Our Blog
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Fancy Pants on the Green
By Katherine Harman, Treehouse Village resident On March 26, my neighbour Clara and I received a personal invitation from hostess Cora to visit the newly established Fancy Pants on the Green. The smiling Cora welcomed us with a bell under the freshly painted sign. We were delighted to see the café was already busy, with standing room only. Neighbours Allyson, Meg and Kathlyn had already tasted the specials of the day… corn chips, pear, orange and pineapple slices, blueberries, yellow and red peppers, and white cheese. Although I didn’t have a detailed discussion with the chefs (Marlo, Tilly, and Cora),…
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Bridgewater Wins Sustainability Award for innovative energy poverty program
By Terry Lavender, Treehouse Village community member The Town of Bridgewater, home to Treehouse Village Ecohousing, has been recognized with a prestigious Sustainable Communities Award for its groundbreaking Energize Bridgewater program. This award from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) highlights Bridgewater’s leadership in addressing energy poverty and climate change through innovative, community-driven solutions. Energize Bridgewater is a transformative initiative designed to tackle one of the most pressing issues facing our community: energy poverty. For many residents, the cost of heating and powering their homes consumes an unsustainable portion of their income. The program addresses this challenge head-on by…
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Highlights of the holidays
By Allyson Rowley, Community Reporter. Photos by community members. After a busy year finishing construction projects, planting trees and gardens, and opening our Common House, it was time to rest and rejuvenate … and enjoy a holiday season filled with light. On December 15, the Treehouse Village community celebrated our second annual Christmas Market. We were treated with hot mulled wine, caroling, face painting, crafts, homemade pastries, chocolates, and even vegan popcorn. We ended the evening relaxing and chatting by a warm campfire. On December 21, we gathered to sing and create a Solstice Spiral to honour the returning light.…
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“Cohousing gaining traction”: Treehouse Village in the News
Treehouse Village Ecohousing, Atlantic Canada’s first cohousing community, was mentioned this week in a Canadian Press feature on housing affordability in Canada. In the article, CP journalist Ian Bickis describes how European countries are addressing housing affordability, and contrasts their efforts with those of Canada. He notes that the situation is improving in Canada with initiatives to develop new types of housing, including cohousing. “Co-housing is also gaining traction,” Bickis writes. “Some examples include Treehouse Village Ecohousing in Bridgewater, N.S., Little Mountain Cohousing in Vancouver and a smattering of others on the West Coast.” Bickis also quotes Dalhousie University’s Ren…
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Tea and Cookies with the Candidates
By Allyson Rowley, Community Reporter Like the rest of the province, the Town of Bridgewater is in the midst of municipal elections that will culminate on Saturday, October 19. Nine candidates are vying for six spots on Bridgewater’s Town Council. Treehouse Village residents are highly engaged in deciding who will get our votes. We’re researching the candidates’ views and backgrounds, we’re attending “Meet the Candidates” events, and we’re organizing watch parties to chat with our neighbours and hear their opinions. Community member Kathy Horton decided to go one step further: She reached out to all nine candidates and invited them…
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Canadian think tank urges planners to look to Treehouse Village for inspiration
By Terry Lavender, Treehouse Village Media & External Relations Coordinator “For inspiration, Nova Scotian planners and communities could look to the Treehouse Village Ecohousing project in Bridgewater.” That’s one of the conclusion of authors Jara de Hoog, Alice Cohen, & Andrew Biro in their recent report for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, “Challenging Nova Scotia’s Climate Change Plan to Do Better.“ In the report, the Dalhousie University authors urge politicians, planners and communities to explore different models as they strive to reconcile growth, sustainability and affordable housing. They explain that “While existing communities are limited by current infrastructure and…
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The Common House is Open!
A birthday dance party and a children’s summer camp are just two of the many activities that marked the opening of Treehouse Village Ecohousing’s 4000 square foot Common House earlier this summer. The Common House, which includes laundry facilities, two guest rooms, a dining hall, communal kitchen, children’s play room and lounge and workspace, was given conditional occupancy last month by the Town of Bridgewater, and TVE residents wasted no time in putting the jointly owned space to use. The two guest rooms on the lower floor are already booked for most of the summer by relatives of TVE residents…
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Celebrating Sustainability and Community
Treehouse Village Ecohousing’s Inaugural Open House By Terry Lavender On June 22, two days after the Summer Solstice, Treehouse Village Ecohousing (TVE) hosted its first open house to celebrate the completion of Atlantic Canada’s first cohousing community in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. More than 100 people attended this landmark event, including Bridgewater Deputy Mayor Cheryl Fougere, who conveyed greetings on behalf of Mayor David Mitchell and the Town Council. The open house featured guided tours by residents, showcasing the community’s innovative and eco-friendly design. Visitors explored the property, including the one remaining unit for sale—a charming two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo. The tours…
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Treehouse Villagers Choose Condo Board Directors
Treehouse Village reached another milestone on April 28, as the community’s newly registered condominium corporation held its first Annual General Meeting and chose the new condo board. Self-governed and co-developed by its residents, Treehouse Village is a welcome option for those seeking eco-friendly, community-oriented living. One of the first decisions the community made in 2018 was to select sociocracy for our decision-making processes. Sociocracy is a governance system for groups that wish to self-govern based on values of equity and inclusion, in order to save time, make inclusive decisions and create more human organizations. The owner-households unanimously chose the following…
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Treehouse Village is alive with fun activities this spring!
By Allyson Rowley, Community Reporter From a wood carving workshop to dance parties in the Common House to a Wellness Weekend, Treehouse Village Ecohousing is alive with many fun, community-led activities this spring. Atlantic Canada’s first cohousing development, Treehouse Village is a vibrant, multi-generational community dedicated to living lightly on the earth. Treehouse kids are playing on the Common Green and we’re enjoying the lovely spring weather in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. Construction is almost complete on our 4000-sq.ft. Common House (the heart of any cohousing community) and all but one of our 30 condos are pre-sold. From May 2 to…