Walnut St. Co-op is a social change oriented cooperative household in Eugene, Oregon. In September 2000 we moved into a large, rambling house together, seeking to build community. As housemates, that means eating dinner together, sharing chores, attending house meetings, and fulfilling a basic commitment to resolving any conflicts that arise. Over time we're finding that our friendships are deepening, and a shared vision is emerging based on creating shifts in society toward dialogue, reflection, and integration of diverse viewpoints.

The house is a century-old duplex in the "Craftsman" style. When we moved in we knocked out the dividing wall to create one big place, more than 4000 sq. ft total. In addition to the nine bedrooms, there are two kitchens, two living rooms, 4+ bathrooms, and a sunny shared office space. One garage is for bicycles and garden storage; the other is a workshop and foosball arena. We have a keyboard and other musical instruments in public space, but have chosen not to have tv/video in the main common spaces. While the house was in decent condition when we moved in, there are still plenty of small-to-medium-size maintenance projects to keep us busy.

We are blessed with great soil and excellent drainage in the front yard, which faces southeast, so we have a vegetable garden in progress there along with some flowers. In the back, prudent inhabitants of an earlier generation planted apple and pear trees that offer us generous harvest in the fall.

Our house is located in a quiet neighborhood on the east side of town, five blocks from the University of Oregon campus. Up the hill is Hendricks Park, which features a rhododendron garden and acres of forest. Down the hill are bike paths along the scenic Willamette River.

Eugene is a wonderful town for progressive-minded folks. At 140,000 people, it's large enough to offer a wealth of alternative cultural, political and social events, and small enough that you can get to most places by bicycle within 20 minutes. In addition to the U of O, Lane Community College, which enrolls over 40,000 students, is just a few miles away.

In fall 2003 we successfully purchased our house from the original owner, so that title is now held by our cooperative corporation rather than by any individuals. As a co-op we were unable to obtain bank financing, so we started a Community Revolving Loan Fund, where about 20 friends and supporters donated and lent us the money to buy the property. Each resident pays monthly fees which go toward loan repayment, taxes, insurance, utilities, maintenance, and other costs. We are responsible for everything having to do with our community and building, there is no landlord to handle things so every person needs to pitch in! It is our hope to maintain this place as a long-term affordable housing option in Eugene.

We eat together five nights a week. Our shared dinners are vegetarian, and nearly all the food we buy is organic. Everyone chips in monthly to the food budget, and we usually join a Community Supported Agriculture farm in season. Each person cooks once a week, most in pairs.

Chores are split up among everyone and include cleaning the common spaces, yard work, food shopping, outreach, and other activities. Every few months we do a "job switch" so that people who want to can change chores. When people go away on trips we cover for each other. This system has worked pretty smoothly for us so far.

Good communication is important to us. As mentioned above, we are committed to addressing conflicts directly when needed. We also trust that each person is holding a piece of the truth, and we're committed to deep listening with each other even during hard conversations.

We currently have weekly house meetings to deal with both day-to-day business and larger household issues. Regular attendance is expected, and everyone takes turns planning agendas and facilitating. Household decisions are made by consensus, meaning all present must agree before action is taken. More than a method or a set of skills, consensus relies on the faith that we can find solutions which will meet everyone's needs.

If you'd like to find out more about us, a few of our members have websites. Tom Atlee is a dedicated, practical philosopher focused on ways for our society to make wiser decisions together; he runs a nonprofit called the Co-Intelligence Institute (CII). John Abbe shares Nonviolent Communication, does software design on Wagn, and is on the board of CII - all as part of his interest in a broad culture shift.

Applying to live here involves taking some time, to figure out if there's a good match between what we want and what you are looking for. While we prefer folks who are interested in making a long-term commitment, we are also open to people who might only be around for 3 to 12 months, as long as you participate with good energy while you're here. We want housemates who are enthusiastic about creating community and willing to take on some responsibility to make that happen. If you are interested in joining us, please get in contact about next steps.

We are part of the wider communities movement, including membership in the Fellowship for Intentional Community.

SOME FORMER HOUSEMATES

• Tree Bressen offers facilitation and workshops in consensus and other group process skills, and lives a few blocks away.
• Elliot Shuford works for Healthy Democracy Oregon, where he has helped start a citizen initiative review process for the state of Oregon.
• David Franklin is a skilled classical guitarist, as well as a life coach.
• Grá Linnaea lives less than a block away now, is an author and musician, and initially designed and set up this website.