Dear friends,

While countless peer-reviewed articles can attest to the impact of our lifestyle on the well-being of residents and the environment, I want to share with you why I personally hope you will choose to give to Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage today.

As some of you may recall, my small family and I first landed in the tri-communities almost a year ago to the day. Like so many others before us who have visited Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, my life has been fundamentally altered in ways I never would have imagined.

Before coming here, I remember thinking that I wanted to live a life that was not as harmful to other people and that would not contribute to irreversible climate change for future generations. As the mother of a small child, I shuddered to think about the world my daughter would inherit due to the reckless actions of previous generations. I remember worrying about the increasingly troubling drought conditions in California’s Central Valley, a region which produces a large percentage of the produce most Americans consume on a day-to-day basis. As the daughter and granddaughter of farmworkers, I remember feeling that the systems we relied on were unsustainable and incredibly harmful to the most underprivileged among us.

I came to Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage last summer because I wanted to show my daughter that a different alternative was possible for humanity. Through the life I chose to live, I wanted her to know that we did not need to merely accept the status quo as a given, and subject ourselves to a life that we knew did not align with our vision for a sustainable and egalitarian world. I wanted my daughter to have the confidence and courage to live a life of integrity, compassion, and purpose. And I knew that in order for me to want that life for her, I had to model that lifestyle for her myself.

Nearly a year later, I have absolutely no regrets about moving here. Though our life in community is certainly not a walk in the park (as anyone who has ever lived in any community can testify to), I take comfort in knowing that all of the systems we rely on to sustain us are allowing us to live a low-carbon lifestyle. The water we drink is collected through a rainwater catchment system, all of our electrical needs are met through a solar array power grid, we are learning to grow more of what we eat, and we use a humanure compost system that doesn’t waste drinkable water.

Through these small changes in our everyday lives we are contributing to an entirely new human paradigm shift. I am incredibly proud of the fact that we are part of a growing movement of people who are trying to do better each day, both in how we treat our fellow human beings and how we interact with the natural environment. This is a movement worth supporting.

Everyday, each of us makes a choice about the impact we will have on the wider world. As Jane Goodall, the world’s most beloved primatologist, once stated, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

As you reflect on the impact you would like to have on the wider world today, I ask you to consider donating to Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage on this once-a-year Give STL Day. Through this small step, you can be part of our work towards creating a more humane and sustainable human culture!

Give today to ensure that we can continue to positively influence the fate of our planet and our future. Remember, you are our best partner in creating a vibrant, sustainable world for future generations. Your choices DO make a difference!

In community,