Announcing Milkweed Mercantile Sustainability Seminars

We’ve received many requests from guests for opportunities to interact with and get to know members of Dancing Rabbit, and to learn more about what we’re doing here. Rabbits enjoy this too – the enthusiasm and energy that guests bring help us remember why we’re doing what we’re doing!

The challenging part is to find a way to do this without overwhelming Rabbits, who have very little spare time and often already feel that they live in a fish bowl.

Our solution? We’ve created a learning/social experience which brings together members of Dancing Rabbit, Milkweed Mercantile guests, a great meal, excellent conversation and some hands-on activity. The members who are participating have chosen a topic about which they are most passionate, and are excited to share it with you!

The Details:

Each Milkweed Seminar focuses on a different aspect of sustainability and/or life here at DR. All Milkweed Seminars begin with dinner at the Milkweed Mercantile on Friday evening with a member of Dancing Rabbit. You and your “instructor” will have the opportunity to talk and connect in a relaxed atmosphere over great (we hope) food. Most of the Eco-experiences also include a 1½ hour session on Saturday morning which provides additional information and/or hands-on opportunities.

Reserve your personal seminar when you make your room reservation at the Mercantile.Call (660)883-5522 for reservations. Click here for more information on the Milkweed Mercantile.

PLEASE NOTE: Milkweed Seminars are currently only available on Friday evenings/Saturday mornings. All Saturday sessions will end in time for the 1:00 tour of Dancing Rabbit. Availability is dependent upon (and limited to) the schedules of participating Rabbits. A minimum of two weeks notice is preferred.

So. What aspect of sustainability would you like to explore?

BASICS OF COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION (aka NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION)
With Meadoe Carleton

Friday dinner, and Saturday 9:30 – 11: 00 a.m.

To live closely in community, as we do here at Dancing Rabbit, most of us have had to learn more effective ways to communicate. We have found that the dynamic communication techniques of Nonviolent Communication offer practical and powerful skills which emphasize personal responsibility for our actions and the choices we make when we respond to others. You'll learn simple tools to defuse arguments and create compassionate connections with your family, friends, and other acquaintances, as well as how to contribute to relationships based in cooperation and collaboration, and can transform potential conflicts into peaceful dialogues.

$68 includes Friday dinner for you and your instructor, plus 1 ½ hours of discussion and/or instruction on Saturday morning.

LIVING OFF GRID/RENEWABLE ENERGY 
With Ted Sterling
Friday dinner, and Saturday 9:30 – 11: 00 a.m.

Depending upon your interests, you may explore:

• Conservation is step one; evaluating and minimizing consumption.
• Meeting your energy needs by living in a way that is appropriate to place and using what is most abundant.
• Low/no power options: Passive solar. Gravity-fed water. Solar ovens. Root cellars.
• Power production: solar, wind, hydro, biomass, etc. Ecological costs of
  power production and consumption.
• Battery/storage Systems. Distribution, off-grid tech. Portable power.
  Scale: Choosing system voltage and parameters to meet planned needs.
  Grid-tie vs. off-grid.
• Off-grid water- collection, storage, management.

$68 includes Friday dinner for you and your instructor, plus 1 ½ hours of discussion and/or instruction on Saturday morning.

RAISING CHICKENS, DUCKS AND GOATS
With Mae Ferber

Friday dinner, and EARLY Saturday a.m.

Some of the most popular creatures at Dancing Rabbit aren’t people at all – they’re the chickens, ducks and goats being raised by the Critter Collective. Over dinner with Mae you can expect to learn about small scale layer flock management (think chickens and ducks) and/or small ruminant management (think goats and sheep). Depth and detail is up to you, depending upon your level of interest.

Then, Saturday morning, join Mae as she makes her morning rounds; milking, feeding everyone, gathering eggs and making sure all is right in the animal world.

Possible Poultry topics:

• chickens in the city
• starting off with day old chicks
• predator proof housing
• alternative feeding ideas
• heritage breeds 

Possible Ruminant topics:

• predator control
• fencing
• pasture and brush management
• breeding/milking
• seasonal differences in care 

$68 includes Friday dinner for you and your instructor, plus 1 ½ hours of discussion and/or instruction on Saturday morning

NATURAL BUILDING PRACTICUM

With Hassan Hall

Friday dinner, and Saturday 9:30 – 11: 00 a.m.

Natural buildings are both user-friendly and beautiful! Join one of our builders for some conversation and a little hands-on experience. Over dinner you'll discuss both theory and practice of different phases of construction. On Saturday morning, you’ll take a deeper look at some of the building techniques used here at Dancing Rabbit, and, weather permitting, you’ll get some time getting your hands dirty. We cannot guarantee that the technique you’re most interested in will be available (cob, strawbale, natural plaster, earth bags) but we can guarantee some good conversation, a chance to have questions answered and the opportunity to work up a good sweat!

$68 includes Friday dinner for you and your instructor, plus 1 ½ hours of discussion and/or instruction on Saturday morning

BRINGING "SUSTAINABILITY" HOME WITH YOU: LIFESTYLE CHOICES AND CHANGES 
With Sharon Bagatelle or Dennis Hoffarth

Friday dinner and Saturday 9:30 – 11: 00 a.m.

