Dear extended Rabbit family,
One of the markers of this time of year is the giving and receiving of gifts. These traditions date back much farther than the advent, and later exploitation, of the various winter holidays we celebrate nowadays. At its core, the concept of a gift is a beautiful thing, and gifts can take many forms. There are of course the classic material gifts (frankincense, cozy socks, puppies, etc.), but family is also a gift, and clean air, fertile soils, and hope are gifts too.
Eric here, and I want to share with you what I believe to be Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage’s unique gift to the world. After living here for almost three years, there are times when I question how impactful DR is, especially given the scale of the problems that we are trying to address. But in the end, I believe that we are doing something truly transformational by re-examining the basic assumptions we’ve inherited from the dominant culture and creating a community which nourishes the planet and ourselves. Taking the long view of humanity, this is nothing new; it’s how many Indigenous peoples lived for millennia. But re-discovering and re-inventing a life of balance in this modern era presents a unique challenge, and our success or failure in this endeavor will profoundly shape the lives of future generations.
Me and our friendly cows. Photo by Eric.
Before the year ends, all donations up to $9,000 are doubled and $3,000 will go towards establishing an agroforestry cooperative. So far we’ve raised $3,890! This means we still need $5,110 more to go to hit our goal. We can’t do it without your help!
Before getting into how I see Dancing Rabbit doing this, I want to share a bit about my personal journey. I come from a middle-class background; my mother was a school teacher and my father was an administrator for our local parks system. I studied anthropology in college and quickly learned that there are many types of societies and cultures, none of them inevitable, including the one we’ve inherited. Not wanting to perpetuate a way of life which I saw as unsustainable and isolating, I became deeply interested in the ecovillage and permaculture movements. This was all still very theoretical, so once I graduated, I set out to learn firsthand how people can prioritize ecosystem and community health. My search brought me all over North, Central, and South America. Eventually, it led me to Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, a place which I now call home.
I started my life at Dancing Rabbit as a work exchange intern for the Dairy Co-op. Since animal agriculture is typically done in a manner which is harmful to both the environment and animals, I was eager to experience how it could be done in a humane and regenerative way, particularly in a community context. To my delight, this is indeed what I found, and it aided me greatly in finding my place in a new and different environment. Being part of the Dairy Co-op gave me an immediate purpose, meaningful responsibilities, and a group of people to bond and cooperate with over the shared purpose of producing high-quality, ethically-raised dairy products. One of the beautiful things about Dancing Rabbit is that there are many ways to plug in to the community; since living here I’ve also been a part of two kitchen co-ops, a land management team, and our nonprofit. All these things have contributed to fulfilling my need for connection, meaning, and conscious engagement with the natural environment.
What I’ve come to appreciate is that it is the radical vision and structure of Dancing Rabbit that makes all of this possible. So what are we doing that is so transformational? And what is our gift to the world?
While I’m not going to pretend that we have all the answers, I believe Dancing Rabbit’s gift to the world is in demonstrating that we can address social and environmental problems by radically changing how we live in relation to our neighbors and our environment. There are many ways that we are achieving this: sharing and cooperating in many facets of our lives which reduce consumption and increase community cohesion, adhering to our ecological covenants, self-governance, building homes using natural and sustainable materials and techniques, and developing a culture which is both deeply rooted in place and outwardly focused.
We have the greatest impact on the broader culture when people visit us and experience first-hand community-based, ecological living. They may decide to move here and help to grow our village, but most often, they take what they’ve learned back to their own communities and adapt the lessons of Dancing Rabbit within their own context. We also sponsor academic research and documentary filmmaking, and share our knowledge and experience through various forms of outreach. By donating to our organization you are increasing our ability to accomplish all these goals and help us bring more Dancing Rabbit into the world. Thanks to three amazing humans who believe deeply in our project, the first $9,000 in donations will be matched by John Simpson, Jill Tenney, and Nathan Brown. Three thousand dollars from this fundraiser will go towards establishing an agroforestry co-operative at Dancing Rabbit.
In cooperation,
Eric Mease
Administrative Assistant
Center for Sustainable and Cooperative Culture at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage