Radical Homemaking | Creating Community
It's Monday! Time for our weekly installment of Radical Homemaking. Interested in learning more about what that means, check out THIS post and THIS post.
A quick re-cap for those of you who are new readers. I am in the process of transitioning our home life from one that is mostly centered around consuming (water, electricity, groceries, technology, services, etc.) to one that centers around creating and producing. I am inspired by the idea that we don’t have to rely on nameless, faceless corporations to feed, clothe, shelter and entertain us while they treat their employees poorly and poison the environment. So yes, less spending and more making. This involves, but is not limited to vegetable gardening, composting, back yard chickens, debt reduction, home cooking and DIY home improvement. We are doing this mostly for economic, health and environmental reasons, but it's also a ton of fun!
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| Art by Phoebe Wahl |
One of the key ingredients to being a successful radical homemaker is to nourish a community whose goals are aligned with yours. As you can imagine, this is one of the more difficult aspects of radical homemaking. I live in Dallas, TX where everyone has their own big house and their own big car and their own big freeway lane and there isn't much room for deep community interaction. But this doesn't mean that its impossible. I have already found a slew of neighbors with backyard gardens, laundry lines, bread in the oven and chickens in the corner of the yard.
In an effort to widen this community, to reach out and create a forum for radical homemakers in the Dallas / Fort Worth Area, I've started a Facebook group: Radical Homemakers of DFW. This is a place where Dallas Area men and women can connect with other families on the same path. Urban farmers and rural homesteaders alike can share resources and radical homemaking tips. We can pose questions and find answers together. Who knows, we might even start a co-op, host farm tours, attend local homesteading classes. The first step, though, is to find each other.
So please, if you are in the DFW area and interested in being a part of this group, please join. Whether you're casting around for information on how to begin or you're a seasoned off-the-grid homesteader. We want to hear from you!
New Facebook Group:
Shannon Hayes, author of Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture, has a wonderful map on her blog with a national list of similar online communities. If you see one in your area, by all means join and participate HERE.
Interested in starting a group in your own neck of the woods? Please contact Shannon and she will post your new group on the map at her website. Once you're on the map, other like minded folks can find you! Once you have at least five members, Shannon will send you a welcome kit that includes her books to use as giveaways! She will also put you on the promotional list for copies of any future releases. How cool is that? Free books from Shannon Hayes as long as your group remains active! Finding your tribe will take some time, but it will be well worth the effort!
