How sustainable are we really? 🤔🌎

One of the ways we work to achieve our mission is to invite researchers from a variety of fields to examine, from scientific and sociological perspectives, how our unique lifestyle and systems impact our lives and the land we live on. Back in 2017, we conducted our first eco-audit, which measured the resource use of our ecovillage members and compared them to the average American. This year we updated those findings. Some of the main takeaways are, when compared to a mainstream American, a member of Dancing Rabbit:

• Owns about 10 times fewer cars
• Drives 75-80% fewer miles (rideshares further reduce miles driven by 20-35%)
• Imports 75-95% less water
• Imports 75-90% less electricity
• Produces over 50% less trash
• Recycles just under twice as much

Below is a more detailed overview of the study and methods used. But first, today is our last chance to realize the full potential of our matching challenge. So far we’ve raised $12,612 of our $20,000 goal. We really need your help to reach our goal! Every dollar raised furthers our goal of creating a living model of a sustainable society and sharing it with the world. By doing this, we can collectively move away from the destructive and isolating aspects of our culture and toward a way of life which seeks to restore balance between our society and nature and allows us to live as humans should live.

And double your impact!

Sustainability in a Midwestern Ecovillage: Numbers From a Living Laboratory Community

Katherine E. Todd-Brown: University of Florida 

Nana Owusu, Robert Handler, and Chelsea Schelly: Michigan Technological University

Zach Rubin: Lander University

David Carleton: The Center for Sustainable and Cooperative Culture

Joshua Lockyer: Arkansas Tech University