One Year Living Off-the-Grid at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage
Hi. I’m Brian, a new writer here at Planetsave. For the past eighteen months, I have been living off-the-grid at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, a rural intentional community located in northeastern Missouri.
Dancing Rabbit is a community composed of 45 individuals dedicated to sustainable living and creating cultural change. Renewable energy from solar panels and wind turbines powers the entire village, which is made up of natural buildings constructed using earthen (such as straw bale and cob) and reclaimed materials. All drinking and cleaning water is collected using rain catchment systems, and three biodiesel-fueled vehicles provide the entire group with transportation needs. Much of our food is grown in our organic gardens.
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It is from this unique perspective of living in an ecovillage that I hope to share with you dear readers the experience of living sustainably. Having been here for nearly 18 months, I am fully settled into this off-the-grid lifestyle. I’m even now busy building my very own cob house. Things you might find me talking about are natural building, sustainability in daily life, local foods, community, and a myriad of related topics.
Thanks for having me and look forward to more musings from off-the-grid!
(Image credit: pjchmiel at flickr)
Hi,
We are a family of four looking to settle off the grid. I am thinking that being part of a community would suit us. Does anyone know of any communities (now or soon to be) in New England? Thanks so much.
Peace
The Laurie Family
Hi there,
I am also interested in a cob house, off-the-grid community. Florida might be great. I live in Sedona but have recently been staying in nearby Clarkdale in solar house. Need water and warmth so time to leave desert. Please keep me posted on Florida.
Back in 1989 I paid $800 for two 50 watt panels and a charge controller that…well lets just say they don’t make them anymore! Now we are up to 450 watts and about to do a huge revamp, adding three new buildings and a lot more solar panels, wind and maybe even geo thermal if we have enough cash left over!
“The important thing is to take the first small step” then we can work out the next one, but tomorrow if everyone that saw this changed one light bulb!
the world would be 132 watts greener!
[...] an environmentally sustainable lifestyle at their core. Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, which is now my own home, is a community striving to demonstrate a more ecological lifestyle through things like the use of [...]
are you allowed to have children? i am 31 years old and have a 6 yr. son. I have always wanted to do this but thought it would be too difficult independently with a child. an ecocommunity may be what im looking for. Please Respond!!!
Hey want to live off grid? buy my home and solar isntallation on 10 ACRES only 90 min from downtown LA.
Hello to all. I am retireing soon (2 years) and am looking for “off the grid community” in the mid-atlantic, or SE. I you know of anything where an old geezer would fit in let me know.
[...] you live in an eco village or other form of intentional community, you’re probably curious about the lifestyle. [...]
Hello,
I would like to know if there are any off the grid communities in North Carolina and Illinois. I am interested in researching them to see if living in such a community will work for me. One of my thoughts is I would like to live in a community, believing it takes a village to raise a child. Not being the best at internet research, I haven’t had success in my search. Thank you for your feedback.
Ruth