Works & White Papers

• Eco-Cohousing Design Part I – Smart Choices for Green Projects by Mary Kraus, published in Cohousing Journal, Spring 2002
• Eco-Cohousing Design Part II – Choices for a Sustainable Planet by Mary Kraus, published in Cohousing Journal, Spring 2002
• How Working Together Can Bring Us Together: Participatory Design Process by Mary Kraus, published in Northeast Sun Magazine, Spring 2006
• Can This Home be Greened? A 1953 Massachusetts Home by Mary Kraus, published in Natural Home Magazine, November / December 2006
• Can This Home be Greened? A Vermont Log Cabin by Mary Kraus, published in Natural Home Magazine, September / October 2007
• Green Homes Defined by Mary Kraus, published in SavoirFlair Magazine, 2008
• Creating my Own Zero-Net Energy Home by Mary Kraus, published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette

External Cohousing Resources

Communities

• Champlain Valley Cohousing (VT)
• JP Cohousing
• Mosaic Commons (Berlin, MA)
• Pioneer Valley Cohousing

Information & Organizations

• Cohousing list-serv
• Cohousing Resource Center
• The Cohousing Association of the United States
• Tours of cohousing communities

External Sustainability Resources

Information & Organizations

• Advanced Framing It’s cheaper and faster to build, and also saves energy. What’s not to like? By Joseph Lstiburek, an industry expert.
• Checklist Toward Zero Carbon The checklist is a step-by-step guide to comprehensively reducing your carbon footprint now. It’s a cut-and-paste job, compiled by Ken Levenson. It is hoped that people will download the checklist, copy it, edit it for their local conditions, and make it their own.
• Green Design at Mosaic Commons Information about green design elements at a Kraus-Fitch designed cohousing community.
• Healthy People Healthy Places A consulting service focused on solving the problems of environmentally induced illnesses. Run by Peggy Wolff, an environmental health consultant and nurse.
• Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) NESEA is the Northeast’s leading member organization of professionals working in sustainable energy, whole systems thinking, and clean technology. Or, as one member puts it, NESEA is “where all the really great geeks are.”
• The Pioneer Valley Sustainability Network A broad-based network of organizations and individuals who are dedicated to creating a just and sustainable future for the Pioneer Valley region.
• The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission The legally designated regional planning agency for the Pioneer Valley region in Western Massachusetts, the PVPC’s mission is to preserve and enhance the quality of life for its individual member communities and for the region as a whole
• Within Reach (movie) A couple gave up their corporate jobs and their traditional houses to “bike-pack” thousands of miles around the USA. Their journey and their film answers the question: Is it possible for all of us to live in a sustainable way? They have found that not only is it possible but its already underway…
• Zero Net Energy Homes A non-profit site “designed to help builders, designers, and home buyers take meaningful steps towards radically reducing carbon emissions and energy bills by building Zero Net Energy Homes and Near Zero Energy Homes.” Check out some of our projects in their Photo Gallery.