the Loudoun County school system. We like EcoVillage because it is close to, but not in the thick of, metropolitan DC, my hometown. EcoVillage has many qualities of The Botanical Gardens of Kyoto (my daughter's favorite spot on earth): lots of green, lots of kids, no cars.
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We are a middle-aged couple with two children in their 20's and one beautiful granddaughter. The countryside, community spirit, and opportunity to live our values attract us to EcoVillage. I own a small management consulting firm, frequently travel throughout the U.S., but work mostly out of our home. The community support offered by EcoVillage will help balance our time apart. My husband is a fine artist and an artist-in-residence at a small, private school for K-12 in Fairfax, VA. He is looking forward to collaborating with other residents on flexible ways to commute into Northern Virginia. We look forward to having more children around us and more adults who share our values. P.S. We really like to play!
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I am a grower and a bodyworker and a dancer who looks forward to growing EcoVillage along with a horticultural enterprise. I expect our EcoVillage community and the EcoVillage Institute to make for interesting collaborations. My mom is a long-time Area resident who was a docent at the Folger Shakespeare Library and worked with the National Women’s Party towards passing the Equal Rights Amendment. Since we now live together so I can help her out, she gamely has agreed to become one of EcoVillage’s senior residents.
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I'm a full-time mom and home-school our three elementary-school-aged children. My husband works with an environmental group in DC. Our oldest daughter is an avid reader who studies violin (Suzuki method) and practices her cartwheels at every opportunity. Our son likes to toss around a football or baseball or basketball as well as a good game of chess or checkers. Our youngest likes to dance, sing, play dress up, and hold our hairless guinea pig ("Guinea Guy"). I have always wanted two things in a living situation: a rural setting where our children can enjoy the outdoors (as I did when I was young) AND a close-knit community of neighbors. Considering how hard it is to find both of these qualities together, I was thrilled that EcoVillage has both. We have felt very welcomed by our future neighbors – all people we would choose as neighbors and friends. And as for the site, it was love at first sight. The first time we went to take a look, the kids excitedly picked raspberries in the woods, hiked around the hills, and looked up at the beautiful blue ridge of Furnace Mountain. The idea of mountain-elevation temperatures ten degrees cooler than in DC, but less than an hour's train ride away, is also appealing. When we started looking for a place to live, we drew a small circle on our map around the MARC Train stop as the perfect place to look. We were amazed when we discovered EcoVillage was in the circle. Two other dreams of mine are to use environmentally sustainable building materials in our home (EcoVillage has already done all the work on that) and to do some organic farming (I plan to help with the EcoVillage farm).
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We are in our fifties. Our two children are grown and living in San Francisco
and Athens, Georgia. Travel is in our future. We are looking forward to living in an environmentally aware and intergenerational community as we move on up in years. We like living closely with nature, watching sunrises and settings, shooting stars, soaring birds, growing children and plants and migrating monarch butterfies. We like building things both tangible and intangible. He focuses on building houses and homes and she focuses on building health. We both have to go body surfing in the Atlantic ocean once a year.
At EcoVillage there will be children for your kids to play with!
So when you hear…
“Who can I play with?”
You can answer…
“Run outside and see!”
Instead of dialing for a play date and trying to coordinate complex schedules, interaction among children happens simply.
The Eco-kids of EcoVillage will have no shortage of “big brothers” and “big sisters,” “aunts” and “uncles,” “grandmas” and “grandpas.” The people who babysit for them will the big brothers and sisters of their friends, the parents of their friends or the adult next door – people who are already part of their “extended family” and their lives. Instead of paying for babysitting (which often costs more than the night out itself), we’ll exchange services with each other or even start a babysitting cooperative.
With many stay-at-home moms (and perhaps some stay-at-home dads) in the community, EcoVillage will be a lively place for children during the day. We are hoping to start a cooperative preschool. And when children need before or after-school care, there should be plenty help from within the community. (Of course, residents who wish to have their children enrolled in a formal day care facility, can choose from those in nearby towns.)
At EcoVillage, we believe that “it takes a village to raise a child.” The following story related by Tena and Grady O’Rear who visited EcoVillage at Ithaca, is a good example of how another ecovillage rallied in support of the needs of one of their families.
