13 Years Living in an ECOVILLAGE
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 มิ.ย. 2024
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Our entire economy is based on finite fossil fuel resources and wholesale destruction of the environment in the interest of providing for an ever growing human population. Of course, most of the "wealth" created by this economic model goes to a small fraction of the human population, so essentially we are destroying our planet to make a very small segment of the human population so rich they don't even know what to do with all their wealth. But there are some who are trying to change the way humanity interacts with the planet.
I've lived at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, a model for a more sustainable way of living in community, for over 13 years now. My impact on the planet is about a tenth the impact of the average American. It's taken a while to get set up to live this way, and living this way hasn't been easy. It's a struggle to try to live in a way that mostly defies everything every American has come to depend on to make their lives easier. Technology provides many sustainable alternatives to replace fossil fuel equivalents. But inevitably living sustainably requires harder work and doing things the old fashioned way. Having lived this way for 13 years, I have a story to tell. Sustainable living may be a different way of life in many unrecognizable and unimaginable ways to the average American, but the average American might not imagine any of these could be positive on a personal level. They can only imagine negatives in a life without luxuries and conveniences they have become utterly dependent on, but there are so many benefits to living this way above and beyond the direct and indirect ecological impact. It's a holistic way of living that doesn't just apply to reducing your environmental impact, it restores your energy and life force in many ways on a daily basis.
There are ecovillages all over the world. Not all may be as radical as mine, but you might find one that suits you, or you might start one of your own.
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It's crazy how we now call this radical living when this is how humanity has lived for thousands of years. This is my dream. I'd love to find an eco village of good people who aren't creepy, ha.
People at Dancing Rabbit aren't creepy. I'm not really sure what you mean by that or how you got the idea that people in ecovillages would be creepy.
Hardcore Sustainable There are certainly creepy villages. Never said Dancing Rabbit was. I have seen plenty who want everyone to always be together, eat together, and check in all the time. Community is great and one thing, but never being able to be autonomous and having your time watched is another. All villages are different. Some require more participation than others. Which is fine if you're into that. That doesn't make it creepy. But there are definitely some weird eco villages out there.
Star Dust so many of them are cults, let’s not forget that.
@@whitedandelion3074 You have no idea what you are talking about. I don't think you know the difference between an ecovillage and a cult. So if what you are saying is true, name some ecovillages that are cults. I'm pretty sure you will not know a single one.
@@MoonBeamLight Which ones are those?
You are doing it right! Most people sacrifice their souls to the way they live!
Hi Dan, Thanks for sharing your 13 year biography in a Ecovillage. Whenever I watch your videos it reminds me of how beautiful Dancing Rabbit really is . I guess I just forget about that aspect of the place. It is nice to hear such honesty about the challenges of your life there. I appreciate you sharing your life with us. It is very heart warming.
Living closer to nature has been my dream for as long as I can remember. But the pressure of global industry in America makes one lose sight of that. But oddly enough I was returned to my native country of Haiti after residing 23 years in America. And from the time of arrival I began to assemble resources in order to build and live in a sustainable eco village, where nature lovers of liked minds can get off the grid and live on the earth. Peacefully and progressive.
I'm glad to hear you made it back to a saner life. Living closer to nature is important.
Really appreciated your uncensored and honest thoughts on living in an Eco village, specifically dancing rabbit. I've lived in intentional community in the past and am currently renewing my interest in doing so again. I'm currently building out a van so that I can travel around and do a lot of visitations. I also spend my Winters in Florida currently. Right now I'm in Bradenton. If you find yourself in bradenton/serasota/st Petersburg/tampa Bay and would like to make a friend, maybe go for a hike or kayak, then let me know. I grew up here, in St pete, and know some pretty cool places. Either way, I look forward to checking out more of your videos.
Which community did you live in? I spent a winter in Bradenton over 10 years ago now, but this winter I'll be in back in St Pete. I love Anna Maria Island. I'm always looking for kayaking/hiking buddies, and I'm interested in finding new places to explore. I've been wanting to go kayaking in the southern bay between Ruskin and the Skyway bridge. It's a little drive and I haven't had a car. I could look you up. I'm headed down next week and will be there until April. I know someone who lives in St Pete that has built out Sprinter vans. Hope you enjoy my other videos and glad you found my channel. This video is suddenly getting a lot of views.
@@HardcoreSustainable I left a big reply just a little bit ago but it looks like I forgot to hit send or something. 🤔 Dang....
Anyhow, I lived at East wind community many years ago. At that time dancing rabbit was just a concept I believe but we had heard about it and everyone was very interested. I had always planned to go check it out, but life took me in different directions.
I do not recommend kayaking anywhere near this skyway bridge. St Petersburg is having a lot of issues with it waste disposal system. They are fully aware of this issue, but refusing to do anything to remedy it. It's actually pretty bad. Anyhow, I wouldn't get in that water. Have you been to weedon island? There's some very pretty kayaking through the mangroves there. Also, I cannot recommend weeki wachee springs enough! That is is one of my favorite kayak runs!
I imagine I will be in Bradenton until April or May myself, so long as I am able to get the van ready by then.
Hit me up when you're in town. Here's my Facebook page. Let's connect on there and keep in touch.
facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010326450781
@@safiteaprivate1997 I do kayak at Weedon Island pretty frequently when I'm there. I love the mangrove tunnels. I also like to go to Shell Key and around Ft DeSoto. I think there is a lot of mangrove preserves between Skyway and Ruskin, so I'm sure there is a lot of good kayaking in there. I've watched a TH-cam channel of a guy who kayaks that area a lot and it looks great. Lots of mangrove tunnels there too. I know about the problems with the wastewater systems.
