This morning, I was revisiting one of my favorite shows – “30 Days.” It is done by documentarian Morgan Spurlock. He takes people and puts them in foreign environments for 30 days then films how they do with the experience. For example, a Christian lived with Muslims for 30 days and found out that in many ways, they were not different from himself.
Today’s show focused on a place called Dancing Rabbit Eco-Village. “30 Days” took two people and dropped them off at a totally sustainable village in Missouri. Dancing Rabbit was started in 1997. The Dancing Rabbit Land Trust (DRLT) bought 280 acres in Missouri to build a sustainable community. Their goal was to “build a healthy alternative” to the current U.S. culture by building “a social structure that is both non-exploitative and vibrant.”
Eventually, Dancing Rabbit hopes between 500 and 1,000 people will live in their village. Current residents have to agree to live a sustainable life and follow certain guidelines. Homes and buildings in the village are built of alternative means, such as straw bale, cob, natural earth plaster, wattle and daub, and urbanite. They are powered with solar and wind power. Vehicles used in the village run on biodiesel. In the “30 Days” episode, it even showed the two converts going to a local fast food place to retrieve fry oil for fuel. As you might suspect, the residents grow their own organic vegetables. They have planted more than 10,000 trees to try to take the land back to the way it was before it was settled.
You don’t have to be rich to live at the Dancing Rabbit Village. They have low membership fees and no buy-in fee to help allow for a diverse community of people. They enjoy visitors and even have a work exchange program. Many members of the village have their own businesses including an inn, organic café, bookstore, and even web design and hosting.
Of course, during the show, the two converts had their challenges. The guy was dying for meat (the residents shown on the show mostly followed a vegan diet) and the girl missed her hairdryer, but it was interesting watching them learn to live a more sustainable lifestyle.