When we visited EcoVillage Ithaca for a wonderful week, Grady and I talked with parents whose young son had just returned home from the hospital, where he was extremely ill with meningitis. The father told us about the extraordinary support that the whole family had received from the rest of the community. The onset of illness was very sudden, and this family's daughter needed immediate baby sitting. The community provided 24 hour coverage for her with people who she knew, in familiar homes of her playmates. While Mom and Dad camped out at the hospital, during their son's grave illness, EcoVillagers provided them with home cooked food on a daily basis. When their son was transferred to a larger and more distant hospital, EcoVillagers brought their daughter to visit them in the city where they stayed. The mother told us about an marvelous visit she had with her daughter in a local park while a neighbor stayed at the hospital with her son. The safety net that was mobilized by their neighbors will never be forgotten by that family.
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“Our older kids are adults, and our youngest is a pretty mature teenager. We love children and we’re happy about the idea of having little ones in our lives again. It will be fun!” Grady & Tena O’Rear
EcoVillage A Learning Environment
Learning by living in EcoVillage
The richness of EcoVillage’s economic, cultural and recreational life creates many and varied educational opportunities both for the children and the adults of the community. They can choose to help with the organic farming operation, participate in the stream monitoring program or help to design a playground for the community. They can learn to cross-country ski, canoe or play the guitar, just by apprenticing themselves to any one of a number of adult residents with these skills.
Living in EcoVillage also offers children (and adults, too) a great opportunity to experience life lessons that will enhance their emotional intelligence and leadership skills. Children living in the community will observe adults working together to make decisions and cooperating as a group to support each other. From the age of 10, children may be full members of EcoVillage committees and thus participate in the decision-making of the community.
Young EcoVillagers, ages 10 - 17, will be expected to participate in preparing a common meal once per month and to give two hours of community service per month. The community service requirement can be fulfilled in a variety of ways. For instance, working outdoors doing land management activities, helping in the Community Association office, assisting with Common House cleaning or maintenance. There will be lots to do, and young folks will be able to select tasks that match their interests.
Homeschooling
Among the EcoVillage future residents, we have a number of teachers and many parents who are passionate about education. While there are good public schools in the area and a few private schools within 30 minutes of the site, a number of parents would like to homeschool their children. One of our dreams is to create a community-supported homeschooling center which would serve the needs of the EcoVillage families and also of the homeschooling families in the wider geographical area. We have established a task force to explore the educational needs and options for our community -- everything from starting a small school to developing a homeschool support network to setting up classes in which residents can share their knowledge and skills with one another.
Why ecovillages and cohousing communities are great places for homeschooling Here’s what Rob Sandelin, a father who lives in a cohousing community and homeschools his two children, has to say about homeschooling:
One of the big disadvantages of homeschooling is the isolation that kids get when they are at home all day. Clearly, cohousing, with its neighbor friendly designs and intents cures that problem very well. On a typical day my kids will get lessons at home, spend time playing with friends in the neighborhood, spend time with other adults in the community learning piano, cooking, carpentry, walking a neighbor’s dog, talking with the people cooking community dinner to get their perspective about the current events of the day and playing with any number of kids.
One of the beauties of our community is that there is a wide variety of ages of kids and so my children play with 15 year olds and 3 year olds. The strict age segregation of the public school is unknown, and my kids have no trouble relating to anyone.
The common house makes a wonderful location for larger group activities, and we have hosted a homeschool coop, made up of local area parents for several years. This brings in kids and adults from outside of the community and has done wonders for connecting us to the wider community. Many of the adults are envious of our facility and situation.
There are a few parents who homeschool in the community and so collaboration on materials and events is easy. We get together and purchase curriculum, theater tickets, organize field trips and also compare notes about progress, expectations and study habits.
Given the social and cooperative nature, cohousing is really an ideal environment for homeschooling. Its great for the kids, and especially great for the teacher/parents who find support and advice easy and natural.
Rob Sandelin
Northwest Intentional Communities Association
-- Building a better society, one neighborhood at a time
Resources
Note:The following resources are secular resources or primarily secular resources.
