 |
|||
|
Newsletter Archive These Newsletters are the brief condensations of the monthly minutes of general meetings. SUMMER NEWS FOR YOU!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Ginny is planning on making contact with local Green Builders. If you know of any, please forward their contact info on to her. The name of the MAEV Blog is GreenRain. The address is http://thegreenrain.blogspot.com/ We are just starting to post to this blog. Check it out! Ginny needs help with Orientation Open House(s) this summer. If you can assist or hold one or more, please contact her as soon as possible. UPCOMING MEETINGS Marketing Committee meets Friday, June 27 at 5:30PM Web Committee meeting TBA LLC meeting TBA Resident Handbook Committee Is Walt back from Bhutan yet? Will advise. Next FROG meeting is Sunday July 13th from 1:30 to 4:30PM. This meeting is open to anyone interested in getting involved with MAEV. The next Orientation for individuals interested in finding out more about MAEV is Saturday July 12th at 1PM (dependent upon firm reservations). We will give a history of this project, the vision that inspires it and where we are at in putting the Ecovillage on the ground. If the weather permits, we will visit the 270-acre farm where the Ecovillage will be located. This Orientation is for anyone interested in this Ecovillage effort and especially for those who might like to become part of this group effort. If you plan to come, please let us know by emailing us at mail@manitouarbor.org. All meetings and orientations are held at the Environmental Studies Office of Sr. Ginny Jones, at Nazareth, MI, 3427 Gull Road (M43) on the East side of Kalamazoo (1.5 miles East of Borgess Hospital, one mile West of the Gull Road & Sprinkle Road interchange) on the campus of the Sisters of St. Joseph and in the “Transformations: SSJ Spirituality Center.” Come in the entrance off Gull Road. It is lined with large 100-year-old conifers. The “Transformations” building will be on your left and is clearly marked. Happy Summer! Teresa Lyn Recording Secretary CREATING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY
PEOPLE!
Come on out to the 1st Annual MAEV Garage sale! Get some great deals, learn more about MAEV, meet future residents, and support a GREEN cause all at the same time! Scheduled for Saturday, May 31st from 8 to until we can't stand it anymore at Mike Howell’s house in the Westnedge Hills neighborhood. Address is 304 Whitcomb, Kalamazoo. Proceeds will be used to fund MAEV advertising and promotional activities. FROGS!!! Please plan to participate and/or make donations (no clothing please) Please bring donations to Mike’s house Friday May 30th (evening before sale) Please have all items priced with GREEN stickers before bringing to Mike’s house INTERESTED IN MAEV? COME TO AN ORIENTATION! If you'd like to attend our next orientation (date to be announced), please let us know by emailing us at mail@manitouarbor.org. We'll give a history of this project, the vision that inspires it and where we are at in putting the Ecovillage on the ground. If the weather permits, we will visit the 270-acre farm where the Ecovillage will be located. Orientations are for anyone interested in this Ecovillage effort and especially for those who might like to become part of this group effort. All meetings and orientations are held at the Environmental Studies Office of Sr. Ginny Jones, at Nazareth, MI, 3427 Gull Road (M43) on the East side of Kalamazoo (1.5 miles East of Borgess Hospital, one mile West of the Gull Road & Sprinkle Road interchange) on the campus of the Motherhouse for the Sisters of St. Joseph and in the “Transformations: SSJ Spirituality Center.” Come in the entrance off Gull Road. It is lined with large 100-year-old conifers. The “Transformations” building will be on your left and is clearly marked. FROGS! LETS DO SOME PERSONAL SELLING! One outcome of the retreat was the realization that MAEV needs YOUR PROMOTIONAL ASSISTANCE by doing a little "personal selling" i.e. conversing about our fantastic MAEV project to your friends, neighbors, family, and acquaintences. TALK IT UP! In addition to personal conversations...consider giving a talk to a group you belong to or are familiar with. Too shy to go it alone? Mike Swords has generously volunteered his deep theatrical voice, knowledge of MAEV, and passion to be ½ of a duo for anyone wishing to give an informal talk to target groups. If you'd like to take advantage of this fantastic offer, call Mike a few weeks in an advance of your planned talk. The idea behind "informal talks" is to inform and make possibly interested parties or individuals aware of MAEV. NEW AD-HOC GROUPS ARE FORMING NOW - and could use your help! Fund development committee forming so far Ginny, Mike S, Carolyn focusing on tackling pre-construction shortfall Web committee forming so far Teri, Mike S, Richard, Mike H focusing on informing anf promoting MAEV, attracting possible residents, volunteers, and donors OUR TAGLINE! In case you haven't noticed, MAEV’s newly-coined tag line is “Creating Sustainable Community” short, sweet, to the point. Thanks Mike Swords! VISUAL AID! Christina has created a very cool scale model of the village which will greatly assist at Orientation's and display venues. Come to the next FROG meeting to check it out! UPCOMING MEETINGS Web Subcommittee meets Monday April 29th at 5:30 PM Next FROG meeting is >>MONDAY NIGHT<< May 12th at 5:30PM. This meeting is open to anyone interested in getting involved with MAEV. Coordinating Committee meets Tuesday, May 6th 1 PM Marketing meeting is Friday May 2nd at 11AM Web Committee meets Tuesday May 20th 5:30 PM A BIG THANK YOU to Richard Daily for his gracious hosting of the annual MAEV Retreat! And thank you everyone for your treats, talents, time and most of all for your faith and efforts. HAPPY HAPPY SPRING TO YOU! Teresa Lyn Recording Secretary FEBRUARY 2006 NEWS FOR YOU!
