small-scale: life in an ecovillage » drtv

So, if you like those DRTV videos…

Brian — Mon, 05 May 2008 02:23:39 +0000

Not to like advertise or anything, but the Dancing Rabbit TV YouTube account has a new feature. We now accept donations!

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…

New DRTV video | Rocket Stoves: superefficient wood heaters

Brian — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:40:38 +0000

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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.

DRTV #6: Seasonal living at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage

Brian — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 16:18:31 +0000

I just finished up the latest Dancing Rabbit TV video. This one’s all about seasonal living at Dancing Rabbit. Check it out below:

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Spring is coming

Brian — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:54:08 +0000

Today is the first day that I’ve truly felt that spring is arriving. Ok, well, the second day, but this one feels much more promising. Last weekend, on a 70+ degree day, we could see flock after flock of Canadian and snow geese flying north. A week or so earlier, the red-winged blackbirds, the first birds of spring returned.

It’s been cold this past week after that unusually warm weekend, so those couple days of warm weather were more of a tease than anything. Today felt pretty good, with a temperature somewhere in the 40s, but the energy was different. It really felt like spring was officially creeping up on us. People were out and about and working. Liat here started digging a trench for her schoolbus-turned-house, and I lent a hand for a while. Kids were running amok and playing outside. Green grass shoots are popping up out of the ground. And Skyhouse visitors and a guest recently showed up, a very sure sign that it’s almost that time again.

I anticipate this spring season. I am excited about being able to spend more time outside. Spring will have definitely arrived when the ratio of time spent outdoors to indoors is greater.

This week, I plan to start the next DRTV video. I should have started sooner than I am, but the idea behind this latest vignette is to highlight individuals’ plans for the upcoming season, how they have been preparing, how they’ve been keeping busy throughout winter, etc. Hopefully this video will shed light on the how life here is much more in sync with the seasons than elsewhere.

Life with Thomas at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage

Brian — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 23:54:23 +0000

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.

I guess there is only one way to find out.

The video comes in two parts.

Part 1
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Part 2
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Rolling along

Brian — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:08:03 +0000

Lack of updates here lately, yes. Power has been a bit low this week, preventing any extended computer usage. However, I was able to finish the latest episode of Dancing Rabbit TV last weekend, before a stretch of long, cloudy days. Unfortunately, I must re-render the video before I make it available on YouTube and Revver, which means I need to wait it out until the next sunny day, probably not for another day or two.

Relationship to energy and power (electricity, that is) is a defining element of everyday life here, especially during winter. It may seem obvious to say that you become much more aware of your power usage living here at DR, but it’s worth stating nevertheless. Even when there is enough power to use the lights in the grain bin, for example, I usually go for lighting a candle or two first.

Anyway, this latest DRTV video has been one of the most enjoyable ones to edit. It’s more personal than the first four, and more of an actual documentary. I would not classify the others as “short documentaries”, but this one, I might. That makes me happy, in a way.

Other than that, the past few weeks have been filled with meetings (our annual retreat, which was comprised of six days straight of meetings, was two weeks ago), reading books, knitting, and making little house sketches and designs. (More on that another time.)

So it goes.