I personally conceive the idea of sustainable hospitality on a double level:
-sustainable in terms of environment (and here we do great but I agree with Laura and Sara that things should be bought locally and that money saved skipping the waste should be invested in better products)
-sustainable in term of personal relations and in the concept of space.
Here for space I mean several things
* space in physical terms (quality rather than quantity, not too many people so that the space is enough for everybody and is pleasant to live in)
*space in personal relations (no expectations, honesty with others and with yourself, promote space for discussions, give the space to others to comment and say what they think, space for self-expression on artistic, philosophical, emotional level, space for our neighbors to live their own space without be bothered by us…)
* space for personal individual development ( space as an intimate location: introspection, meditation etc.)
In general terms, I agree that a balance between short stay and long stay is necessary and healthy. It is nomadic right? It is temporary. It needs to move to be able to breath and change its colors.
In relation to what people can do with the Casa, what it means, what can be used for, I do believe it should be a place for sharing and mutual growth.
This includes sharing of skills, experiences, workshops etc. Cooking, cleaning and sharing meals is great but it should not be an obstacle in terms of time and effort to experiment other models and to invest energy in other activities.
Also, I think it would be good to have short events (2-3 days) where people interested in a specific topic or in sharing specific skills could use the Casa as a base to do so : selecting hosts according to what people want to share/learn/exchange. I think that having some kind of focus and knowing what we want to learn and having a direction is also important and that intense experience sharing days are needed (thing about : learning&teaching how to repair bikes, guerrilla gardening, composting, art of recycling, photography, creating a blog etc…).
Casa is never for us: always for the others. It is the place that you want to find everywhere. It is about mutual care and help.
It would be great to see frequent visitors more involved in dumpster diving, washing dishes, bringing wine/beers/food goods that could limit expenses.
Make a list of things you need to buy and you would like them to bring:
soya milk, honey, far trade coffee, toilet paper, eco-washing soap, cheese, eggs, bread etc. everything you cannot dumpster dive and it is common use should be listed somewhere visible and if short- mid term hosts, friends or visitors offer to bring something you can ask for one of these things.
Plus, a transparent donation system should be implemented on the website, or at least, a list of these common/frequent use goods should be always visible here. maybe we can get rid of BIKE STATUS (rarely updated) and WEATHER CONDITIONS…
We need more Casa bases around to grow.
Of course the real trick to creating more Casa’s is to create more Robino’s. It takes a rare and wonderful individul to let a flood of people into their house, many of whom they dont know. Especially, for me the thing that make Casa Robino not just sustainable hospitality, but radical hospitality is idea that people can stay weeks and not just days. The community which developed their in my stay was amazing, and some of it was because there was more than hours to develop relationships.
The mechanics of updating the websites (wiki’s, blogs and the like) is secondary to what happens in the living room after midnight – even tho this is often updating blogs and wikis.
We need to be developing generous risk takers, cultural heroes, people who can see beyond just themselves and to what will serve us collectively. Tough curriculum
Posted by Paxus | October 26, 2009, 1:08 pm