“So, what are you doing here?” I asked.
“Eatin’ hog,” he replies.
Yes folks, those words are just a few of the gems that come from the esteemed wit of Doctor Joshua Lockyer, Ph.D. of Arkansas Tech University, Dancing Rabbit Board member, and all around cool guy. Doc Lock is here again visiting the village as he continues studying Dancing Rabbit’s ecological movement in the form of an eco-audit. This visit he just happened to bring a 17 lb. heritage pork shoulder from a local happy pig farm down his way.
Dinner was delicious as I, Katherine, dined on fresh sweet corn and chatted up the visiting “brain trust” academics, including the Doc. (Have you ever tried to chat up a table full of corn-on-the-cob eaters? It’s not easy!)
Ian MacDonald and David Sloan of the Evolution Institute are here meeting Rabbits and explaining their study on how humans use culture to adapt to existential challenges. What caught me about this particular research was when it was deemed the “happiness study”. This happy rabbit is so into that!
Interviews have been going on for months and even years as people try to get to the bottom of our Rabbits’ motives for living this communal lifestyle. With over 50 people here making their own individual choices regarding ecological values and social interactions, the on-going studies seem to attract more researchers with new and evocative questions. It is a totally great way to meet awesome folks and learn about myself in community.
Brooke, our on-farm eco-audit researcher (turned DR resident), has kept the data crank turning and interns in-line. Our latest intern Carlina is a super sweetheart attending Grinnell College, where she is studying anthropology.
Brooke and Carlina have worked hard this season collecting our 2015 numbers having to do with water consumption, trash/recycling weight, and electrical energy usage, just to name a few. Rabbits were treated to a presentation Friday night on the data collected in 2014 and it was awesome to see how we are doing compared to the numbers of ‘13.
While some numbers went up, others went down. All sorts of factors are weighed, including population fluctuation, getting an electric vehicle, and even the amount of rainfall each year. *Slaps forehead* of course rainfall matters; we have rain catchment systems all over this town!
Yet another “I Heart DR”: I heart that when presented with numbers that our villagers use an average of 10% of the resources that the average American does in some areas, we still challenge ourselves to do better! There is constant talk of conservation, not only by just plain using less, but also by sharing what we do use. Rideshares and kitchen co-ops are only a couple pieces to the puzzle that is living sustainably with this earth.
Now feels like a great time to write a little about why I have such a positive outlook on my being (at least to the extent of boasting the pseudonym Happy Rabbit). I hold space in my awareness for occurrences that happen around the globe and their negative influences while living my life to an extent that is fulfilling to me. I value service to others and enjoyment of my work.
This means that I spend a lot of my days hanging with kids, cooking, gardening, and doing DR mission work (non-profit and committee based). There is a contentedness to my life that I relish and an appreciation with my abundance of choice. The choice lies in how I will serve this earth, whether it is through an ecological means or a societal path. In this case, it seems that I have chosen both. 🙂
Case in point: this was the first week (of three) in our current visitor session, in which amazing folks come from all over to give our village a gander. While some folks are super jazzed to move here, others are more along for the ride and choosing this time to get to know us and maybe take some ideas home with them. It has been so fun for this rabbit to interact with all of the new energy emitted from the 16 new beings in our midst (11 adults, 5 children).
While living in rural Missouri does have its perks, like awesome community folk and endless cornfields, I know that it is certainly not for everyone seeking a more intentional way of living. What I love about our demonstration village is that you can take a piece of us home with you! Not only are we exporting ideas and energy (sorry folks, that was a grid-tie joke), we are also raising positive awareness that there are other folks out there who also share these values.
Just today I was discussing the social web that we are weaving all over the world. While Bob is giving a tour of our village to out-of-towners, Alyson is across the ocean attending a conflict resolution conference, Ben is speaking to the local college about local food sourcing, and Rae is doing Skype interviews with social scientists across the country. Our web that we weave ripples through the consciousness and awakens people everyday to new realizations of this world and its cultures.
Since I was a little girl I have always had this idea of “saving the world”. I don’t think that I was ever quite sure what that meant, though I’m sure it somehow tied in to my young love and fascination with whales and trees (only one of which I could play with in the backyard). Now, as a kid of 30, I feel that somehow I am doing a little more of my part in that super-hero role. I love my day-to-day bustle in the village and I also treasure my trips off-farm for art, protest, and the movement of ideas. On the happiness scale, I rank myself right up there with sunshine and unicorns.
One last note to really convince you that my life is awesome; I totally have a Mogwai living in my greenhouse and serenading my sleep every night. Some may call it a frog, I prefer the name Gizmo.
Until next time, thanks for reading and keep on dancin’! Best wishes, *Katherine* Happy Rabbit.
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Don’t forget! This summer we’re hosting the first ever Permaculture Design Course at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, August 29-Sept 6, and we’d love to have you join us, and your help in spreading the word! Find more info here.
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And here’s a way to have fun and support our work: Dancing Rabbit, Inc. is a beneficiary for Climate Ride, so you can have an amazing biking or hiking adventure while supporting our outreach and education efforts! Anyone who participates in Climate Ride events (like bike rides in New England or the Midwest, and hikes in Glacier or Bryce-Zion National Parks) can choose us as their beneficiary and support our work. Now’s the time to register, so check it out for more info.
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Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is an intentional community and nonprofit outside Rutledge, in northeast Missouri, focused on demonstrating sustainable living possibilities. Find out more about us by visiting our website, reading our blog, or emailing us.