I once was participating in a panel at the St Pete Ecovillage (now defunct) and there was someone from the city there. I remember when I was talking about our Humanure system for composting human waste at Dancing Rabbit she gave some comment about it, and I brought up the fact that it's much better than mixing human waste with clean water and that every time it rains a lot in most cities, raw sewage is just flushed into the nearest waterway. I think she realized I had a point. So many people are so grossed out by humanure, and think that by flushing the waste is magically disappearing, but don't realize that the waterways they are boating and swimming in are full of human feces.
Tampa Bay is really polluted in general, so you have to take your fun where you can find it. The springs are great. I'd like to spend more time there.
I'll message you on FB.
I bought 11 acres a yr ago, built a tiny house and started a community! ❤️❤️ I love it!!
I moved to the city to be near my son, since I am getting older and i didn't feel i had community connection. I wanted community, I want community. That is why i have all these ideas running around my head of living a nomadic life in a van, which i think I'm too old for or joining an intentional community.. Then I stumbled into these videos about eco villages and intentional communities. (It brought back the wonderful book I read years ago, 'Walden II). I am now watching many of these videos and seeing the different ways people organize themselves. Skmetimes I think that I woukd like to organize an eco village but don't know the first thing about doing that. With the housing problens and climate change it seems like a good alternative. Besides, older people are more commonly living a lonely life alone. Thank you for permitting me to ramble on and for making this honest video about your experiences, the good and bad. I would appreciate any thoughts you might have.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment Mildred. Depending on where you live, there maybe be an intentional community in the city. It can be hard to start one, but if you find others with a like mind, that is the first step. It is too bad that our society has lost the community aspect that took care of people as they got older, and still gave them community support.
I wonder what I will do as I get older as well. We have some people that are retired and moved here to have community, but some of our older people wonder how they will be able to stay here because our village isn't set up for mobility in bad weather, and we are far from some stores that provide basic necessities. I would guess city life might be easier, if not as pleasant in some ways.
One good place to start the search for intentional communities is the Foundation for Intentional Communities website. ic.org. You can search on a map for communities in your area. It's not comprehensive, but it will give you an idea of different communities.
I've never read Walden II, but I've heard of it. It sounds really interesting. It was written a while back, post WW2. There were a lot of cooperatives started following WW2 because so many soldiers were inspired by European cultures and communities. So much has changed since then it would be a good read and comparison. Looking on Wikipedia Twin Oaks and East Wind were started on the Walden II model.
I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on my videos and let me know if you find anything or find others to help you set up a community.
Hi Mildred, I dont know if you will be checking back on this message but I thought I would leave you a response. I am an older woman, 70 yrs and I am thinking very much like you. I not only want community, I very much want to provide what I have to offer to a community as well. We older folk can have wisdom, understanding and a valuable skill set to give from our life experience. We also have much more to share. I am excited about finding an answer.... I want to live closer to the Earth mother and work with others toward a healthier sustainable lifestyle for humanities future. I have been checking out what I find on the ic.org website. There are so many possibilities ... I too would like to travel around and check these out in an RV or something. I have even thought about writing a blog or something about the experience and what is out there from the eyes of a senior. Let’s go !! Ha. I’m in Wisconsin and I may be helping my daughter move out to California, I thought I would check things out there to see what is available along the way too. Robin.
PS. I am enjoying this site, I love hearing about your thoughts on your planning and outcomes. I dont have the skills to do many of the building yet it is informative and helps me to make decisions and understand more deeply what kind of intentional community could work for me. Thank you Robin M
@@dancesjoy Hello Robin. Thank you for writing to me. I enjoyed hearing your story and observing that it is very much like mine. Little by little I have been loosing family and friends. That is one of the main reasons I would like to see if an intentional community is right for me. I need comunity and where I live there is none. Gee I wish we were living closer and we could share talks, opinions and experiences. Next week I am going to Austin, Texas and am thinking of exploring things there. I have asked information about several IC but have only gotten an answer from Dancing Rabbit. I like their style but the thing that keeps me back is that they are so isolated. I wanted something in the South so that i could be closer to my son. I have all these thoughts and sometimes I have anxiety about taking that step but my present life is not to my liking. I'd love to hear from you again. Please keep in touch. Mildred.
@@mildredmartinez8843 yes Mildred I’d like to keep in touch. Is there another way we could do that?
Robin
@@dancesjoy Glad to hear from you. I am a retired teacher. I have a wonderful son who is married so I don't get to see him very often although we have a wonderful relation. I want to live in a community that fosters peace, responsibility, sharing and sustainability. I am going to Austin Texas for a 3 day conference and hope to stay there for a couple of days and see some sights. Then I don't know. I have been asking for info on IC but have received no answers except for DR. I much want to change my life and enjoy company and sharing work and other experiences. I think this also resonates with you which I am glad. Yes I would like to keep in touch with you and share information and plans. My email is: mildredmartinez5@gmail.com and my phone is (787) 896-8004. You can email or leave a text message. Sometimes i get a little anxious because this is new and sometimes it seems overwhelming. Glad to know there is someone out there going through a similar process. Mildred.
I love to follow you and your ways of solving challenges!!And the way you are honest to what you do,how you live...that’s the only way!!
Thank you...stay safe.
Aw, thanks so much! It's comments like yours that keep me inspired to keep going. You stay safe as well.
