Learn more about the cohousing movement, its history, sustainability/green features, and communities in development, from area professionals and burning souls. Meet other people looking to live in and/or co-create cohousing neighborhoods - in the Bay Area and beyond. This will be the last, best opportunity of the year to connect to community in the urban East Bay.

We'll start with a 6 PM mini-tour of Swan's Market Cohousing, North America's 50th and most-urban cohousing neighborhood, led by member Neil Planchon, Coho/US tours coordinator, and Joani Blank, another founder of the community. See how innovative design approaches helped carve out green space and support a mix of privacy and community in a tight space in a nearly-a-century-old historic public market building, lovingly restored.

If you've already seen Swan's, you can arrive around 6:30 and get registered so you won't miss the fun that follows.

Cohousing Coaches Raines Cohen and Betsy Morris (that's us!) will lead the group in an interactive activity designed to help us better get to know each other and get a taste of the cohousing group process that help us make (not just find) good neighbors.

Cohousing movement co-founder, Architect and Author Katie McCamant, will use a rich slideshow to discuss how cohousing reduces the size of your carbon footprint while increasing your quality of life, and how people all over the country. She'll talk about how you can be a part of community living opportunities her development firm, Cohousing Partners, is creating in Fresno and Grass Valley.

We'll all have lots of time to answer your questions and help connect you to resources and opportunities for community, in Oakland, Berkeley, Mountain View, San Mateo, San Francisco, and beyond.

And we'd love to introduce you to a surprise guest from Southern California who is helping people organize communities of all sorts online.

We organized this meeting for folks who visited our combined cohousing booth at the Green Festival, but it is open to all. Join us for the holiday spirit, to meet other cohousers and seekers, and

RSVP required.

6-9 PM, Wednesday evening, in the heart of Old Oakland, just 2 blocks from 12th street BART, using the "back door" to the Common House, on 10th street. Arrive before 6 if you would like to wander through on the 9th street side between Washington and Clay streets and explore the retail and public spaces of Swan's Market.

$10 at the door for light refreshments, but FREE for new EBCOHO supporting members, Green Festival cohousing booth volunteers, and Swan's Market Cohousing residents. Join today on the web (click "Pay Dues Online" on the East Bay Cohousing homepage) or bring a check payable to East Bay Cohousing and get a cohousing book, discounts on events we organize, and complimentary initial personalized Cohousing Coaching session designed to help you find or co-create the community that meets your needs.

Optional no-host drinks afterwards at Pacific Coast Brewery across the street -- they make a mean root beer.

If you can't make the event, please do RSVP "No" so we have you on the list of interested people and so you can answer the short follow-up survey to help us help you connect to community and tell us what kind of events would be most useful for you.

And you can go ahead and upgrade to a supporting EBCOHO membership anytime (We'll include next December for free when you pay for a year -- we take good care of our members) by clicking the "Pay Dues" button on the EBCOHO home page, or going to:
http://www.ebcoho.org...

Thanks for being a part of East Bay Cohousing in 2009, whether for the past week, or the past year, or beyond. 2010 is shaping up as an exciting one for creating community in the area.