Transform your home and yard into a fun and practical part of a more ecological world!
This workshop focuses on how to meet your own food, water and energy needs at the very local level -- your own home and/or neighborhood. We’ll look at some of the “big ideas” in sustainable living -- what does “sustainable” mean, reducing resource consumption, reusing resources, using renewable and local resources – and apply them to real life changes in lifestyle. You can choose to explore one of the areas – food, water, or energy – and we’ll guide you through potential actions you can take at home, with lots of supportive resources. Depending on the chosen topic, the workshop may also include short hands-on demonstrations or projects.

$68 includes Friday dinner for you and your instructor, plus 1 ½ hours of discussion and/or instruction on Saturday morning,

INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE WORKSHOP
With Sharon Bagatelle or Dennis Hoffarth

Friday dinner and Saturday 9:30 – 11: 00 a.m.

The workshop will cover:
1) What is Permaculture?
2) Some Permaculture design principles
3) Applying the principles: creating integrated home systems to meet shelter, energy, food, and water
needs as locally, sustainably, and economically as possible
4) A “wild design” – using an example from a participant’s home, we’ll do a quick visionary retrofit
design.

$68 includes Friday dinner for you and your instructor, plus 1 ½ hours of discussion and/or instruction on Saturday morning.

COOKING WITH RENEWABLE ENERGY
With Dan Durica

Friday dinner, and Saturday 9:30 – 11: 00 a.m.

Learn to reduce your dependence on fossil fuel by using alternative cooking methods used by many members of Dancing Rabbit. Included are solar ovens, pressure cookers, hotboxes, wood stoves and electric induction cooktops. Other topics covered are grilling with wood, eating raw and eating local. Surprisingly easy, and always delicious!

$68 includes Friday dinner for you and your instructor, plus 1 ½ hours of discussion and/or instruction on Saturday morning.

GREEN AND ALTERNATIVE CONSTRUCTION
With Tony “Bear” Barrett

Friday dinner, and Saturday 9:30 – 11: 00 a.m.

Dancing Rabbit is the home to many alternative buildings, and we’ve learned a lot over the years. Are you curious about what exactly is “green” construction? How about the difference between “alternative” and conventional construction? Join one of DR’s builders to discuss and examine these and other construction ideas. Depending on your interest, also covered will be:

• How most conventional buildings are put together
• Principles of quality design (passive solar, super-insulation, thermal mass, etc.)
• Basics of building science (thermal bridging, movement of moisture, etc.)
• The balance between air-tightness and ventilation
• Considering the ecological footprint of materials
• Overview of certification programs (passivehaus, LEED,Living Building Challange)
• Tour of buildings (specific to how they relate to this discussion).

$68 includes Friday dinner for you and your instructor, plus 1 ½ hours of discussion and/or instruction on Saturday morning.

  

THE BEAUTY OF HERBAL REMEDIES
With Sara Peters

Friday dinner, and Saturday 9:30 – 11: 00 a.m.

 Explore the culture, harvesting, and manufacture of herbs and herbal products for home use. Contents of workshop will vary depending upon your interests, Sara’s skills and knowledge, and the availability of herbs and other materials.
Possible topics include:

• Sara’s background in working with herbal medicines.
• Introduction to wellness and healing through herbs, including cautions.
• Culture of herbs - wild harvesting, growing and harvesting your own, essential oils, purchasing from reputable sources
• Common herbal remedies and their uses
• Processing herbs and making herbal preparations - including making teas, tinctures, healing oils and salves
• An herbal preparation project to take home
• Resource recommendations for further study 

$68 includes Friday dinner for you and your instructor, plus 1 ½ hours of discussion and/or instruction on Saturday morning

GREENING YOUR BUSINESS or STARTING A GREEN BUSINESS
With Alline Anderson

Friday dinner, and Saturday 9:30 – 11: 00 a.m.

Are you a business owner looking to make your business more sustainable, green and socially responsible? Perhaps you’re looking to start a business and would like to bounce your ideas off someone? Alline is the co-owner of and visionary behind the Milkweed Mercantile. Her 30 years of retail and customer service experience, ranging from department stores to Clif Bar to the Sierra Club, combined with her 15 years of exploring green living at Dancing Rabbit, gives her a unique perspective on earning a living in a way that supports rather than harms our planet.

$68 includes Friday dinner for you and your instructor, plus 1 ½ hours of discussion and/or instruction on Saturday morning

BAKE THE BEST BISCUITS AND COOKIES, EVER! 
(aka the secrets that make baking EASY!)
With Alline Anderson

Friday dinner, and Saturday 9:30 – 11: 00 a.m.

Are your biscuits flatter than the proverbial pancake? Are your cookies like rocks, your cakes like doorstops? Is your kitchen legacy "let's call for take-out, kids"? It may be time to join Alline, owner of the Mercantile and baking fanatic, for an hour and a half that will change your life. Learn the secrets that only come by years of trial and error (and lots of really bad baking!) in a friendly, hands-on, encouraging atmosphere. Best yet - you get to eat what you've learned, and you'll go home with some of Alline's best recipes.

$68 includes Friday dinner for you and your instructor, plus 1 ½ hours of discussion and/or instruction on Saturday morning

TO REGISTER FOR ANY SEMINAR: When you make your room reservation please let us know which seminar you would like to take part in. You can reach us at (660) 883-5522.