Thanks, Dan for this latest video. i always enjoy watching and learning new things from you.
Thank you for sharing as it seems a little out of your comfort zone so very much appreciated.
Specially grateful for the negative aspects as it's good to have the whole balanced view of that way of living .
Was nice to see you smile and giggle over the chickens kicking over their own eggs lol that's what they thought of you guys taking their eggs 🤣 you reminded me of Dr Jones whom has a TH-cam channel called Veterinary Secrets.
Your smile and laugh is so similar .
Enjoyed seeing your dog companion 🤗🐶 very sweet .
We are in Cornwall, UK just to give you an idea of how far reaching your videos get .
Continue having a splendid life and hope you find many more things that make you smile inside and out 😊 🌻
Dude I love this channel. When grow up. Which is in 7 years I want to have a sustainable life. I want to terra form a piece of land so then it was able to hold life and grow food. Dude I feel so like you can tackle the vineyard full force. Get that soil test. Get some shade. Get but nets to protect the fruits of your labor. If I am 13 and planning to help reduce food waste in landfills in my community by making a composting business. You can make a vineyard. When I am old enough to drink I am going to dancing rabbit and gonna taste that wine dude. Come on become a really good wine maker. Become the best. BELIEVE!!!
Hey, wow, thanks for the great encouraging words and for your inspiration! It's true that if you put your mind to something you can accomplish it. Glad to see that the interest in sustainable living is still rich in the younger generation. A composting business seem like a great way to make the world more sustainable and eliminate a problem. I have another video from last year on community composting if you haven't seen that. Good to have you as a viewer.
th-cam.com/video/BJagoL59sDw/w-d-xo.html
@@HardcoreSustainable Thank you more information the better.
You're 13?! You give me hope for the future !
I bought a cabin, I'm currently turning the forest into a food forest..
Mushrooms, leaf you can eat in the spring, harvesting sap, berries, weed that you can eat, mix of wild and garden plants that you can eat or use in different ways, fruit trees.
@@carterriemer4609 Goodness, I wish more of the youth were like you! You must have amazing parents.
Many people waste much of their entire lives trying to figure out what to do with themselves. Here you are only 13 and you already know what you want. You will be very successful, very wealthy, and go far. Look into “permaculture,” it has the potential to save the planet, if the majority were to practice it.
Very inspiring, thanks for doing what you do.
Love this! Thanks for sharing.
Glad to have your perspective on this - you answered a lot of my questions about the up and down sides of this type of community.
I'm glad it was useful to you. This was really only the tip of the iceberg of community living.
Peace and Love. This reminds me of the communes of the 1960s beautiful🦋💖🦋
Thank you for the candid talk regarding the downsides of living in an ecovillage. It was relieving to hear someone talk about them like that.
Yes there are some downsides, but a whole lot more upsides, or i wouldn't live there. But sometimes I see people talking about alternatives to mainstream society and they aren't honest about it because people are much more impressed when you make everything seem like a utopia. I prefer to tell it like it is. But this is just my experience and everyone has their own opinion. The mainstream society is a fantasy world based on overconsumption of finite resources. Still, it's not able to make people happy, though we might think the conveniences make our lives easier.
The more people the more conflict, I live in a small town of 3,000 people and it’s nice we don’t have all the consumerism. It’s nice to not have Starbucks, chipotle and all that trash. It’s a very relaxing community most of us have gardens. A small gold rush town and the tourist are always saying why don’t you have more convinces like fast food is because we don’t want it. They just don’t seem to understand, maybe we are behind the 21st century but we like it that way.
Actually you are ahead of it.
I love how yanks say a town with 3000 people is small
yea but on the other hand conflict is good because conflict leads to change. without conflict we'd still be in feudalism or even hunter gatherer societies
where is your town？😆
sounds like the sierras or Nevada. I agree either way!
I want to say how well delivered the info on this video was.Well done 👍
I'm glad you liked it.
Merci from Montreal, Canada.
Interesting video! Well done! Appreciate your perspectives and your way of life. Thanks for sharing here!
You are doing something significant. Thank you for taking the time to inspire others to live in greater alignment with the earth. :)
Thank you. I get inspiration from the encouragement and support of others.
Love the hat!!!
You have a good and ballenced outlook on things ..keep up the good work!
Thanks! Yep, I like that MASH hat.
Thank you for freely sharing your insights. The sparrow comment struck a cord with me. In LA growing up in the 70’s and early 80’s there were loads of sparrows around, then at some point they began to disappear. It took me awhile to realize that because I was so slammed by the way I was leading my own life. Today I find it to be a hole in my heart and psyche when I return to visit my parents in the home I grew up in...along the interchange of two of the busiest freeways in the US. I imagine pollution and urban sprawl (displacing their food and needed habitat) played a big role in there disappearance. This was probably one of the key factors in my decision to leave the city along with a downward spiral of my mental, physical and spiritual health in LA. Currently looking for a place to settle down and your style of community seems quite appealing. Thanks again for sharing Pros and Cons. 🙏😊❤️
haha yeah I forgot my sparrow comment. I can't believe there would be too much pollution or lack of habitat for not even house sparrows to survive, but I suppose it's possible. I thought they thrived in human landscapes. Hope you are able to find a good place to stay.
i ❤ the zen grass-cutting. sustainably living is a lifestyle that hits different
Mowing the grass with a scythe also hones your golfing skills. ;-)
Don't say that around scythe snobs. They will rip you a new one. I know because they've done it to me. An ideal scythe swing is a pivot more than a swing like a golf swing. You are slicing the grass off like a knife rather than just hitting it like with a golf swing.
