River Ridge

When you were 20, did you ever think how you would be living when you were 60? I didn’t.

Has your concept of “living together” changed over time? Mine sure has. Is there a better way to live than how you are now living that could save money, provide companionship, provide opportunity for a true community, and preserve our natural resources?

Golden Girls got me to thinking about cooperative housing. Obviously this is a way for everyone to spend less. Four people living in one house can live almost as cheaply as one!

I notice that we share resources for things like libraries, parks, water, roadways, and education, to name a few. Why not housing? The Europeans do it. We stay in our houses one by one or two by two because of a tradition of individual autonomy, choice, and control. I’ve decided those things are not as important to me as a higher quality of life—a shared, sustainable lifestyle.

I grew up thinking how wonderful it would be to live in a shared housing situation with like-minded women who care and look out for each other.

For many of us, another primary purpose for sharing is social. We often live and work within minutes of hundreds of people without knowing their names, much less their life stories. It’s been proven that we live longer and healthier lives in a household with other residents.

We often think of the financial or social benefits of cooperative housing, but what about the ecological benefits? Studies have shown that people who live in cohousing recycle more, moderate their use of electricity, and are less dependent on auto transportation for entertainment. Think of the savings alone from shared washers, dryers, freezers, and those loud growling lawnmowers. We could even impact urban development. Cooperative housing diminishes expensive outlays for new roads, schools, and water systems by curbing urban sprawl and encouraging redevelopment of inner cities and suburbs. This is just one of the easiest ways to conserve on all sorts of resources big and small.

Isn’t it time for all of us to consider cooperative living?

Sally West lives in a 3000-sq-ft home on the beautiful St. Croix River, in Prescott, Wisconsin, a picturesque little community 25 miles southeast of St. Paul, Minnesota. Check out her website, email her, or call.