INTERESTED IN MAEV? COME TO AN ORIENTATION!
The next Orientation for individuals interested in finding out more about MAEV is Saturday March 1 1PM. We will give a history of this project, the vision that inspires it and where we are at in putting the Ecovillage on the ground. If the weather permits, we will visit the 270-acre farm where the Ecovillage will be located. This Orientation is for anyone interested in this Ecovillage effort and especially for those who might like to become part of this group effort. If you plan to come, please let us know by emailing us at mail@manitouarbor.org. All meetings and orientations are held at the Environmental Studies Office of Sr. Ginny Jones, at Nazareth, MI, 3427 Gull Road (M43) on the East side of Kalamazoo (1.5 miles East of Borgess Hospital, one mile West of the Gull Road & Sprinkle Road interchange) on the campus of the Motherhouse for the Sisters of St. Joseph and in the “Transformations: SSJ Spirituality Center.” Come in the entrance off Gull Road. It is lined with large 100-year-old conifers. The “Transformations” building will be on your left and is clearly marked. UPCOMING MEETINGS Next FROG meeting is Sunday March 9th from 1:30 to 4:30PM. This meeting is open to anyone interested in getting involved with MAEV. February LLC meeting is set for Wednesday February 13th 12:30-4PM. Open to any interested FROGS. Resident Handbook Committee Walt Oberheu to announce meeting time/date. Open to any interested FROGS. Next Marketing meeting is Thursday, February 28th at 5:30 PM FEBRUARY TOPICS OUR CURRENT CHALLENGE we must prove there is a market. When we talk to others in the community that share our values, the response to MAEV is positive, passionate and hopeful. People want to see us be successful and many want to be part of that success! We know that a market exists for what we are offering. Our challenge is to prove that to the bank. To prove it, we must have a 20% buy-in financial commitment from 80% of the potential residents. How do we obtain that? First, we must be able to answer the FOREMOST QUESTION in every potential residents mind, which is HOW MUCH IS IT GOING TO COST TO LIVE IN MANITOU ARBOR ECOVILLAGE? Based on our current knowledge and designs, that ROUGH ballpark figure is $150-200K +/- $15 to $20 per sq. ft. This estimate is the best we can come up with at the moment, as we still need to obtain bids for various aspects of the project. PARALLEL WITH OBTAINING BIDS, refining our design, and striving to get to a “true” buy-in figure, we must find our customers. Based on history, we estimate that 75% of those who say they are committed to the project will disappear. That means in order to fill our village with probable resident-partnerships, we need to locate 176 possible potential residents, or at least 80% or 140 potentials. JUST SAY YES TO COMPOSTING TOILETS! After in-depth discussion of the pros and cons and upfront and long-term costs estimates of composting toilets vs. low-flush toilets, all present agreed that despite the higher upfront cost that the apartment owners will bear, the better and sustainable choice for the village and its environs is…COMPOSTING TOILETS for all! UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS UPCOMING GREEN EVENT. Mark your calendars and come out to 'Sustainable ExteriorScapes for a Green Environment' on Thursday, March 20th at the Portage Public Library. This event will consist of a panel discussion on using affordable, sustainable, attractive resources in residential yards and gardens. Panelists will include a landscape designer, an architect, a specialist in rain gardens, and founders of the Wild Ones. MAEV will be there to represent and hand out info on our Ecovillage. FROGS - if you would like to assist at the MAEV exhibit, see Ginny at the next FROG meeting. ARE YOU TRYING TO CONSUME LESS, preserve natural resources and save money too? Check out http://www.reusablebags.com/ a wide range of reusable shopping bags and other innovative, practical products. NAZARETH CONFERENCE Sr. Ginny will give a short talk updating the SSJ on the project, emphasizing the efforts we are making to ensure the project is affordable for middle-class people. A PowerPoint presentation will follow, and then Sr. will open up the meeting for a discussion/question period. A SPRING RETREAT PLAN? A group SWOT analysis is planned to review and formulate MAEV’s marketing strategy. SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. SPRING: less then a month away! Hang in there. Teresa Lyn, Recording Secretary HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR! January news for you!
