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
With Mae Ferber
Friday dinner, and EARLY
Saturday a.m.
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
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.
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
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.With Sara Peters
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
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
(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.
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.
Posts
