Supporting and nurturing the growth of a more resilient Toronto
Sustainable Live/Work/Meet Co-operative
Looking for like-minded partners interested in buying a building, close to downtown, to build a Live/Work/Meet sustainable (to the best of our ability) co-operative building for like-minded groups interested in change. Being sustainable is not enough, we need to also wean ourselves off of a profit driven economic value system.
I have some money saved but not enough to buy a building on my own. The idea is to live in an energy and water sustainable building, and to partner with other co-operatives in the city to start building a sustainable network of groups that operate with the interest of being sustainable.
The idea that each individual household should provide everything that is necessary for their own survival is neither efficient nor sustainable. I am currently working on a business proposal that embodies some of the following ideas:
1. Congregate individuals with like minded ideals together to start brainstorming and applying innovative ways to get as many people sustainable in the most efficient way possible.
2. Wean ourselves off of a profit driven economic value system that creates unnecessary consumption and waste. And work on a value system based on applying proven technology for the interest of building a better society sustainable with the earth's resource to ensure the survival of the human race and our co-tenants on earth.
3. Start by making our living space sustainable. Apply known technology to make a building sustainable.
- installation of solar panels, solar hot water heating
- insulating and sealing the building, and retrofitting with passive heating technologies
- geothermal (shallow) moderation of building temperature
- setting up a greenhouse / growing food in backyard garden / preserving food through canning/pickling/salting/smoking and use of a root cellar, setting up a beehive and a chicken coup
- conversion to energy efficient appliances
- resource sharing - possible units with shared kitchen, laundry, and car/bike pooling if possible
- look at using alternative fueled vehicles, biofuels, gasifiers, solar, electric vehicles
- commercial kitchen for canning/pickling/salting/smoking food for co-op and for workshops on preservation of food
- installing a rain water collection and grey water recycling system
- humanure / composting toilets
4. Provide free meeting spaces for like minded groups for co-sharing of information and resource exchange
5. In-house mechanical and wood workshop for retrofitting our building and helping others retrofit their buildings.
6. Possible coffee shop for generating revenue to sustain building
I think to focus on personal survival is neither beneficial for humanity nor beneficial for the flora and fauna we currently share the earth with. We live in a time of global technological, economic and social interdependence. This is evident when an earthquake compromising a nuclear power plant in Japan threatens the health and well-being of everyone. Also considering that most of our basic necessities travels 1000s of kilometers and sometimes even close to halfway around the world to reach us, we need to look beyond finding ways for each of us to survive on our own.
Populated cities historically have been hubs for information, technology and trade. A sustainable building with a focus on the congregation of like-minded groups, and knowledge sharing through sustainable workshops appears to be the next logical step towards a transitional Toronto.
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Permalink Reply by Tim Burden on -
YP there was someone at the Crash Course tonight who was interested in something very similar to this. She called it Activist House and passed around a signup sheet. Will post more when I know more.
T
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