Thanks for sharing! 🙏🏻
Heckin' awesome mate
That looks great!
Thank you. I wish you the best of luck!
I’ve been following the progress of Dancing Rabbit since it was brand new on pretty much raw land. It’s on my bucket list of communities to visit.
New sub, look forward to searching your videos. Love from Montana. ❤️
Welcome to the channel! Thanks for your support!
Tony Packos!! 🤣
I live and was born in Toledo ... I wasn’t expecting to see the shirt in a eco village video ☺️
I’ve lived in a few old boats ( wood ) on Lake Erie .. on my way home to the boat , I passed the original Tony’s on front st
Nice! Yes, I went to Tony Packos several years ago and got that t-shirt. I'd never been before, but had heard about it on MASH. I'm a big MASH fan.
Love your spirit your situation is a win win your micro apt is fantastic glad you thought outside the box.
great video, loved hearing about the positive and negative aspects of communal living. In the end its all about getting together without sacrificing your core values
Thank you for sharing your experience. I would love to found an ecovillage in my part of the world (Portland, OR), since our existing ecovillages are all full. I appreciate so much you sharing so frankly. It's really helpful for those of us aspiring to live an ecovillage life to hear stories from long-term residents.
I LOVE my push reel mower. After 40 years of sucking in gasoline fumes and being deafened by the noise, it's so wonderfully zen to just hear it go "swish swish" and still be able to hear the neighborhood kids playing in the background.
Is there high speed internet at DR? P.s. I've been watching you for years, can't believe you're over 20k. Congratulations!
Yes, we do have that available now because they installed fiber optic cable a few years ago thanks to something that Obama passed to fund internet in rural areas. The fastest we have is 100/100 Mbps, I believe. I'm not sure if faster is available.
Thank you for the truth. It is obvious that you are really trying. My goal is to pass the x8 billion test with my lifestyle. So far, it has been very difficult to do so while maintaining anything that resembles an American lifestyle. Maybe someday, everywhere, rich and poor alike, can look a bit more like Dancing Rabbit. Keep up the good work!
I enjoyed the TRAIN NOISE every half an hour all night long. I also loved the never-ending meetings where they take a topic and beat it for hours until it's dead.
Maybe you need a few more massages.
Wow. I'm bothered by train noise in the city. Sorry to here DR isn't free of noise pollution.
Good video.
Thank you for sharing your story. Very good insights. I am building sustainable community in the Amazon Rainforest - it is always green!
Amazing!
Total respect 👏🏻
I’d really like to become a part of this natural way of living. Thank you for such insight!
Hello Dan. I'm sorry to hear about the fire at DR but glad no one was hurt. I miss hearing from you. I guess i just got accustomed to finding out what you were doing and sharing thoughts with you. But that does not have to be so. I was thinking about what you said about sharing your sustainable life and the difficulties that it entails. I wonder what the most difficult parts have been.
"You're walking a different direction from most people I've met." That road is hard but you did not choose because you thought it might be easy. You chose it because you think that it is the right way to live.
I wrote a long message to you previously and said some things that maybe did not sit well. If this is the case, i apologize. Keep safe my friend.
This is how everyone should live really. Totally inspiring.
Thank you so much for living the way you do and showing it to the world. I truly believe that this is the wave of the future, and it's probably the most significant thing you can do for a more positive impact on our planet. I aspire to live in an ecovillage myself, and these videos make me feel empowered and inspire me. Thank you!
Thank you for the positive words and the encouragement! I make these videos because of the feedback I get from people like you. You make me feel like the way I'm living is reaching and inspiring people and that it's worthwhile, since it can be a lot of hard work at times. When the pandemic is over, you should come visit Dancing Rabbit and see it in person.
I share the same feeling. Recently I have invited friends, nature lovers to come out to the wilderness of northwest haiti and together we can finish an eco village that I have started to build a few months ago. Loneliness and limited resources slow the process but I am certain that I will be blessed to meet someone who loves peace, nature and people like ourselves. I believe by sharing my story, opening the door to my humble, simple lifestyle and sharing as many video as I can; maybe someday I will find a peace of mind and my place in the natural world.
This is awesome i always wanted to do something like that.
My guess is, it’s an all white/« get out » community.
I’m in love with this.
What about syntropic agroforestry techniques for your Vinyard? (Interplanting)
Also, how are the grapes sweet and fresh?😁
Bravo 👏🏼
god bless u brother...sharing we r looking for setting up an eco village
Good luck and best in your efforts. Where will your ecovillage be?
kerala, palakkad, alathur...
I appreciate the positive and negative balance. It gives me perspective on the idea and makes me realize I may be more on the end of promoting more sustainable living within my own town and hoping to make an impact that way. Maybe someday in the future we'll all be closer to the ecovilliage lifestyle with a few more amenities that more people would be able to manage.
Living this way isn't for everyone, but like I say, there are some drawback to my village that you wouldn't have closer to a population center. And also, many people come visit for the eco lifestyle and stay because they find the community that they can't find anywhere else.
Thanks so much for your honest appraisal of DR! It was VERY helpful since it's hard for me to find much constructive criticism about communal living... I suspect those who leave might have the most to offer on that subject, but they're probably less likely to spend the time to make a critical video.