PEOPLE. Do you have a sincere desire to live a more earth-connected, sustainable, spiritual way of life? ONE OF THE GOALS of MAEV is to foster awareness of our connection to Spirit and the Earth and our interdependence with the web of all life. How can YOU become more mindful of this intimate but all too often taken-for-granted connection? Getting involved with the MAEV project is one way...interested individuals are always welcome to come to a MAEV Orientation meeting. Details below under UPCOMING MEETINGS.
FROGS! Come to the February FROG meeting to to learn what significant design, infrastructure, and cost decisions are being made this month by our LLC. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ONE! ENVIRONMENTAL MIXER Thursday January 24 at Portage Public Library. Visit with representatives from a wide variety of organizations within our community and learn how you can do your part to be a good guest on our one and only Earth. 6:30-8:30PM. Display and info tables, and a Who's Who of our environmental community. MAEV will represent also. Presentation will be given by Mel Vissar, author of Cold, Clear, and Deadly, a mystery and the story of the evolution of its author: from a chemical and bioprocess scientist to the vice president in charge of a major company's corporate environmental division; to engaging in international research and travel to discover the source of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in cold northern waters ranging from the Great Lakes to the Arctic. UPCOMING GREEN EXHIBIT in March. Mark your calendars and come out to 'Sustainable ExteriorScapes for a Green Environment' on Thursday, March 20th at the Portage Public Library. This event will consist of a panel discussion on using affordable, sustainable, attractive resources in residential yards and gardens. Panelists will include a landscape designer, an architect, a specialist in rain gardens, and founders of the Wild Ones. MAEV will be there to represent and hand out info on our EcoVillage. FROGS - if you would like to assist at the MAEV exhibit, see Ginny at the next FROG meeting. UPCOMING MEETINGS Next FROG meeting is Sunday February 10th from 1:30 to 4:30PM. This meeting is open to anyone interested in getting involved with MAEV. February LLC meeting is set for Wednesday February 13th 12:30PM. Open to any interested FROGS. Resident Handbook Committee meeting time/date to be announced. Open to any interested FROGS. Next Marketing meeting is Saturday, February 2nd at 10AM The next Orientation for individuals interested in finding out more about MAEV is Saturday February 2nd at 1PM. We will give a history of this project, the vision that inspires it and where we are at in putting the Ecovillage on the ground. If the weather permits, we will visit the 270-acre farm where the Ecovillage will be located. This Orientation is for anyone interested in this Ecovillage effort and especially for those who might like to become part of this group effort. If you plan to come, please let us know by emailing us at mail@manitouarbor.org. All meetings and orientations are held at the Environmental Studies Office of Sr. Ginny Jones, at Nazareth, MI, 3427 Gull Road (M43) on the East side of Kalamazoo (1.5 miles East of Borgess Hospital, one mile West of the Gull Road & Sprinkle Road interchange) on the campus of the Motherhouse for the Sisters of St. Joseph and in the “Transformations: SSJ Spirituality Center.” Come in the entrance off Gull Road. It is lined with large 100-year-old conifers. The “Transformations” building will be on your left and is clearly marked. Happy January all. Teresa Lyn, Recording Secretary December News
PEOPLE. Do you have a sincere desire to live a more earth-connected, sustainable, spiritual way of life? ONE OF THE GOALS of MAEV is to foster awareness of our connection to Spirit and the Earth and our interdependence with the web of all life. How can YOU become more mindful of this intimate but all too often taken-for-granted connection? Getting involved with the MAEV project is one way...interested individuals are always welcome to come to a MAEV Orientation meeting. Details below under UPCOMING MEETINGS.
FROGS! We are making significant headway with the MAEV Resident Handbook. All but one of the major sections have been consensed to. Come to the January FROG meeting prepared to help the Handbook Committee to wrap it up. UPCOMING GREEN EXHIBIT in March 2008. Mark your calendars and come out to 'Sustainable ExteriorScapes for a Green Environment' on Thursday, March 20th at the Portage Public Library. This event will consist of a panel discussion on using affordable, sustainable, attractive resources in residential yards and gardens. Panelists will include a landscape designer, an architect, a specialist in rain gardens, and founders of the Wild Ones. MAEV will be there to represent and hand out info on our EcoVillage. FROGS - if you would like to assist at the MAEV exhibit, please advise at the next FROG meeting. UPCOMING MEETINGS Resident Handbook Committee meets on Tuesday December 18th from 6-8PM. Open to any interested FROGS. Next Marketing meeting is on Wednesday, December 19th from 9:30-10:30AM. January LCC meeting is Tuesday, January 8 from 2-6PM. Open to any interested FROGS. Next FROG meeting is Sunday January 13th from 1:30 to 4:30PM. This meeting is open to anyone interested in getting involved with MAEV. The next Orientation for individuals interested in finding out more about MAEV is Saturday January 19th at 1PM. We will give a history of this project, the vision that inspires it and where we are at in putting the Ecovillage on the ground. If the weather permits, we will visit the 270-acre farm where the Ecovillage will be located. This Orientation is for anyone interested in this Ecovillage effort and especially for those who might like to become part of this group effort. If you plan to come, please let us know by emailing us at mail@manitouarbor.org. All meetings and orientations are held at the Environmental Studies Office of Sr. Ginny Jones, at Nazareth, MI, 3427 Gull Road (M43) on the East side of Kalamazoo (1.5 miles East of Borgess Hospital, one mile West of the Gull Road & Sprinkle Road interchange) on the campus of the Motherhouse for the Sisters of St. Joseph and in the “Transformations: SSJ Spirituality Center.” Come in the entrance off Gull Road. It is lined with large 100-year-old conifers. The “Transformations” building will be on your left and is clearly marked. Wishing us all Peace on Earth. Teresa Lyn Recording Secretary November News for You!
