Imagine: living with all the creature comforts of home… without using any electricity from the power companies. Possible? Yes!!
Dancing Rabbit is a name of a small community in Missouri that is completely off the electrical grid. They are a fully self-sustaining community, producing its own electricity, and much of its own food. This group of people is a great example of the fact that solar and wind power can be a practical source of all the energy we should need.
The Dancing Rabbit community uses only electricity from solar panels and small wind generators. To help reduce their energy needs, they use compact fluorescent light bulbs, and have very efficient models of high-energy appliances, such as refrigerators. Nope, these people aren’t living in the dark ages. They have kitchen appliances, computers, power tools, etc, just like everyone else. They just don’t need any electricity from the companies like most people.
Some members of this community have cars. The cars run on bio-diesel, which is made from vegetable oil.
Members of Dancing Rabbit are also committed to fresh, organic gardening. They do a lot of gardening themselves, and are involved in local co-ops.
Buildings in the Dancing Rabbit community are primarily considered “natural buildings.” To be a natural building, materials used are usually locally bought or produced, and are often composed of recycled or salvaged materials. Natural buildings also are specially designed to take environmental factors into consideration, so they can be the most efficient as possible.
These people are a fine demonstration of what is truly possible if you are committed to living a life in-sync with the environment, instead of against it.
For more information, visit http://www.dancingrabbit.org.
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
*jaw drops*
Oh em gee....
I think I've just found my future home! xD
That is the sweetest thing this side of Saturn! I really wish I lived in a town like that!
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
Thank you for sharing! I have some friends who are currently talking about building just such a community; it is going to be called Happy Camp, and it will be located in Northern California! I'm very excited about the possibilities!
Love ya,
Carrot
I have been thinking about getting off the grid for a couple of years now, but I just haven't. I don't have plans so much to disconnect, but to have a system that matches my usage so I can put back in. I am not interested in wind, but only in solar. I am told that solar is much more espensive to get your money back out of. Any insights?
I think solar is the way to go. It's a technology that is improving year-after-year, and is becoming more efficient all the time.
Here is a link to a site that outlines a variety of solar panel models. It's a UK site, but it has a lot of good info about various solar panels. http://www.brightgreenenergy.co.uk/solar_panels_and_modules.asp
Yes, solar panels are expensive. However, I believe if you choose the right panels, you can have great results. Plus, once demand continues to increase for solar panels, I have no doubt that more research will go into making them better and even more affordable.
I would wait a few years. Right now, they have a crappy efficiency (like 14%), and cost a lot, plus require maintenance (the electrical ones need replacement parts every 10 years or so).
Of course, a solar water heater might be good, since it can potentially pay for itself in energy savings in 4-7 years.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
Want the highest rated list to change? RATE those blogs, then!
Water heaters are certainly the way to go. I would go for the investment depending on the rebates in yer state. In Montana they're quite nice and you got to admit, it's getting better all the time!
"I understand that this car is pretty expensive but it has more to it than any Ferrari can give to our earth and people." -- crystalcraze13, a ProU blogger