I was due to visit you guys for a weekend back in July, but damn this pandemic all to hell! Really messed up my plans 😜
Anyways, thanks again. Looking forward to watching your other vids! OH! I do have one question that you touched on; Does DR use group consensus to make decisions? It sounded like they dismiss your ideas/concerns a bit. And if they don't use consensus, what method do they use and how many hours of meetings do you have per month?
I'm glad the video was useful. We do use consensus for group decisions, though a lot of decisions are made by the village council nowadays. That has made it easier to make decisions because we don't have to get consensus of the entire community, just the village council, which is 5 people. Our meetings are 2 hours a week usually, though sometimes they run over. Many topics take many meetings to get to a decision on. Consensus can take a lot of time. With the VC, members of the village can just tell the VC members their opinions about any proposals or they can attend the meetings and give input then.
I didn't mean to imply that my ideas are dismissed often. I just said it's happened in the past. It really depends on who it is and what the meeting topic is. I think now that I've lived there so long my opinions are valued more than in the past.
Hope to see you visit next year if we have visitor sessions. A lot of people have been interested in visiting since the pandemic.
I love watching you
Love it
Dream of living in a place like this...
I ran again into your video while strolling the TH-cam website. I plan on answering your comments later on but I just want to tell you that this, in my opinion is one of the best videos you've made. Eloquent, thoughtful, honest and well thought out. Just wanted to let you know that my friend. Take care.
It's almost grape picking time. I'm interested to see the vineyard.
Been learning about different eco villages and came across your video. Unsure if you are still working with your vineyard but I found myself wondering if the soil could be amped up with a wider range of mycelium nextwork. If we look at nature and how it produces such a beautiful plant growth when it’s able to grow with its natural rhythms, nature speaks to us. I know absolutely nothing when it comes to a lot of this: gardening and plant growth. It’s more spiritual connection ideals that show me how we as humans thrive, and if everything mirrors each other then maybe how I see humans can show me how I see plants. I wonder if introducing mushrooms throughout your vineyard allowing for a stronger mycelium connection network, that then can connect with your grape vines.
I look at how the human brain literally connects to every part of our body, through many different networks that all connect in someway back to the main neurological system and then leading back to the brain through neural-pathways. When we eat, the food goes down our throat into our digestive system. That said system breaks down the nutrients and sends them out into our bloodstream, our bloodstream then carries it out into our body into differing locations that they are needed in. When our brain receives the nutrients it needs, it becomes a stronger powerhouse and sends out stronger signals throughout the body to keep us alive and healthy. It does this by sending chemical signals through our neural pathways (it’s kinda neat that we can create new neural pathways even as we grow up. constant evolution happening inside of us!) to direct the body and maintain efficiency throughout each organ (Organs being the wheelhouse of each individual organism that lives within that said organ).
Mycelium is like our brain, which within it holds the neural pathways that connect all the differing plants with signals. Signaling different nutrients to different locations within the soil allows for a greater network and a more thriving ecosystem. I guess to simply put it: mycelium is an essential component to the Earths ecosystem and mushrooms are the fruit of mycelium. Fruit provides seeds and those seeds then grow more networks creating mycelium. Mushrooms will create micronutrient pathways throughout your vineyard, and they even create additional co2 in the air for your plants to absorb for their growth. (Learned the co2 thing from this very informational video from another person on TH-cam.)
Another thing I wondered about is if adding a “skin barrier” for your soil would be useful in retaining moisture deep within the dirt to help keep plants watered easier. Earth is like a body, with many layers of organisms that keep it alive and thriving. We as humans have skin to keep our multi-organisms inside healthy and safe. When adding a layer of different plant material (wood, leaves, fruits and veggies that are already in the breakdown process-decomposing: not compost but not large chunky pieces either- inbetween) we are not just adding a protective layer over the dirt to retain water and keep the soil from drying out, we are also adding in nutrients with something that isn’t compost just yet but will be as time passes.
I think of gardens like people, if something is not thriving we look at the roots/root. There we will see what the issues look like, so then we can look at it’s surroundings and see what needs to be added to shift the environment into it’s natural rhythms allowing for it to organically synthesize into its natural state of being. Hopefully that all made sense. I see things in a weird way and how it all connects so my hope is that my analogies connected and it could helped in someway 🖤
It's true that fungus creates a network and has symbiosis with plants throughout the soil. Tilling land disrupts this network, so a perennial vineyard is a perfect place to promote the growth of mycorrhizal fungi, the fungus that lives underground and connect plants. I've put mycorrhizal fungi into my soil in the past, but it's a bit hard to tell if it has helped at all. Sometimes the fungi you buy isn't local and isn't the best match for your soil and region. But definitely stopping tilling and promoting perennial plants and soil life is vital to building the productivity of your soil.
Why not ask the county extension office about soils and crop types for the area before investing work into your project?
I like you. We'd get along! That sense of scarcity is rife throughout the eco community. I want to live as gently but I'm also open to making the most of modern conveniences...attempting to find a fair balance. Thanks for your great video. Frloida in winter is genius. Travel well!
Please explain how a car co op works. I'm just trying to imagine the insurance policy covering those vehicles is a NIGHTMARE of legal redtape
Everyone shares 4 vehicles. We pay 69 cents per mile for use of the cars and that pays for everything, the fuel, maintenance, insurance, and cost of the car. We sign out the cars on a schedule and can share the ride with others. The ride is charged per mile, so the more people in the car, the cheaper it is. When we go somewhere, we record the ride in the logbook and that is used to bill us.
The insurance was really easy to set up. You just have to explain what you want to the insurance company and they set up a kind of custom insurance policy. Unfortunately, the insurance covers the cars and not the people, so it doesn't extend to rental cars like some insurance does, so when we rent cars we have to get the extra insurance, which is usually more than the cost of rental.