Homeschooling support groups in the EcoVillage area:
Homeschooling mailing lists serving the EcoVillage area:
Homeschooling websites serving the EcoVillage area:
At EcoVillage, people across the age spectrum will interact – the toddlers and the elders, the mid-lifers and the newlyweds – and everyone’s life will be all the richer. For example, Tena’s mom, an EcoVillage elder in good health, loves to walk, and will enjoy walking to the common house as part of her daily exercise. But if this becomes a problem, she plans to drive a small electric vehicle and give the kids rides.
Elders at EcoVillage will never need to worry that they could fall down and get hurt in their homes without anyone knowing for days, because EcoVillagers will be aware of the activity patterns of their elders and can check up on them regularly. In addition, in times when an older person, or anyone else, needs extra non-professional care, the community can easily mobilize to offer support such as meal preparation, running errands, companionship and the like.
Over and over, social isolation has been found to be a basic determinant of people’s quality of life and it is especially important for the physical and mental health of elderly people. Community life at EcoVillage will include and value older people, making EcoVillage as great a place to be an elder as it is to be a child, or anyone in between.
EcoVillage homes are ideally suited for people who work from home – entrepreneurs, consultants and employees of companies which encourage telecommuting. And since many of the residents intend to pursue home occupations, at least part of the time, EcoVillage will be alive with activity during the day. People will be working on their computers at home, copying materials at the EcoVillage office, stopping by the common house’s juice bar for a break, and enjoying lunch with their spouse and their preshool-aged or homeschooled children.
At EcoVillage, the zoning permits one employee (other than family members residing on the premises) to work with you from your home. Clients can visit your home office, as long as no traffic generated by the home occupation is in greater volumes than would normally be expected in a residential neighborhood. (If you are interested in homeowner occupations, we ask that you examine the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance that governs this activity. This information is available by request from the EcoVillage office).
Residents of EcoVillage have agreed to limit their pet ownership to a maximum total of three canine/feline pets per household. There is one short-term exception to this; puppies and kittens born at EcoVillage are allowed to remain for a short time. Some EcoVillagers are considering sharing pets with their neighbors.
Except for service animals, such as seeing-eye or hearing-ear dogs, animals are not permitted in the common house, any other common buildings or in the protected conservation area of the property.
To support wildlife and minimize environmental impact, EcoVillagers have agreed that there will be no horses and no animal husbandry on the property. (If one is interested in horseback riding, there are plenty of riding stables nearby.)
EcoVillage Resident Responsibilities
Ever live in a condo where only a few people took responsibility for the work of the condo association? If you were one of the few who did the work, you probably were disappointed in your neighbors lack of participation. At EcoVillage we’ve agreed from the start that we’re all going to pitch in…and just in case some of us forget or are unable to do that…we’ve also agreed to an alternative financial charge.
Also, we’ve decided that children ages 10-17 will be required to participate, however, their work requirements are less and their committee membership is optional. But the point we wish to make is that our children are a valued and valuable part of our community, and as such they need to be part of the process that keeps the community functioning.
Community Participation Requirements for Residents of EcoVillage
| Adults (ages 18 and up) | Youths (ages 10-17) |
| Participate in the decision-making of one committee | Optional committee participation* |
| Participate in the preparation of one common meal per month | Same as for adults |
| Perform 4 hours of community work per month (in addition to the above) | 2 hours of community work per month (in addition to the above) |
If, for whatever reason, someone cannot do his/her fair share as outlined above, then the following remedies apply. If one cannot fulfill his/her committee participation requirement or meal preparation requirement s/he can get another resident to carry out the job. If one cannot fulfill the monthly 4 hour community service requirement, for whatever reason, s/he can pay the Community Association $12.50/hour for hours not worked. The idea is that the Community Association will be depending upon volunteer labor to accomplish many of its tasks. If volunteer labor is not available, labor will have to be purchased, and the $12.50/hour will provide the pot of money to contract for work to be done.
Children's time is worth the same as adults. So if children (10 - 17 yrs.) do not fulfill their 2 hour per month community service obligation, for whatever reason, their parents will owe $12.50/hour for time not worked. The reasoning is that we want to convey to young residents that they are valued members of the community. Our goal is to grow citizens who understand the concepts of community contribution as well as community benefits.
