John Abrams speaking about Cohousing

Thursday July 23, 2009 at 7:00PM

Cohousing guru John Abrams will discuss the philosophy behind the growing Cohousing movement, and other ideas on how to build inspired thinking into communities at every level. His talk is entitled “Thinking Like Cathedral Builders: Affordable Housing, Community Preservation and Business for People and Place.”

Abrams is cofounder and CEO of South Mountain Company, a 34-year-old employee owned design/build and renewable energy company on Martha’s Vineyard in West Tisbury, Massachusetts. John's is the author of Companies We Keep: Employee Ownership and the Business of Community and Place (Chelsea Green publishing in 2008).

Abrams serves on the Island Housing Trust and Island Affordable Housing Fund boards, the Green Building Advisor, and the steering committee of Island Plan, which is working on a 50 year plan for the island of Martha's Vineyard. He and his family live in Island Cohousing, West Tisbury, a cohousing neighborhood designed and built by his company.

The event is the third lecture in the Summer Conversations Series that takes place at the Apponagansett Meeting House in Dartmouth, MA. Abrams’ presentation coincides with the launch of Westport Cohousing (www.westportcohousing.org), a small, active group of families planning to build a cohousing community of 24 units in Westport. The multigenerational group, which is actively recruiting new members, seeks to create a socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable community comprised of:

• 24 individual living units built to the highest green standards, near Westport’s Central Village

• A beautiful “Common House”, where several times a week families have the option of

enjoying a group dinner

• A safe place where homes are joined by walking pathways and places where neighbors can gather to chat

• Open areas where children can safely play with each other

• A supportive community with responsible, caring neighbors

• And much more (think of it as an old-fashioned village)

Apponagansett Meeting House is located at 850 Russells Mills Road in Dartmouth, MA 02748.

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