You mention in the video you are looking to produce some crops on a larger scale and that you are not finding like minded people at dancing rabbit that share this vision. Please elaborate as to what you would like to grow and what is your vision. I am finally in a great transition and I may be able to move to dancing rabbit within a year. I am finally able to work remotely and I would love nothing more than to be a part of this community and leave the big city once and for all. Everything now is contingent of course on a vaccine before I would make any serious moves. Thanks for your great channel and videos.
Trying to grow vegetables for profit at Dancing Rabbit doesn't work, so the best way to grow them on a large scale is cooperatively. But we need dedicated farmers who are willing to get out and do the work when it has to be done. You have to be able to get out when the weather is good for whatever you need to do. When I was trying to get cooperative growing together, it didn't seem like farming was enough of a priority to people to do the work needed. It would be great to get equipment needed to grow staples on a larger scale. I'd started out with 5 crops that would grow without any protection from animals, onions, potatoes, squash, cucumbers, melons. There are some new residents excited about agriculture, mostly into livestock though.
Well, you should check out our visitor program when it gets going again. Having a source of income always helps to get established and stay at DR.
This is so lovely but not sure I could live there. For me there would have to be an added purpose. Like a community that all lived together and produced art for the outside world. Like there would be a huge print studio set up where all the residents would make art and people in nearby towns would come to exhibitions held on the land.
The great thing about the way we live is that you have an entire community of people to cooperate with in creating such a thing. Everyone wouldn't have to take part, but it could be a subcommunity. I'm sure some people would be interested in that, and if it existed as a thing, it could attract more to live in the community.
you are better than Tarzan ! lol wonderful soul!!! do you know about Tamera in Portugal and Auroville in INdia? Greetings from Sweden via Lima , and Paris ...............
I'm pretty sure I've heard of them or seen some of their buildings or project, but I'll look them up. Greetings to you too! Thanks for the kind words.
This is my dream too
i feel u , i went from germany to brazil to have year round veggie season :) living eco here is so much more easy from the standpoint of seasonality... lots of rain (Bahia state) and lower living costs also - pretty much can agree to all the points you mentioned. thanks so much for sharing and opening your heart, cheers mate
I'm sure everything grows really fast there like in Florida, probably faster.
You had so much produce. Did you sell what you didn’t use?
Are there any good ecovillages in places where it doesn't snow in the winter?
What do you mean by “large scale” for staple foods? Like trying to produce for the whole village? Or trying to create a cottage industry?
I mean growing our own food staples on a large scale so we can feed ourselves. I don't think growing staples for a cottage industry would be profitable.
I live this way on my 5 acres! I am in Missouri, and have considered Dancing Rabbit for years... I would love to move my Tiny house there and bring my teaching skills and materials with me. What stops me is the transportation issue. I have family all over the country, and am an avid hiker/camper... Not having freedom of movement with economic transportation is a deal breaker. If I could afford an electric car, it would work... but I’m curious... how do you travel around every winter, when DR doesn’t allow vehicle ownership?
Electric cars are not super expensive used and there are rebates you can get from the power company or government. They are about as expensive as any other car excepting maybe the higher end Teslas. you could also do what we do and share one with others. Cars do give you freedom, but they are also probably the single most destructive thing that humans do to the planet. In past years I have rented a car for my trips to Florida and made sure that I stay in a place that is bike friendly. It still limits your freedom, but if you are in a bike friendly city you don't need to go far. But people at DR do travel. There is also train, bus, plane. They don't allow as much freedom as a car does, but they get you around. The pandemic has made travel by mass transit more difficult.
DR doesn't technically disallow cars, though ownership is frowned upon by some. Our covenant clarification says that you have to store a car far enough away from the community and not use it while living at the community. So you could technically own one but keep it somewhere else and only use it when you want to travel. Usually people get rid of their cars when they move to DR because it's a hassle and a waste to just have a car sitting unused for most of the year. It's questionably worth it to own one if you rarely use it.
There are cars at DR. Just not privately owned.
Where is dancing rabbit what state is it in?
I also live in Missouri, and I dream bout going to Florida in the winter. I got to spend a month in Sarasota one very snowy March, and it was divine. How do you make that work on a modest income? Just the idea that it's possible makes me smile!
I'm lucky to know someone that is willing to rent a room to me and it's a good deal and a good community. I would like to get something more permanent there, but we'll have to see about that. It is getting very expensive.
Hi Dan. , I admire your courage to start up this village 13 years ago. This is what every living being needs to think of if we're to save this earth.from piosonous chemicals.
My best friend who lives in states has a dream of living a life without toxic smoke and carbon emmitions.
He loves nature and animals. His desire to grow organic food is just being started. My friend is against using diesel vehicles, coal and steel emissions that pollute the environment.
He'll be so happy to see your way of living when this video is shared.
I'm a seventeen year old from Sri Lanka who loves to live outdoors and be one with nature.
We have a lot in common when it comes to watching stars and enjoying the sounds of creatures in the forests.
My best friend and I live thousands of miles apart but love to make this world a better place.
Ravi, thanks for your kind and supportive words. It's too bad you and your friend are so far away. It sounds like you could get together to start your own ecovillage in Sri Lanka. It is good to find solace in nature and do what we can to protect it.
I didn't actually start Dancing Rabbit, but I have lived there for over 14 years now. I'm glad our way of living is inspiring you and others to live the way you want to. Good luck! It takes people coming together around the world to make a difference.