EcoVillage Collaborative Activities
The opportunities for collaborative activity at EcoVillage are almost limitless. The goal here is to facilitate collaboration while helping to ensure privacy for residents. Here’s just a smattering of the ways in which collaboration might take place:
Members of the community work in teams to prepare meals, frequently incorporating produce and fruits from the community’s gardens. Members of the community may chose to eat in the common house at dinner time, Monday through Friday.
Members of the community can participate in a buying coop for the purpose of buying food and household items at a discount. We could also buy group-rate tickets to various events and activities, for example, pool passes and theater tickets.
The community could decide to buy a car or two and rent them to residents. In many cases, having a second car available on an as-needed basis would make it unnecessary to own a second car – a big personal savings. The community may elect to purchase an electric vehicle or two to facilitate transport around the site for people experiencing problems with ambulation.
This could include power equipment - drills, table saw, radial arm saw, band saw, workbenches, etc. A system could be devised to help ensure safety and responsibility for equipment use.
Why purchase your own shovels, rakes and hoes? We can share these items.
Tents, camping stoves, lanterns and the like can be available for pooled use among residents.
Persons who work at home can get together and purchase equipment like fax machines, digital cameras and copiers that can be shared among themselves and also made available to the EcoVillage community at large.
When someone is sick or frail or a child has just been born, the family may need support in terms of meal preparation, childcare and running errands. Instead of buying these services at a tremendous cost, EcoVillagers can provide these services for each other.
EcoVillagers can join together and rent a beach house, a campground, a pool, or a bus for a tour, to name a few of the possibilities.
A lot more is possible when the energies of a group are available! For example, on Earth Day weekend, in just one day, about 70 people, many of whom were children, planted approximately 1,500 trees on the EcoVillage site. Of course there was excellent advance planning and organization, but it’s incredible to think of what we can accomplish when our efforts are organized and focused on shared goals!
EcoVillage Economic Development Initiatives
The aim of our economic development initiatives is to create sources of revenue to support the EcoVillage Community Association by initiating and overseeing businesses and land uses that are compatible with the goals of the community and the region.
We are in the planning stages of the establishment of an organic farm on the EcoVillage site. We are also investigating other business opportunities and land uses. It is expected that such businesses and land uses will emphasize the use of renewable resources, minimize negative environmental impacts and engender a vibrant quality of life.
As the economic initiatives of EcoVillage get defined more clearly, information will be posted to this website.
EcoVillage Connecting With Our Past: Taylorstown, VA
Taylorstown Historic District
The Taylorstown historic district is located around the junction of Rtes. 633 and 688 at Catoctin Creek. The Primary Certification Status is: “Listed In The National Register.” This site is under private ownership.
Celebrating our past--Taylorstown Legacy Days
On Saturday, June 12, 1999, Taylorstown Legacy Days were celebrated with the unveiling of a roadside historical marker that stands near the Catoctin Creek intersection with Taylorstown Road.
Words inscribed on the marker:
“Taylorstown, one of Loudoun County's earliest settlements, stands near Catoctin Creek, a Virginia Scenic River at the junction of the Loyalty and Taylorstown Roads. Among the oldest structures in the village are Hunting Hill (ca. 1737), Foxton Cottage (mid-18th century), and Taylors Mill (ca.1800). Two frame Victorian houses and a mid-1930’s general store also remain. Located nearby are other log and field stone buildings erected by residents of German descent and by Quakers loyal to the Union during the Civil War, thus giving the name Loyalty to this region. The 61-acre Taylorstown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.”
In June, 1999, tours of Hunting Hill, the oldest stone house in the County, (located directly west of the Taylorstown store along Taylorstown Road), were available. Our neighbors to the south of the EcoVillage site, Ruth and Roy Cheronis, hosted a picnic with live bluegrass music, featuring the "Furnace Mountain Boys" (Furnace Mountain is the mountain we view to the east of the site.)
