SAN FRANCISCO: Snug in draught-free and affordable straw bale homes with fuel bills of next to nothing, Eden Ballantyne and his neighbor Lara Eggleton are evangelical about the pioneering co-housing complex they call home.
They have to think long and hard about the negatives, which turn out to be pretty positive after all.
“It is a sociable place, which is great but you often get chatting to someone as you are heading out, so I am often late for things. I have to factor in an extra ten minutes when I leave to catch a train,” says Lara, who adds that her apartment’s eco-bath is a bit too shallow for her liking.
It does save water though, which is part of the ecological ethos of LILAC, the Low Impact Living Affordable Community, which opened its energy-efficient doors two years ago.
The venture started with a group of idealists who wanted to create eco-friendly, affordable homes and a caring, sharing community. It seems that they have succeeded in creating a property nirvana that combats everything from fuel poverty to loneliness…