Here’s a little video showing off a gorgeously designed cob cottage interior by Meka in southern Oregon. Beautiful curves, built-in shelves and furniture, and a wild staircase design are the highlights.
One of the benefits of being registered as a non-profit on YouTube is having that ability. Interested folks can make donations on DRTV video pages or on the DRTV account page in different increments using Google checkout.
So, if you’re feeling swell and generous… you know what you can do…
A few buildings here at Dancing Rabbit feature rocket stoves. Rocket stoves are superefficient wood-fired stoves that can easily be built using readily available and recycled materials.
In this DRTV video that I just wrapped up, Nathan and Tony describe two different rocket stove systems, detailing the inner workings of the stoves and their unique ability to store heat much more effectively than traditional wood stoves. Unlike other stoves, rocket stove flues can run horizontally through cob benches or other cob furniture, effectively storing much more heat that would otherwise be lost.
My own house (in the works) will some day feature a small rocket stove system with a flue that runs and wraps through a cob bed, heating the mass in the winter. (On top of that cob bed will be a mattress, of course, something like a Japanese futon mattress.) I’ll undoubtedly document that more closely when the time comes.
Here’s a great little video (apparently a teaser for a documentary that’s been in the making) about cob design and building, “The House as Living Sculpture”. It has a lot of nice footage of cob homes and the construction process. Check it out:
The latest episode of Dancing Rabbit TV is finally up and ready. I’m very curious to see what kind of feedback I get for this one. It’s called “Life with Thomas” and focuses on Thomas, a five year member here at Dancing Rabbit. He has some unique living habits and a quirky sense of humor. He’s a friend of all and very knowledgeable about local ecology, plant life, and well, pretty much most things.
The reason I’m curious to see how this plays with other people is that this is the first truly personal DRTV video, and I wonder if folks totally unfamiliar with Dancing Rabbit will be intrigued, confused, or even disinterested in this individual and his purely unique musings.
Sometime shortly before I departed for NJ, a news crew showed up at Dancing Rabbit to do a spot for a local news station, Fox 2 news in St. Louis, Missouri. Thankfully, the spot is now available online. I think they did a pretty good job, overall.
In early October, Dancing Rabbit celebrated its 10th anniversary with a reunion weekend celebration. I put together a little video for the milestone for DRTV. Check it out!
About a month or two ago, I produced this short video to enter in Current TV’s so-called “Ecospot” contest. Although it didn’t make the cut as a semi-finalist, I can at least now put it on DRTV to share. Just for some background info, the theme of the Ecospot contest was global warming, and contestants had up to 60 seconds to create a video centered around inspiring solutions to the climate crisis. I haven’t been overly impressed with some of the contest finalists, especially ones like “This is not a test” (which probably took an hour to make), or “Change the way you think” (which doesn’t even follow the theme of the contest!). Oh well. I’m not that disappointed, though. I’ve no need for a hybrid SUV (which is a pretty ridiculous top prize for a eco-themed contest, anyway… sheesh!).
Ok, Dancing Rabbit TV episode #3 is now ready! This time, it’s Natural Building How-To: Earthen Plastering with Tamar. This video is a complete look at how to make earthen plaster from clay, sand, manure (!), and straw, and how to mix and apply it to a wall.
The second episode in the Dancing Rabbit TV video blog series is ready. In Eco-Cribs: Larkspur, DR members Tony B. and Alyssa give a tour of their house, Larkspur, and talk about the natural building process and design. Check it out.
The past few weeks, I have been busy gathering footage, interviewing, and editing video in preparation for the first entry in the official Dancing Rabbit video blog. The idea is that I will produce videos about life at Dancing Rabbit and topics regarding sustainable living. Each video will have a certain theme or focus, all centered around sustainability and alternative living, whether it be natural building, organic vegetable gardening, biodiesel, solar power, whole foods cooking, or any number of the many things going on at Dancing Rabbit. To open up the series, the first video will be a simple introduction to Dancing Rabbit: what it is, how people live differently here, etc.
There are lots of little ideas floating around my head for future episodes, but for now I must set up an actual home for the blog, and organize distribution of the videos.
But, it’s coming soon!
About
Hullo. I am Brian, but I am also called Ziggy. I'm a 24-year-old currently living at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, learning to fulfill my desires to live more sustainably and self-sufficiently. There's a growing need to help shape a more eco-conscious, less destructive, and healthy culture, and I hope to share some of my experiences living in a community that values these qualities on this here blog.