I REALLY want to live this lifestyle snd I can't do it on my own. I hope more communities are made like this, and I have a plan to start a small community myself- but here it would be radical, so I hope to host natural building workshops once I can buy some land, but before that, I will have to work with the zoning/city and town councils around here to get permission for the type of housing and land use we would want. I kinda want to do it within the city, like create a total oasis but have proximity to services, but probably it will be out in the country where there is lots of good agricultural land ♡
Good luck to you. Check out the communities directory at ic.org if you don't already know about it.
There are more. Look up "intentional communities." There used to be a book you could buy that listed them all.
I found some closer to home, but they are all paused for a bit, some permanently. I have some good ideas on how to get there and will look up what you both are suggesting ♡
I know this is a me issue, not a you issue, but it always irritates me when I hear people refer to early pandemic and say we were all home with nothing to do. I was still working from home with two kids and doing distance learning. We weren’t all on lock down vacation 🙄
have you thought of making peach wine ? its a famous product in Japan. Just my suggestion.
I would love to make peach wine. Unfortunately, it's harder to grow organic peaches here than organic grapes. We used to have peach trees when the community first started, but they have all died and when they were producing, the fruit would get brown rot before it could mature. Dead gray inedible mushballs.
There are so many great foods in Japan.
Love this channel - great stuff. I couldn't find a contact for you can you direct me? Thanks!
Your new sub here.Luv how your living.This is also my dream.
Great video and not too long at all as I listen to it on my daily walk. You did answer a lot of questions. I am aware of many investors who are going to be investing in humanitarian projects once the funding is released which is expected by the end of the year or at least no later than January. So all of the ecovillages will have whatever funding they need to make it to stainable and Thrive and be a wonderful experience for everyone. Thank you
That would be great. Direct the ones you know of to Dancing Rabbit. :D
@@HardcoreSustainable sure will!
Sorry one more question, where in Florida?
Do a lot of people leave in the winter? For the people who stay, what do they eat? Are there any greenhouses to grow in the winter?
A small number of people leave for the winter, but not anyone as long as I do these days. Usually people try to put up food for winter in root cellars or canned or frozen. I have a hoop house I grew greens in for the first 6 years or so that I had it. Now it mostly goes unused in winter, though there is someone now making use of it for a perennial plant business. I could get a fair amount of greens from it for all but about 2 months of the year. ]
Sorry to leave out the people like you who worked even harder during the pandemic in my comments. There were so many that have children and had to juggle no longer having the child care of public school and also having to work from home. Thanks for mentioning it.
We are building one here in the south
Where at?
Hi I’m looking for a place like this busy in the west around Oregon for you know of any such place ?
There are intentional communities all over the place. I'd check out the Intentional Communities Directory to find one. You can plug in filters for ecovillages or eco oriented communities.
www.ic.org/directory/
I know there is Harbin Hot Springs that is an intentional community with an eco direction and a great hot springs business associated with it. There is also Emerald Earth. Both are in northern California. The problem is that Oregon and surrounding states have pretty strict building codes so it's difficult to do some of the building techniques and implement the systems we do at Dancing Rabbit.
www.emeraldearth.org/
I would like to do something similar but like you I don't do cold well
Everyone I know thinks I crazy for wanting to build a roundhouse with an outbathroom
There are plenty of warm places in the world, and everything is only getting warmer.
So very true....skills are so important. No one appreciates skillful people....and they certainly don't pay for skill that's why corporate America is sucking the life out of each and every one of us...
Excellent info. I’m wondering if an one is physically not able to build their own home, if it would be possible to move there?
There are many homes for sale right now and there are usually homes available for sale. We also have many who move here and pay others to build a home for them. It's very possible.
Hardcore Sustainable ok thanks! How are the visitor sessions working with the pandemic? They’re still happening with masks or outside?
@@64maruca Actually they haven't been happening but I thought someone said they might resume in July. Have to check out the website for updates.
@@HardcoreSustainable I have got Danceing Rabbit newletters for 2 years now I live close on my own small farm. Love the country life in all aspects I am a vegan now for 40 years. Yes I am a old gal now but still believe in the hope for peace and tranquility in our world. I live a quite life with nature now. It is so much better than liveing in the concrete jungle. I am in the mist of writeing my first novel. I am finally liveing in peace. I am also painting and createing art again🦋🌈🦋
You should try to get a software company to locate in your area that would produce jobs that produce money which could help out
I guess that could work here. I'm not sure how you attract a company like that. Also, those companies are usually pretty high end. But it would definitely bring money in.
The downfall of a community, is that people are different, and they want different things, and even when they are interested in the same thing, they still can't agree..
I live in a cabin, there's 13 of us sharing the same road.
When I moved here, I quickly got responsibility for taking charge. And I have done so these 4 years, but I'm getting tired.
There's 1 cabin that never pays the road collect, and there's always someone who dislike almost everything, and me that ends up doing most of the stuff.
This is why we have organization, systems, and conflict resolution. People in most mainstream communities have disagreements and deal with them by avoiding each other and often hating each other forever instead of trying to work things out. This is because there aren't systems in place for resolving conflicts. You can't really just avoid and ignore people at Dancing Rabbit. You don't necessarily like everyone, but you get along with them and you are obligated by our agreements to resolve conflict.
But it's true that in anything cooperative there are going to be those that pull more weight and others that float along. This isn't something wrong with community, it's human nature. I wonder if there's a difference in participation in a community like mine and the wider society. I would guess that a community like mine inspires more people to pull their weight. It isn't perfect, but it's lasted this long.