NEXT ORIENTATION IS Saturday, January 19th at 1PM...Wondering what living at Manitou Arbor Ecovillage would be like? Come to our next Orientation to find out! Scroll on down to the end of this page for directions.
A NUMBER OF HARDY FROGS attended the November Retreat...I say "hardy" because it was a long, albeit fruitful day. We did notice that 2-3 of the less hardy FROGS retreated to living room sofas and easy chairs later in the afternoon...but a big one did get out of his chair at various increments to articulate his usual logic. THE FOCUS of this day-long meeting was to join in fellowship, and to eat Mike Howell's homemade cinnamon rolls and peach pie. Oh, and also to review, edit, and consense to Section VII of the MAEVE Condominium Bylaws, which will ultimately function as THE document that informs prospective MAEV owner-partners what the legal restrictions of their “site” or ‘unit” will be. WE ACCOMPLISHED quite a bit, with only two small sections Article VII yet to be agreed upon, pending the results of two fact-finding missions. THANK YOU RICHARD DAILEY for your gracious hosting of this Retreat! NEXT, the Handbook Committee will massage Article VIII into shape, a task that should be pretty easy, as most of the topics have already been addressed by the soon-to-be complete Resident Handbook. Next Handbook Committee meeting is November 20th at 6PM. NEXT LLC MEETING is Thursday, December 6th, from 2-6PM. PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS! Feel free to join us at the next FROG meeting. Sunday, December 9th, from 1:30 to 4PM. OR find out more about our project by attending our next Orientation on Saturday, January 19th, 2008. ALL ORIENTATIONS AND MEETINGS are held at the Environmental Studies Office of Sr. Ginny Jones, at Nazareth, MI, 3427 Gull Road (M43) on the East side of Kalamazoo (1.5 miles East of Borgess Hospital, one mile West of the Gull Road & Sprinkle Road interchange) on the campus of the Sisters of St. Joseph and in the “Transformations: SSJ Spirituality Center.” Come in the entrance off Gull Road. It is lined with large 100 year old conifers. The “Transformations” building will be on your left and is clearly marked. Happy Moon of the Falling Leaves month to you! Teresa Lyn Recording Secretary October News
News for October
Vern Jorgensen has fully taken over as “project manager” and is creating a critical path timeline and is pushing everyone to get things done. Lawyer Charles Etter has presented the first boilerplate Site Condiminium legal description. Key “Conflict Resolution” and “Governance” issues are well underway towards a consensus. Next Meeting Retreat, 9-4pm Saturday, November 10th. LOTS of NEWS for September!
ARE YOU INTERESTED in finding out more about Manitou Arbor Ecovillage? Our next Orientation is Saturday, October 20th at 1PM. We will give a history of this project, the vision that inspires it and where we are at in putting the Ecovillage on the ground. If the weather permits, we will visit the 270 acre farm where the Ecovillage will be located. This Orientation is for anyone interested in this Ecovillage effort and especially for those who might like to become part of this group effort. If you plan to come, please let us know by emailing us at mail@manitouarbor.org as soon as possible!