Legacy Days commemorated the "Battle of Taylorstown" that occurred in June of 1974. This battle was a battle of wills and wits in which the residents of Taylorstown successfully defeated a plan by the County of Fairfax and the Army Corps of Engineers to dam the Catoctin Creek to supply water for Fairfax County. If they had not defeated this plan, 3,800 acres of land (this is not a misprint) would have been submerged underwater, including parts of the EcoVillage site. The people of Taylorstown defeated the initiative in the State Legislature and curtailed further action on the federal level by successfully lobbying for Taylorstown to become a listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Those who helped make this victory possible were honored at the ceremony. (Note: The EcoVillage site is 300-400 feet above sea level with virtually all of the land outside of the 100 year flood plain).
Historic properties on the EcoVillage site
Antebellum house
This two-story farmhouse, built prior to the Civil War is nestled in the northeastern quadrant of the site overlooking one of our spring-fed streams that courses through EcoVillage. Through research and the help of archeologists and historians, we plan to uncover the many past lives of this little house. We also plan to rehabilitate the house for possible use as a community school or for some other special purpose.
Old German-style barn
Adjacent to the Antebellum house, sits an old German-style barn made of sturdy oak and chestnut logs. This two-story barn was used for grain threshing and grain and hay storage. The ground level was originally used for livestock stalls.
Old red barn
The bigger of the two barns is the red barn situated in the northwestern quadrant of the site. This barn was constructed about 100 years ago. About one-third of the structure is being converted into the EcoVillage office. The remainder will be used for barn dances, gatherings and storage by the EcoVillage community.
Historic home next door
Near the red barn on the EcoVillage site, there’s a yellow house, possibly built in the 1760’s, and still providing shelter to the family who lives there. This house and the land that surrounds it does not belong to EcoVillage. But the residents of this historic home, historians themselves, plan to be involved with the EcoVillage community.
EcoVillage Connecting To The Larger Community
The Taylorstown Community Association and related activities
The Taylorstown Community Association is a well-established and active local community association. Some EcoVillagers have already joined the Association and are looking forward to continuing to collaborate with the local townspeople to improve the quality of life in the region. For two years, EcoVillagers have participated with members of the Taylorstown community in the Keep Loudoun Beautiful clean-up campaign.
Local environmental groups
There are a number of local environmental organizations such as the Piedmont Environmental Council, The Nature Conservancy and The Catoctin Watershed Project. Without a doubt, once EcoVillage Future Residents get settled at EcoVillage, many of them will participate in these organizations to further support existing efforts that promote environmental sustainability.
Hosting community groups
Because the EcoVillage site includes plenty of common land and also a big common house, EcoVillage is well suited to host group activities for both the residents and the larger community. For example, in the common house we might offer a guest lecture series, a community preschool and a meeting place for scout troops. On the EcoVillage grounds, we can have butterfly counts, bird walks and stream monitoring programs, as well as volleyball games and soccer skirmishes.
Cooperating with neighborhood schools and camps
EcoVillage is a great place for nature programs which could be conducted in connection with the local schools and youth groups. EcoVillage is also an ideal location for a summer camp.
Welcoming visitors
Even before beginning construction, EcoVillage received numerous visitors from other countries, some of whom were starting their own EcoVillages or cohousing communities. As EcoVillage becomes more established and our EcoVillage Institute develops more of its programs, more people will come to visit. The presence of all of these groups, individuals and visitors will contribute to the richness of life in our community.
EcoVillage Reciprocity With Other Communities
Home exchanges for vacations
Exchanging homes is a fun and cost effective way to experience other parts of the country and the world. By exchanging homes you get to share a neighborhood and a community, not just a hotel and restaurants.
EcoVillage has already experienced several international visits, and construction hasn’t even begun! Each of these visits has resulted in an invitation for reciprocal visits. The foundation is already being laid for exchanges. Ads for home exchanges regularly appear on the cohousing mailing list.
We would like to exchange our EcoVillage of Loudoun County Virginia home (in Taylorstown, VA, within commuting distance of Washinton, DC and Baltimore, MD) for a house in Europe, during any two week period, June through August. Our home sleeps up to six, includes front porch, full basement, and patio with flower and vegetable gardens. EcoVillage is situated on 180-acres of beautiful Northern Virginia countryside. You will experience rural cohousing, share common house meals and activities. Children of all ages for your kids to play with.
Here’s what your ad might say: