Dancing Rabbit is an

ecovillage An ecovillage is a traditional or intentional community with the goal of becoming more socially, culturally, economically, and/or ecologically sustainable. An ecovillage strives to produce the least possible negative impact on the natural e ...

near Rutledge,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Dancing Rabbit is an intentional community in the pioneering stage. The community was formed in 1997 with the purchase of of land in northeast Missouri by the Dancing Rabbit Land Trust. Its current, on site population is around 30 people with the intention of growing to a small, locally self-reliant town of 500 to 1000 residents. All members of Dancing Rabbit agree to abide by ecological covenants and sustainability guidelines. Residents are responsible for their own finances, food, housing, and other necessities. There are a number of

co-ops A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

residents can elect to be a part of. These co-ops include services for vehicles, food, health care, showers, phone, and internet. The town includes

egalitarian communities Egalitarian communities are groups of people who have chosen to live together, with egalitarianism as one of their core values. A broad definition of egalitarianism is "equal access to resources and to decision-making power." For example, decisio ...

cohousing Cohousing is an intentional community of private homes clustered around shared space. The term originated in Denmark in late 1960s. Each attached or single family home has traditional amenities, including a private kitchen. Shared spaces typic ...

, and individual households. Dancing Rabbit aims to create a culture that is environmentally and also socially sustainable. The community's culture incorporates

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

, respect for

the arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...

consensus decision-making Consensus decision-making or consensus process (often abbreviated to ''consensus'') are group decision-making processes in which participants develop and decide on proposals with the aim, or requirement, of acceptance by all. The focus on e ...

, nonviolence, and nonviolent communication. The common desire for environmental sustainability underlies all decisions at Dancing Rabbit. The community promotes itself as a viable example of sustainable living and aims to spread its vision through visitor programs, internships, work exchange, academic and other publications, and speaking engagements. Two other intentional communities neighbor Dancing Rabbit: Sandhill Farm, and Red Earth Farms. The three communities are known locally as the 'tri-communities'.

In the Media

In 2005, Dancing Rabbit was featured in an episode of the FX television series '' 30 Days'', in which members taught their way of life to two mainstream non-residents for one month. The two lived in a converted

grain bin A silo (from the Greek σιρός – ''siros'', "pit for holding grain") is a structure for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store fermented feed known as silage, not to be confused with a grain bin, which is use ...

and helped with various projects such as gardening, natural building and cooking. ''The Rhythm of Rutledge'' Dancing Rabbit, along with Sandhill Farm and Red Earth Farms, is featured in the 2012 documentary short ''The Rhythm of Rutledge''.

Mission statement

To create a society, the size of a small town or village, made up of individuals and communities of various sizes and social structures, which allows and encourages its members to live sustainably. To encourage this sustainable society to grow to have the size and recognition necessary to have an influence on the global community by example, education, and research.

References

External links

Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage summary
at The Fellowship for Intentional Community
Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage
website
Red Earth Farms
website
Sandhill Farm
website {{Sustainability Ecovillages Populated places established in 1997