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WHAT IS THE DANCING RABBIT PROJECT?
The Dancing Rabbit Project is a group of individuals who desire
true environmental sustainability. Rather than the "quick fixes" or
band-aid efforts of the mainstream, we are interested in long-term
societal and technological changes that will ensure the integrity of the
ecosphere, and the well-being of humans (and all life forms), far into the
future.
We believe that it is impossible to live sustainably while
enmeshed in the consumer culture and difficult to live independently in
isolation. Therefore, we envision a locally self-reliant town committed to
radical environmental sustainability -- a place where people can live a
successful and happy life without causing environmental degradation.
Fully realized, Dancing Rabbit will be a small town with about
1000 residents. We will be housed in a variety of living arrangements, eat
a variety of foods, and work on various projects. It will be a society
flexible enough to include egalitarian communities, cohousing, individual
households, and hermits. But while we may have different approaches to
some issues, the common desire for environmental sustainability will
underlie all decisions at Dancing Rabbit.
Although Dancing Rabbit will strive for self-sufficiency and
economic independence, we will not be sequestered from mainstream America.
Rather, outreach and education are integral to our goals. We will
vigorously promote ourselves as a viable example of sustainable living and
spread our ideas and discoveries through visitor programs, academic and
other publications, speaking engagements, and the like.
Currently, Dancing Rabbit has one subcommunity (Skyhouse), one
individual member, and has generated much interest among communities and
individuals nationwide. We are currently in the process of meeting with
landowners in the search for a suitable location. We are working on our
economic goals and various other details to be worked out by the time we
move onto the land (our goal is the ssummer of 1997). At this point, we
make decisions by consensus.
LIFE AT DANCING RABBIT
Dancing Rabbit intends to create a social structure which
encourages sustainability. One reason for the desire to have Dancing
Rabbit reach a population of 1000 (much larger than many intentional
communities) is to enable us to provide for most of our own needs (social
as well as economic). We can never be truly sustainable unless our members
are happy. We believe that a sense of community is essential to human
fulfillment, but that diversity is also key. If people's social networks,
as well as their livelihoods, are largely local, they save the huge energy
costs of mechanized travel and gain the opportunity to be in touch with
their homes and neighbors. The "small town" size of 1000 is small enough
to permit face-to-face familiarity but large enough to provide a variety
of personalities so that each member can create a network of friends.
Dancing Rabbit will strive to be culturally diverse enough to
provide a home for people from many backgrounds and with many different
desires. We encourage people of varying education, ethnicity, ability,
spirituality or socioeconomic status to join, and welcome any lifestyle
within the constraints of sustainability. Cooperation is important and we
also see the need for individual responsibility and freedom. Therefore, DR
will allow for varying community structures within its greater society. We
call this the" Society of Communities" model.
Dancing Rabbit will be established as a land trust, where the land
is held in common and leased long term to its residents. The bylaws of
the DR land trust will include Sustainability Guidelines. Dancing Rabbit
will also have a land management plan, setting aside land for ecosystem
preservation, farming, wood lots, housing, and community use.
Dancing Rabbit will not legislate or direct the internal workings
of communities or households beyond the guidelines for ecological
sustainability. We will encourage people to make their settlements around
a central gathering point, creating a townlike atmosphere which allows
people to share resources and promotes community interaction.
Dancing Rabbit will provide services to its residents in the form
of infrastructure, knowledge, labor exchange, and moral support. For
example, DR may set up a farming cooperative to grow staple foods for its
members and may help them design and build their homes.
In short, the Dancing Rabbit Project hopes to provide the land,
knowledge and community so that people can come and live with the freedom
to define their lifestyle within the new sustainable structure.
DANCING RABBIT MEMBERSHIP
Dancing Rabbit is currently made up of one seven member
subcommunity, Skyhouse, and has numerous interested individuals and even a
potential second subcommunity. Future members may be part of a
subcommunity, family or individuals. Members of DR have decision making
power, pay dues of at least 2% of income, and sign our membership
agreement.
The following is an excerpt from our membership agreement that may
give you an idea of the group¹s vision:
® Members will continually strive to increase their level of
sustainability and reduce their negative environmental and social impacts.
We will consider the environmental implications of all major and minor
decisions and whenever possible choose to maximize our long range
sustainability. We are committed to making real and lasting changes in our
society and our lifestyles toward the goal of sustainability.
® We believe the best path to a truly sustainable society is with
a participatory, non-oppressive, democratic decision making structure. For
this to be effective the group and its members must be committed to the
principles of trust, respect, non-violence, self-empowerment, cooperation,
conflict resolution, active participation, equal access to power, and
patience. Each member will make a commitment to the group's goals. We
intend to govern ourselves by these ideals.
® Members will adhere to sustainability guidelines within Dancing
Rabbit. We do not want to have a police state or strict enforcement
policies, but instead intend to rely on trust and social pressures to
encourage people to follow the guidelines. However, in the case of gross
and continued violations of sustainability guidelines, we reserve the
right to revoke membership and residence at DR. This will not be done
without due process.
® Dancing Rabbit will not discriminate against any person on the
basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, creed, age,
ability, or economic background. We are committed to having a diverse
membership and will make an effort to minimize barriers to minority
groups.
® Dancing Rabbit is committed to making an impact on the world
through education and member outreach. We will continually pursue this
goal by being open to new members (as resources allow) and by publicizing
the actions of our project.
® Dancing Rabbit is striving towards community and cooperation as
essential steps towards a sustainable, non-exploitative society.
® This is a living document. These beliefs are open to discussion
and debate and are not meant to be dogmatic.
The unifying goal of DR is a commitment to live sustainably; we
hope to create a community of people of diverse backgrounds and
experiences, working together for that shared ideal. We appreciate people
with skills and a willingness to share them who help shape our vision and
guide our progress. These skills include group dynamics and interpersonal
relations, architecture, construction, city planning, farming/gardening,
childcare, small business, appropriate technologies, government and law.
If you are interested in being a part of this project, sharing
your expertise, or finding out what we have learned, please contact us! We
have an extensive e-mail discussion list and publish a newsletter. If you
are interested in living in an established income sharing group, you may
want to visit Skyhouse (see enclosed info). Dancing Rabbit uses consensus
to agree upon new members.
We hope to make contact and share ideas with anyone interested in
our goals.