About the Co-operative Community
Association: AiH is an association, which is open to membership to everybody.
Membership fee: 300 DKK/ year
Members: About 130 adults. Most of them are living or plan to live at the Co-house groups of AiH.
Contact Address: Gammel Kirkevej 82, 8530 Hjortshoj, Denmark.
Location: North of Aarhus, 15 km from the main central train station. (3rd zone of Aarhus)
Transport: Local train or bus No. 58 (both from Aarhus main train station).
Established: 1986. Area size: 22 hectares
Co-house Groups: There are 5 Co-House Groups. 2 more are planned presently.
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Co-house Group 1: 10 families in twin houses
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Co-house Group 2: 20 families in row houses
- Co-house Group 3: 11 families in single houses and one twin house
- Co-house Group 4: 26 families in row houses
- Co-house Group 5: 18 families in row houses
Common Buildings: There are 4 Common Buildings and an Exhibition & Office Building
Common Buildings: Common Building for Group 1 and 2 "Snail House" (presently used by Group 3 also)
Common Building for Group 3 "Oval House" (under construction in 2000-06)
Common Building for Group 4 “Solhuset”; Common Building for Group 5
Exhibition & Office Building "Petersborg". Offices include:
Økotech Building Company, Rehearsal room for musicians in AiH
OVE-Europe (Danish Organization for Renewable Energy).
INFORSE-Europe (International Network for Sustainable Energy) www.inforse.org/europe
Residents: 85 families: about 220 adults and children.
Lifestyle: AiH aims to be an example of a holistic way of living with sustainability as a keyword in respect to both ecological,
economical and social aspects of life. This approach is visible in many ways in our daily life, examples are:
- Houses are built with an aim to be environmentally sustainable (e.g., rammed clay, earth blocks, wood, paper insulation, solar collectors, ovens, paint from linen oil etc)
- Using compost or separation toilets
- Collected rainwater is used in the common washing machines
- Collected urine is to be irrigated to plants after 9 months of storage
- Collected faeces is composted and used to fertilize energy-willow plantation
- Collected grey water is evaporated in a energy willow plantation
- Organic farming, with animals like chicken, cows, and goats
- Optional joining of organic vegetable-growing group
- Optional joining of a car-sharing Association (two cars)
- Optional common dinner three days a week
- Fewer people have cars and more people use bicycles and bicycle trailers, moreover people are active being against of a planned highway near to Hjortshøj
- Building company (Økotech) for environmentally sustainable construction
- Energy Association providing hot water from a wood-pillet and a wood chip burning boiler (Cogeneration of Heat & Power is planned with a sterling motor, which will start in the spring of 2005)
- Common social events and arrangements (New Year, harvest celebration, art workshops etc.)
- Cultural evenings and days with music, dance, story telling both for adults and children
- Michels's Eco-green, which is a commercial organic vegetable farming and organic ice cream production Open two times a week. (Tuesday and Friday)
- Biodiversity care: Re-establishment of a lake in August 2001.
- Gymnastic for different age groups, dancing for children, yoga