Where is Dancing Rabbit located?
Northeastern Missouri in the US.
Are Etsy business frowned on at Dancing Rabbit?
No, they are fine. Most businesses are encouraged. The distance to markets is a problem and at least for now, serving a market that may be distant is not ideal, but it's necessary until our population grows.
Lived this way, back to the land, in the 70's as a young adult, then did the work for the "man" Thing a good while. Now I want to return to the land. Left the first time for the same reason you described as negatives in your experience at the Ecovillage. Now I am retired, but willing to return to the simple, but never boring life you describe. Thanks for your candor about the bitter sweetness of living this life!
I'm glad you appreciate the video. It can be hard at times. I definitely enjoy community and miss some aspects of it since I haven't eaten in an eating co-op in a while and that's a great source of social fulfillment. Sometimes you need a break. I think many people living in community don't realize that and get burned out.
Thanks for your rep;ly. Yes getting back to civilization, ie restaurants a nice change. Get ready for culture shock, I fear. Humans are such adaptable creatures! :}
A ghost part about this place is that they Inspire not only do they expire but they drive people to have what they have because they're successful doesn't really matter if it takes 7 years or fifty years the point is you're going towards the future and the right away because you're making the lowest impact you can if all of us could do this to our planet wouldn't being so big of trouble thank you for sharing your story and remember that you thought of this seven years was six years before the the coronavirus so you guys have the whole entire place has foods sustainability and you didn't know what was coming so primitive culture and leave seeking the point is is that you're getting it done God bless and thank you for sharing this I wish that we could see more I don't know what channel you're on but I'm hoping that they will mention it in the details God bless and thank you again
Where are you now?
Hi. Yer Awesome! A Survivor, and Courage. Doing the only way to survive! Not fair you had to go through it, but yeah! U! Know the best survival skills. People live of people, they don't know anything hing else. It's good to see you are Happy and can enjoy the fruits now. Me I'm still stuck old ways, nobody to unerstands how or when why I'm forced to live to survive. Sad I Never met anyone. That life could have been better. ThankU! For awesome! Updates. Go where yer happy. To many people will keep you down. Sad. But you've done the hard life on yer own. That's Awesome! Çongratulations. 😀👌💋
Thanks for the support and encouragement! It's always good to get the positive feedback. Good luck to you.
@@HardcoreSustainable Your Welcome and ThankU!!!!
Beautiful Susan Black-Eyed Vines
Thanks! I love them. I need to get some more seed. I ran out.
I think meetings of any kind are one thing that most of us hate! They're much worse in community because it's so much more personal than a board room. That sense of scarcity is something that repulse me about ecoliving. I want to live simply but also live with sufficient and abundant means. Modern living- rightly or wrongly - allows a "magical" living in a way that these places can't...something I'm not yet ready to let go of. Good luck with your journey!
You say you want to live simply but with abundant means. I'm not sure what that means. I don't think living simply has to mean scarcity. It's possible to create abundance and still be sustainable. Maybe that's what you mean, but you also talk about not being able to let go of "modern living".
The lack of abundance I talk about in this video could be completely turned around if there were just hundreds more good people interested in living in our ecovillage. We can easily create abundance through cooperation. If we had a few hundred members, we could have our own self sustaining economy. But Americans are so ignorant, and all obsessed with their convenience lifestyle based on fossil fuel, so it's hard to attract people to this kind of place.
Right now all the abundance of "modern living" is a fake abundance based on fossil fuel. It isn't sustainable and this kind of lifestyle will be a flash in the pan of humanity only made possible by falsely abundant fossil fuel. We could have stretched it out for thousands of years and still lived incredible lives, but our economy is incredibly wasteful and is wasting all those precious resources on stuff that mostly ends up in landfills and allows a few hundred super rich to have 10 homes and 3 superyachts. But I guess you could get away with living this way a little longer before the consequences get really serious. Already, even the super rich in California are finding their homes burned to the ground by fire. I guess they can afford to just rebuild, but not everyone will be able to.
I haven't ever been to a corporate board meeting, but I imagine they are much worse at dealing with conflict than we are in our community. We put a lot of thought into conflict resolution and meeting organization and facilitation so that ideas can be shared and conflict is minimized. I imagine a lot of corporate board rooms are hierarchical and they don't deal with conflict at all. But yes, meetings are rarely something enjoyable, no matter what group is meeting.
Thanks for wishing me luck. Good luck to you!
One real good way to start this lifestyle is to learn by doing! We are part of the online Workaway community where "travelers" choose "hosts" who they most want to travel to, live with, and learn from. We are hosts and have a forest garden in Lund BC and have both shared our knowledge and learned from the many travelers who have stayed with us here to learn medicinal and culinary herbs, native edibles, and vegetable and fruit growing in a forest environment. Look it up! It's a good way to travel and learn at the same time!
I'm familiar with the Workaway community. We had some workaway people helping out at the St Pete Ecovillage a few years back.
How do you afford to move to Florida in the winter , and who takes care of your land \ belongings while you are gone ?
I am renting out my house for the winter to someone else. I have a good deal staying at a property a friend owns and I've been organizing workshops at Sweetwater Farm to help pay some of my costs. I also continue working for $ while I'm in Florida. It's uncertain as to how much longer that housing option will be available. My land doesn't really need maintaining during the winter. It's mostly just dormant, but my hoop house will be planted in by someone here over the winter.