| Orca Landing is an urban co-op house in Seattle started in 1991. We have been operating for the most part like an extended family for the last 13 years; and during that time two sisters’ families have been living here with a couple unrelated people.
Right now there are five adults and three children; a 8 year old boy, a 9 year old girl and a 12 year old boy. The house does focus a lot of it's adult energy on raising those children, but there are certainly other interests too. There is a lot of kid activity here and it is rarely quiet, except when all the kids are at school.
We are a pretty easy going and casual group that tends toward informal and frequent discussions and most decisions are made in the kitchen / dining area. We do not have regular "formal" meetings, but we occasionally do have meetings, on an as needed basis.
Our group does not formally embrace any specific political, environmental, or religious causes. But we are all a typically left leaning Seattle-ites. There are a variety of spiritual beliefs in our household; most notably including Buddhism, Balinese Hinduism, and all Christian and other holidays that involve candy and presents. People here are involved with the following chosen (and not) communities: Northwest Intentional Communities Association (NICA), the EcoBuilding Guild, the US Green Building Council, the local Permaculture Guild, Co-op Elementary school, the Washington Alpine Club, and local Indonesians. Four of the adults own their own businesses in these fields: tattoo artistry, landscape architecture and installation, green general contracting, and the sale of imported shoes and accessories at festivals.
The adults are all generally adept at effective communication due to life experience and some training; such as through Landmark Education’s complete Curriculum for Living and other programs. We all generally focus on improving our life, contribute to others and strive to achieve better relations. While we are not officially egalitarian, we do share our lives fully with meals and celebrations, we help each other in hard times, and we cooperate with childcare and work around the house. | |
Population Child Members: 4 (Two kids split time between divorced parents households) Open to new adults: Yes (We are full now, but we're open to new people when we have space) Open to new children: Yes (As of May 1, '09) Gender Balance: 40% M 60% F Ethnic Diversity: 22% identify as 'non-white' | Government Decision Making: By consensus (Owners do make some of maintenance decisions) Leadership Core Group: No | Labor and Money Financial Style: Members have independent finances Labor Contribution: Expected (A few chores are expected every week (less than 1 hour not including food which is optional) and we typically plan a seasonal clean up and maybe a more major project that we want done.) Join Fee: Yes (There is a deposit of $500 plus the room rent in advance.) Regular Fees: Yes (rental amount and shared expenses) | Land and Buildings Urban (2 blocks from State highway 99, with bus stop 2 blocks away for buses to downtown Seattle that take about 20 minutes.) Area: 0.2 acres (0.1 hectares) Land Owned By: Individual community member(s) (Owned by one couple living in house.) | Food, etc. Percentage of Food Grown: 1-5% (We have plans to do a bit more this year) Share Community Meals: 2-5 times/week (It's rare that we all eat together because of the diverse schedules of our busy members, but it is very usual to share food with the people that are around.) Dietary Choice or Restrictions: Diet is up to each individual (We have fairly diverse diets right now.) Dietary Practice: Omnivorous (One Balinese member is pretty decidedly carnivorous.) Tobacco Use: Prohibited (allowed outside) | Social Factors Open to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and/or Transgender members: Yes Restrictions on Romantic Relationships (between consenting adults): No (Needs to be mindful of children) Shared Spiritual Path: No Which Spiritual Path(s): Eclectic (integrates pieces from many religions) (We have a variety of religious beliefs in the community at this time.) Educational Style(s): Private school off the property (Co-op private school Elementary, and public Elementary and Middle school) | |
