EcoHouse

 
 

The Eco-House is a small, self-managed student residence where students live, learn and work together and individually on environmental projects and research. Candidates are selected based on need, capacity and merit, and would pay highly affordable rents in exchange for a weekly time commitment between five and ten hours.

All residents will be both members and coordinators of the project. As members, they will live together, organizing themselves on a co-operative basis with regular meetings and shared meals. As coordinators, they will be responsible for opening their communal spaces periodically to other student groups and the wider community, engaging in individual and group environmental research projects and initiatives which supplement their scholastic education, and participating in ongoing discussions and group educational opportunities on environmental topics.

EcoHouse will have a strong commitment to sustainability and developing affordable housing in the city. EcoHouse founds itself on the idea of an active community, which consists of five main pillars:

  • Sustainability - Environmentally, financially and socially, by valuing the long-term responsible sustainability of our practices and all their outcomes. The building will be designed or retrofitted to be energy efficient maximizing renewable sources of energy while using environmental technologies.

  • Community – EcoHouse will be designed to maximize the sense of community interconnectivity while encouraging socialization. This will be accomplished by utilizing shared common spaces while encouraging communal building management.

  • Active - Members of EcoHouse are active within and responsible toward the surrounding and global community by striving to improve quality of life and environment, through volunteerism, advocacy, and community involvement.

  • Scalability - We believe that an active community is not limited by its size and can occur at any reasonable scale. We also believe that TEP should be affordable for individuals of varying income brackets.

  • Healthy living - Food, fitness and safety are required for health living. Urban agriculture, a communal kitchen, on-site fitness facilities, the proximity to parks and recreation trails, and a chemical-free living policy are necessary. 

Benefits to Students and surrounding community

  • Diverse, affordable housing options on campus

  • Housing for union members

  • Contributing to a vibrant, active community at York 

  • Easy access to campus amenities 

  • Sustainable living options in a cooperative committed to social justice

  • Building long standing relationships with the university and other community players

House Photos

Application Form