Come enjoy a free ad-hoc potluck lunch with the founder and members of this lovely little cohousing-ish community and other cohousing seekers from the area. Get a tour of the buildings, and optionally stay longer to discuss how you could become a co-owner of this longtime urban green innovative community.

If you're coming to town for the Addison Court orientation/open house at 2:30, make this your first stop for some actual social connection like we had at last week's potluck -- the ACHC gathering will be brief and will be all business. Please use the link at the bottom to RSVP. If you can't make it Saturday, no worries, we'll be doing some more events here soon, thanks to the owner, EBCOHO member/green builder Dan Antonioli.

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Here's a bit about 611 EcoVillage from its page on the EBCOHO site

The Location

32nd and Martin Luther King Blvd. We’re a ten-minute walk from MacArthur BART, walking distance from downtown Oakland, and a short bicycle distance from Lake Merritt, the Manzanita Cafe, Mama Buzz, and downtown Berkeley. We’re also next to the 980 freeway.

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The Home

Our dwelling consists of two separate houses connected by a courtyard.The main house was built in 1908 and the back house was built in the 1920’s in the California bungalow style. There are lots of historical craftsman detailing, including hardwood floors, cove ceilings, a claw foot bathtub, built-in cabinets, linen closets, etc. We have a state-of-the-art efficient water heater, washing machine, storage, a beautiful roof deck, compost, bins, garden space, and a solar-heated hot tub.

Between six people there’s a lot of privacy within our beautiful, eco-artsy home.

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What’s an EcoVillage?

An ecovillage is the intersection of community and sustainability. In an ecovillage, people live together intentionally and not because they just need a place to live. In a society marked by separateness, isolation, and individuality, an intentional community can restore some of the qualities inherent in most human societies.

Sustainability can’t happen by itself. People need to actively participate in sustainable practices. Reducing waste, using environmentally friendly materials and products, installing renewable energy systems, composting, gardening, hang-drying clothes, and finding creative ways to have a softer impact on the planet are some of ways that an ecovillage can promote sustainability. In both Oakland (and Laytonville) we can bicycle and walk—thus lowering our carbon footprint.

Ecovillages take many shapes and forms, but the core values of community and sustainability are the same. Most people think of an ecovillage as an off-grid, food self-reliant community of idyllic cabins in a rural or remote place, but the principles of peaceful, simple living and energy self-sufficiency are possible to achieve in any landscape. The urban environment is the perfect one for a sustainable household for many reasons. You don’t have to live twenty miles down a remote dirt road to live in harmony with people and natural systems.

Art, music, yoga, French bistro-theme dinners, and a highly developed sense of humor all have a place at 611.