Orientations are held at the Environmental Studies Office of Sr. Ginny Jones, at Nazareth, MI, 3427 Gull Road (M43) on the East side of Kalamazoo (1.5 miles East of Borgess Hospital, one mile West of the Gull Road & Sprinkle Road interchange) on the campus of the Sisters of St. Joseph and inside the “Transformations: SSJ Spirituality Center.” Come in the entrance off Gull Road. It is lined with large 100 year old conifers. The “Transformations” building will be on your left and is clearly marked. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! September 23rd at the Tillers Community Harvest Festival! Volunteers are needed to help man the Manitou booth at the Sunday, September 23 event on from 11:30AM-6:30PM. Held at Cook's Mill in Scotts, MI. If we have enough people to help, there will ample opportunities for each of us to walk around and enjoy the festivities. Tiller’s advertisement states: “The beauty of fall makes this a special celebration of a year's work. Sorghum is cooking in the evaporator and the shops are busy with smithing and woodworking tasks. Watch as wheelwrights set a tire. Try your hand at plowing a furrow. Take a hay ride, and enjoy the season with a walk along the Mill pond. Purchase sorghum, honey, pumpkins and other produce grown on the farm.” It should be a wonderful autumn day! Link: http://www.tillersinternational.org/ Marketing Update The Marketing Committee continues to gather research on the demand and target markets for intentional ecovillage communities. We are making progress and should have the Marketing portion of the Business Plan complete by Jan 2008. We are also developing two surveys designed to obtain primary data from sample groups of our target population to 1) determine the percentage and level of interest in living in an ecovillage community, and to 2) determine the kinds of amenities and elements (and their ranking) of an ecovillage that are important to respondents. NOTE: We need your help to administer these surveys! What is involved is a morning, afternoon, or evening shift of 3-4 hours duration, at a specifically chosen local venue or location. You will have a table and chair to sit at. You would explain the reason for the questionnaire, hand it out on clipboards, and collect it. We are also looking for locations/venues at which to administer the surveys now through the middle of November that would attract our target population....which we believe at this point to be independent individuals with a strong sense of connection to the earth; who are interested and/or active in environmental issues, health and well-being; in particular women, senior citizens, and young couples. If you have any ideas or can assist, please contact e-mail Teresa Lyn at likes2hike@charterinternet.com Update on Water Treatment and Handling Issues Christina met recently with the County of Kalamazoo and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to determine what, if anything, MAEV needs to do in order to obtain plan approval on water treatment issues. The good news is that there do not appear to be any major obstacles to implementing our grey water treatment plans, so we should be able to move forward with our existing site plan without additional rework. Handbook Committee Update Undergoing Committee Review prior to presentation to FROG: Enforcement of Village Ordinances and Policies, and Governance and Decision-Making, Consensus Decision-Making, Voting and Voting Procedures, Shared Spaces, Privacy Rights, Fire Arms and Fire Works, Principles of Ecological Design. Ready for FROG Review/Consensus: Landscaping, New Structures, Modifications to Existing Structures, Solar Accessibility, Residential Indoor Lighting, Water Supply, Residential Outdoor Lighting, Air Quality, Community Recycling, and Storm water Site Restrictions We are fast approaching a deadline for composing several required legal documents. Accordingly, Christina compiled and distributed for discussion a Draft Design Guideline that will, once its legalese portions are complete, be handed over to our attorney Charles Etter for incorporation into the site condominium legal document. This document is also ultimately destined to serve as a building and lanscaping guide for MAEV residents. Many document items were consensed to. Several require additional research or revision, and more discussion then there was time for…which is a great segue way into our next announcement: IMPORTANT! There will be no November FROG meeting. Instead we will meet on Saturday, November 10th, from 9AM to 4PM. Potluck! We have many issues to discuss, more than we have time for at a regular meeting and ones that will directly impact each resident so we encourage ALL FROGS TO COME. A number of the "design" issues and discussion of some of the residence handbook items are expected. This will be a great opportunity to build community. UPCOMING MEETINGS * Next FROG meeting is Sunday October 8th from 1:30 to 4:30PM. This meeting is open to anyone interested in getting involved with MAEV. * September Coordinating meeting is Thursday September 13th at 3PM. Open to any interested FROGS. * Resident Handbook Committee Meeting meets on Tuesday September 18th from 6:00 to 8:00PM. Open to any interested FROGS. * FROG Retreat November 10th from 9-4PM at Richard Dailey’s home. This retreat replaces the November FROG meeting. More details later. Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all. ~Stanley Horowitz Teresa Lyn, Recording Secretary Highlights from the August FROG Meeting
MAEV has hired a project manager to guide and direct us through the 250+ (to date) tasks we must complete between now and construction. The project timeline identifies all pieces of the project, breaks them down into tasks, assigns beginning and end dates, and responsibilities. From this we will be able to determine the sequence of activities that must be completed on schedule for the entire project to be completed on schedule.
Christina Snyder made an informal pre-presentation of the planned village layout, which includes the modifications that the water people advised are required to obtain plan approval. Formal presentation to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will occur in two weeks. The Resident vs. Resident and Resident vs. Village Conflict Resolution section of the MAEV Handbook was consensed to. Consensus on these sections is a huge deal! Thanks to all who participated. Upcoming Meetings Next FROG meeting is Sunday September 8th from 1:30 to 4:30PM. This meeting is open to anyone interested in getting involved with MAEV. September Coordinating meeting is Tuesday August 29th 1PM. Open to any interested FROGS. Resident Handbook Committee Meeting meets on Tuesday August 29 from 6:00 to 8:00PM. Open to any interested FROGS. The next Orientation for individuals interested in finding out more about MAEV will be announced at a later date. We will give a history of this project, the vision that inspires it and where we are at in putting the Ecovillage on the ground. If the weather permits, we will visit the 270 acre farm where the Ecovillage will be located. This Orientation is for anyone interested in this Ecovillage effort and especially for those who might like to become part of this group effort. If you plan to come, would you let us know by email at mail@manitouarbor.org. All meetings and orientations are held at the Environmental Studies Office of Sr. Ginny Jones, at Nazareth, MI, 3427 Gull Road (M43) on the East side of Kalamazoo (1.5 miles East of Borgess Hospital, one mile West of the Gull Road & Sprinkle Road interchange) on the campus of the Motherhouse for the Sisters of St. Joseph and in the “Transformations: SSJ Spirituality Center.” Come in the entrance off Gull Road. It is lined with large 100 year old conifers. The “Transformations” building will be on your left and is clearly marked. Savor the last Dog Days of August! Teresa Lyn, Recording Secretary August News!
