"Announcing a new Meetup for East Bay Cohousing tomorrow (Sunday)! ... MoreWhat: Dancing Rabbit EcoVillage: Slideshow/Talk with Community Founder Tony Sirna (South Berkeley) When: this Sunday, March 7, 2010 2:00 - 3:30 PM Door fee: $10.00 (free for current EBCOHO supporting members - upgrade your membership today or in person at the event for free admission; our supporting members also got to hear about this first, and got first dibs on RSVPing) Where: The Long Haul 3124 Shattuck Ave Berkeley, CA 94705 [masked] Join Dancing Rabbit EcoVillage founder and Raines' fellow Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC) boardmember Tony Sirna for a slideshow and discussion of the intentional community he helped launch. Learn how this band of Bay Area pioneers created new community in rural Northeast Missouri, living ecologically sustainable and socially rewarding lives, and sharing the skills and ideas behind that lifestyle. Free for current East Bay Cohousing supporting members; otherwise, $10 cash/check at the door. This is our first EBCOHO event at The Long Haul, a wheelchair-accessible community space near Ashby BART, across from La Peña and The Starry Plough; lots of bike parking out front. Unique features of Dancing Rabbit that California Cohousers can learn from include:Natural building, with straw bale and cob construction, allowing many members to build their own homes Renewable energy, tapping sun and wind power to operate off-the-grid A biodiesel-powered vehicle cooperative pool An internal economy with its own currency, barter, and an income-sharing subgroup Design for growth, with plans to reach 1,000 members through villages and neighborhoods Biodiversity enhancement via wildlife habitat preservation through clustering and restoration through native planting and permaculture, tree planting, and more. The Dancing Rabbit Vision In 1997 the DR Land Trust (DRLT) purchased 280 acres in the rolling hills of northeastern Missouri. We are now 12 years deep into pioneering and constructing buildings while planning and developing community structure. People's social and economic needs are met primarily on-site and locally, though a few support themselves doing web work or off-site consulting. There is an ever-increasing emphasis on internal economy, including a lot of barter and a well-used internal currency. Eventually, we see 500-1,000 people living in our village, with businesses and homes surrounding the village green. As you might expect, ecological sustainability is the primary focus of our long-term vision and our daily lives. Residents agree to follow ecological covenants and sustainability guidelines. We build our homes using alternative techniques such as straw bale and cob, powering them with renewable energy from sun and wind. Vehicles at DR are owned cooperatively and powered by biodiesel. Overall, we eat an ever-increasing amount of local, organic, and in-season foods, including many home-grown vegetables. We strive to be good stewards of our land, with much of our acreage reserved as wildlife habitat. In the grasslands we are reintroducing native prairie plants to help revitalize our region's biodiversity. We have planted over 10,000 trees to restore our land to its pre-settlement ecology, stabilize the riparian zone, and provide a sustainable source of wood for our community in years to come. Diversity is an important element within our human population as well. Our village is composed of individuals, families, and an income-sharing community. We look forward to having other subcommunities join us, and encourage the development of cohousing and cooperatives. To allow for economic diversity and simple living, we keep lease rates and membership dues low and have no buy-in fee. Learn more and RSVP here to save your spot: http://www.ebcoho.org... "