Kudos to them for their vision and ambition.

It would be nice, though, if one day that the group photo of such a place wasn't so monochromatic:

http://www.dancingrabbit.org/img/group_2005.jpg

well, missouri is pretty monochromatic, but I know what you mean.

Thank you, JW!
As a woman of color, I am hoping for sustainability and diversity in my living situation. I searched the site's EcoVillage Network for other options with no luck...
Any suggestions out there for a girl seeking a diverse ecovillage?

How funny to see this mentioned here--some friends and I were just talking about this place recently. :-)

Not to be mean about it or anything, but diversity only exists where people who are "diverse" or non-"monochromatic" are willing to go. And refrencing Eloise's post, perhaps that's part of the problem.

Not to be argumentative, but referencing Rachel's post, this non-"monochromatic" girl has been willing to go, and has ventured into more than one monochromatic sustainable community. It gets very old being the only one.

I´m always a bit sceptical of the high degree of involvement one needs to live in an eco-village. I for one am rather eco conscious but that doesn´t mean I need that to be the epicentre of my life and I sure wouldn´t want to so dramatically change my lifestyle. Another issue is that of being vegan which can exclude a whole lot of "normal" people or just make them feel alienated. Eco-villages should strive to not exclude and pass judgement as some treehugger groups do. I propose a "Mainstream eco-village" for the masses!

Maybe when this (http://www.dancingrabbit.org/30Days.php) airs we'll know how well it works for the masses!

Being different from the masses where you are does get old, but like being a vegetarian in a meat-eating family, or a homosexual in the bible belt, it can induce change. I wasn't trying to criticizing, Eloise, I was just pointing out that sometimes doing important things can involve being uncomfortable because you're alone, but it's usually worth it, because it can motivate others to take action.

Eloise: Twin Oaks(www.twinoaks.org)has at least 3 people of color in their community, according to their photo gallery.

Thank you, Cat.

Dancing Rabbit is set up to be a diverse village in many ways. Our village does not discriminate based on age, color, race, religion, gender or sexual preference. We have omnivores, vegetarians, vegans and in the past, raw foodists -- all in various styles of eating scenes. Most households are financially independent, but we also have an income-sharing subcommunity. We're hoping to grow to 500-1000 people, so we encourage people looking to start a community to come start a subcommunity within Dancing Rabbit.

I like to think that we're creating an ecovillage for the masses. Though right now we're looking for more people with a pioneering spirit to help us grow. Please feel free to contact us with questions!

As the newest residents and soon to be members of Dancing Rabbit (and currently the only family with children present) I understand the various viewpoints about being alone and different from the group. My family eats seperatly from other co-ops here at Dancing Rabbit, first because there is 5 of us which is a big impact and also because we are omnivores(and there are currently no omnivore co-ops functional yet). Eating seperately makes it hard to relate to your fellow communards, but there is a chance twice a week to share stories around a meal which helps.

It is hard to be a part of a community, much more hard than my family thought originally. The ecological covenants usually stay well below radar and are hardly the epi-center of my families life, rather learning to live closely with others is the most trying aspect of community and I think well worth the trouble. In a lot of ways I think it is being able to share and live closely with others that will result in ecological balance long before not cutting down trees.

Just my two cents from rural Missouri
Tim (of the Johnsonite rabbits)

Sounds like a great place to learn about and practice organic gardening whether you actually want to live there or not.

Jeff
http://organicgardeningreview.blogspot.com

This sounds amazing. As this community grows, we'd like to see how you handle sidewalks, roads, schools, etc. There is so much opportunity here for contractors. There are also so many products that may be willing to sponsor your community- like Rubbersidewalks, inc,

India has a guy who reuses plastic to make roads. I actually read this on Treehugger. As your community grows it will provide some exciting challenges. Where a collection of like minds come about, it will be interesting to see what develops!!!

As a person who is going to be visiting DR soon, and may consider membership, it is interesting to hear the experiences of someone with a child. I have a toddler, and I am concerned about how difficult it would be to raise a young child in an environment completely different than the one I was raised in. Especially since it will most likely just be the two of us.
Also, to comment on an earlier statement. I am a person of color. Though, I can't say that not having other people like myself around is aggrivating. I don't think I really notice it, I see people, not white people or asian people.
And, I am excited by the idea of helping grow something.

I would like to know how to join the Rabbits even if only for a few months. Any help you could offer would be great.
Thanks!