'''Highlights from the August FROG Meeting'''
'''MAEV has hired a project manager''' to guide and direct us through the 250+ (to date) tasks we must complete between now and construction. The project timeline identifies all pieces of the project, breaks them down into tasks, assigns beginning and end dates, and responsibilities. From this we will be able to determine the sequence of activities that must be completed on schedule for the entire project to be completed on schedule. '''Christina Snyder made an informal pre-presentation''' of the planned village layout, which includes the modifications that the water people advised are required to obtain plan approval. Formal presentation to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will occur in two weeks. '''The Resident vs. Resident'''and Resident vs. Village Conflict Resolution section of the MAEV Handbook was consensed to. Consensus on these sections is a huge deal! Thanks to all who participated. '''Upcoming Meetings''' Next FROG meeting is Sunday September 8th from 1:30 to 4:30PM. This meeting is open to anyone interested in getting involved with MAEV. September Coordinating meeting is Tuesday August 29th 1PM. Open to any interested FROGS. Resident Handbook Committee Meeting meets on Tuesday August 29 from 6:00 to 8:00PM. Open to any interested FROGS. The next Orientation for individuals interested in finding out more about MAEV will be announced at a later date. We will give a history of this project, the vision that inspires it and where we are at in putting the Ecovillage on the ground. If the weather permits, we will visit the 270 acre farm where the Ecovillage will be located. This Orientation is for anyone interested in this Ecovillage effort and especially for those who might like to become part of this group effort. If you plan to come, would you let us know by email at mail@manitouarbor.org. All meetings and orientations are held at the Environmental Studies Office of Sr. Ginny Jones, at Nazareth, MI, 3427 Gull Road (M43) on the East side of Kalamazoo (1.5 miles East of Borgess Hospital, one mile West of the Gull Road & Sprinkle Road interchange) on the campus of the Motherhouse for the Sisters of St. Joseph and in the “Transformations: SSJ Spirituality Center.” Come in the entrance off Gull Road. It is lined with large 100 year old conifers. The “Transformations” building will be on your left and is clearly marked. '''Savor the last Dog Days of August!''' Teresa Lyn, Recording Secretary July News!
Upcoming Meetings
Next FROG meeting is Sunday August 12th from 1:30 to 4:30PM. Open to anyone interested in getting involved with MAEV. July Coordinating meeting is Thursday July 19th from 10:00AM until (per Mike Howell) you can no longer stand it. This meeting is open to any interested FROGS. Resident Handbook Committee Meeting meets on Tuesday July 31st from 6:00 to 8:00PM. Open to interested FROGS. The next Orientation for individuals interested in finding out more about MAEV will be announced at a later date. We will give a history of this project, the vision that inspires it and where we are at in putting the Ecovillage on the ground. If the weather permits, we will visit the 270 acre farm where the Ecovillage will be located. This Orientation is for anyone interested in this Ecovillage effort and especially for those who might like to become part of this group effort. If you plan to come, would you let us know by email at mail@manitouarbor.org. All meetings and orientations are held at the Environmental Studies Office of Sr. Ginny Jones, at Nazareth, MI, 3427 Gull Road (M43) on the East side of Kalamazoo (1.5 miles East of Borgess Hospital, one mile West of the Gull Road & Sprinkle Road interchange) on the campus of the Motherhouse for the Sisters of St. Joseph and in the “Transformations: SSJ Spirituality Center.” Come in the entrance off Gull Road. It is lined with large 100 year old conifers. The “Transformations” building will be on your left and is clearly marked. Now get yourself outside and enjoy Summer! Teresa Lyn, Recording Secretary June 16 Orientation Meeting
Manitou Arbor Ecovillage ORIENTATION MEETING, Saturday, June 16, at 1:00 p.m. in the Environmental Studies Office of Sr. Ginny Jones, at Nazareth, MI, 3427 Gull Road (M43) on the East side of Kalamazoo (1.5 miles East of Borgess Hospital, one mile West of the Gull Road & Sprinkle Road interchange) on the campus of the Motherhouse for the Sisters of St. Joseph and in the “Transformations: SSJ Spirituality Center.” Come in the entrance off Gull Road. It is lined with large 100 year old conifers. The “Transformations” building will be on your left and is clearly marked.
We will give a history of this project, the vision that inspires it and where we are at in putting the ecovillage on the ground. If the weather permits, we will visit the 270 acre farm where the ecovillage will be located. This Orientation is for anyone interested in this ecovillage effort and especially for those who might like to become part of this group effort. If you plan to come, would you let us know by email at mail@manitouarbor.org. Thank you & Peace, Michael Howell May, 2007, Orientation Meeting
Manitou Arbor Ecovillage ORIENTATION MEETING, Saturday, May 19, at 1:00 p.m. in the Environmental Studies Office of Sr. Ginny Jones, at Nazareth, MI, 3427 Gull Road (M43) on the East side of Kalamazoo (1.5 miles East of Borgess Hospital, one mile West of the Gull Road & Sprinkle Road interchange) on the campus of the Motherhouse for the Sisters of St. Joseph and in the “Transformations: SSJ Spirituality Center.” Come in the entrance off Gull Road. It is lined with large 100 year old conifers. The “Transformations” building will be on your left and is clearly marked.
We will give a history of this project, the vision that inspires it and where we are at in putting the ecovillage on the ground. If the weather permits, we will visit the 270 acre farm where the ecovillage will be located. We may not be able to drive around the farm because of the muddy conditions but we can walk around it as much as anyone would like. I would suggest bringing some sort of boots. This Orientation is for anyone interested in this ecovillage effort and especially for those who might like to become part of this group effort. APRIL 2007 NEWS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Attendants at MAEV’s April 21 retreat reviewed and discussed the MAEV Resident Handbook Committee’s handiwork to date. To the relief of the Committee, the Handbook draft was accepted by all nearly in total, albeit after passionate discussion of several points. After meeting with a sympathetic Michigan Public Service Commission this April, it became evident to MAEV representatives that a village-owned micro-grid is simply not feasible at this point, at least not without a lengthy battlele with Consumer’s Power. Instead, we will continue to direct our focus towards building homes as energy efficient as possible, and utilize onsumer’s “green power” as an energy source. Sister Ginny has updated and e-mailed out the MAEV Bylaws. Although we did not have an opportunity to review them at the retreat, we soon will. Please take some time to review the Bylaws as they will be a topic of discussion in the near future. Christina Snyder and Chris Coon have become Independent Ecopreneurs for CitzenRE. CitzenRE is a company that plans to manufacture, install and lease solar Residential Energy Units (REnU’s) in the future. To find out more about CitzenRE, go to Chris Coon’s site at http://www.jointhesolution.com/solarvillage, or Christina Snyder’s site at http://www.jointhesolution/sustainablespaces YOUR HELP IS NEEDED! Do you have knowledge of, experience with, or are interested in researching sustainable building practices, permaculture, and related topics? Here are some opportunities for YOU! The Planning and Design workgroup of the MAEV Development Company is gearing up. The workgroup needs people to assist with the planning of how MAEV actually gets built. This is a major undertaking and a very time-consuming task, however imagine the tangible rewardknowing your input and work contributed directly to the building of MAEV! People who can take on specific research and filtering tasks are especially needed. Interested persons please contact Christina Snyder or Chris Coons at mail@manitouarbor.org. Please consider joining the MAEV Resident Handbook Committee. The final section of the Handbook will address these same topics. Please contact Walt Oberheu at mail@manitouarbor.org if interested. MEETINGS The next FROG meeting is Mother’s Day, Sunday May 13th at 1:30PM. This meeting is open to anyone interested in becoming involved with MAEV. An agenda item will be the current and proposed Conflict Resolution procedure. The May Coordinating meeting is Tuesday May 1st at 3:00PM. This meeting is open to any interested FROGS. Directly following the Coordinating Meeting is the Resident Handbook Committee Meeting at 6:00PM. A second meeting will be Thursday, May 24th at 6:00PM. These meetings are open to any interested FROGS. For individuals interested in leaning more about MAEV, an Orientation Meeting will be held Saturday, May 19th at 1:00PM Please send an email to: mail@manitouarbor.org to confirm your planned attendance. All meetings are held at Sr. Ginny Jones’ office at Nazareth College, 3427 Gull Road, PO Box 02, Nazareth, MI 49074. From I-94: Take exit 80 (Sprinkle Road), proceed four miles north on Sprinkle to the intersection with Gull Road (M-43). Turn left onto Gull Rd. Go thru the next light at Gull & Nazareth. The main entrance is immediately on your right--watch for the beautiful stone wall and "Sisters of St. Joseph" sign. Turn onto the property and continue to the 4-way stop. Enter at the Transformations Spirituality Center (west of the main entrance). Follow the signs for parking. Remember to thank your MOTHER EARTH! Teresa Lyn Recording Secretary March 2007 News
Annual Manitou Retreat is Saturday April 21 Earth Day from 9AM to 4:30PM
A large portion of the MAEV Handbook a draft is complete and will be the topic of discussion at the retreat Manitou Arbor is on the Comstock Township April agenda for a preliminary meeting and discussion about our Planned Unit Development (PUD) Christina met with CEI to discuss road paving options, narrowing the width of the oval road, re-orientation of the water retention pond, and re-orientation of some houses to better facilitate the planned living machine purification system. Chris Coon is meeting with staff from the Michigan Public Service Commission to get ideas and suggestions on how to revisit (with Consumers) the issue of obtaining approval for a village-owned micro-grid. Christina Snyder and Chris Coon are researching the viability of utilizing a smokeless wood-fired boiler system as a transitional water and space heating alternative until we obtain approval for a micro-grid and/or until we migrate to a renewable energy source. Some responsibilities that Sr. Ginny, Mike Swords, and Mike Howell have shouldered have been transferred to other FROG or LLC members. This will free up Sister and the two Mikes to address more complex and pressing issues related to building Manitou. Happy Spring! Teresa Lyn Recording Secretary Manitou Arbor News February 2007
-MAEV has hired Dan Denov to help us with PUD proceedings and general development issues.
-A meeting with Michigan Public Services Commission on energy issues is scheduled for March. -March is the formal FROG meeting of the year. March 11th. -Manual Committee writing is advanced. Their work will be the subject of an April retreat. -MAEV has decided to design to Passive House energy standards and properly size the village’s heat-supply infrastructure to such designs -An Orientation Meeting is scheduled for March 10, 1:00 p.m., at Nazareth, for people interested in this ecovillage project. God Bless & Peace, Mike Swords, sec. December 2006 News
Negotiations are nearly complete for hiring a project-by-project Engineering Assistant to help Christina with infrastructure costing and liasoning with CEI engineering firm.
Karen Hart gave the FROG a mini-workshop in group dynamics and consensus decision-making process. The Manual-Handbook Committee has made significant progress in writing the “Spirituality” and “Community” elements of future MAEV-living-in-community agreements and guidelines. The FROG is envisioning and April retreat (time not yet specified) to discuss Handbook matters. The next general meeting is January 14th, 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. God Bless and Peace, Michael Swords, rec. secretary Public Informational Meeting
Sustainable community... Come find out what it’s all about!
We have a dream of a better way of life ... for ourselves, for our children and for everyone’s children ... for the future, for the planet. We would like to create a small piece of that dream. We would like to build an ecovillage... a place where our needs did not overreach the needs of the plants, animals, and people around us. We would like to build something sustainable. We have dreams of wind and solar power, organic agriculture and gardens, nature based water supply and treatment, passive solar architecture, common community facilities, true neighbors, harmony with ourselves and our world, celebrations and spirituality. Join us for an informational meeting Saturday, November 4th 2:00-4:00PM Schuler’s Bookstore 28th Street Grand Rapids, MI www.manitouarbor.org October 2006 Newsletter
-We are interviewing several possible consultants with practical experience in building projects and financing issues. This is hopeful so far.
-The engineering consultant’s work (inc. some estimations of infrastructure expenses) is due in this month. -We have made quite a bit of headway on two prominent “social issues”: governance, and conflict resolution. -Next general meeting is November 12th, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m God Bless and Peace, Mike Swords September 2006 Newsletter
-A new subcommittee has been formed to deal with the constellation of issues involving Governance and Village Life. All FROGs are welcome to participate and 5 members have already volunteered.
-By the time that these notes are out, Harvest Fest at Tillers will probably be (just)over, where MAEV presented a booth to those like-minded souls who tend to go to such an event. -Walt Oberheu presented a draft-by-laws on Village governance, and we have ploughed well into it. It will be the template for our village decision-making. -Next general meeting will be: October 8th, 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mike Swords, recording secretary August 2006 Newsletter
May 2006 Newsletter
Members held a retreat day at Richard Dailey’s on May 13th, and discussed many technical details of the design.
Consultancies are in full swing on electrical micro-grid and other engineering elements of the design. Some of this is in preparation for a PUD (Planned Unit Development) application in Comstock. The website has an active FROG membership area, which will be used for most (non-meeting) information sharing in the future. Next FROG meeting is June 11th, 1:30 to 4:30. Mike Swords, sec. NEXT ORIENTATION MEETING for anyone interested in this project is Saturday, June 10, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Contact Michael at MHO304@aol.com for further information. April 2006 Newsletter
February 2006 Newsletter
January 2006 Newsletter
December 2005 Newsletter
November 2005 Newsletter
October 2005 Newsletter
September 2005 Newsletter
August 2005 Newsletter
June 2005 Newsletter
April 2005 Newsletter
March 2005 Newsletter
May 2004 Newsletter
|
||