Warning: Some posts may cause drastic changes in your lawn,
excessive seed buying, frenzied bouts of planting and the overwhelming
desire for hand-cranked goods. We are not responsible for family and friends
possibly labeling you as a "nut".
— "disclaimer" at bottom of the page;
"Little Homestead in the City," the blog of Path To Freedom™
"The original modern urban homestead."
Those new to urban homesteading start by growing their own food (organically,
of course) on a city
lot. Some urban homesteaders produce fifty per cent (50%) or more of their
diet on a lot as small as a half acre. Urban homesteaders tend to be good conservationists,
exploiting alternative energy sources such as wind,
solar energy, bio-fuels and even potentially hydroelectric. They economize
by composting waste and re-purposing and re-using goods. Typically, an urban
homesteader will can or otherwise preserve their harvest so
they can enjoy it throughout the seasons. Where legal, urban homesteaders raise
bees and farm animals; chickens, goats, pigs and the like. Finally, urban homesteaders
tend to make the home the center of their universe; working in home-based
businesses and often home-schooling their children.
For many urban homesteading is a goal; they do the best they can to be as
independent as possible and conserve as many resources as possible. However, for
some, urban homesteading is what life is all about every hour of every day.
Meet the Dervaes Family of Pasadena, California
Jules Dervaes is founder and director of Path To Freedom, a non-profit
organization dedicated to advancing urban homesteading. He lives with his son,
Justin Dervaes (described on a website as "addicted to plants"); and
daughters Anais (her Facebook page describes her as a "Urban Homesteader &
21st century Laura Ingalls wannabe") and Jordanne
(described on a website as "Jane Austen meets html"). Together, they operate
what appears to be about eight or so websites in some way connected with urban
homesteading. The family's website FAQ page reveals that Jules Dervaes divorced
his wife and that's why she's not in the picture. The site says that Justin,
Anais and Jordanne still see their mother regularly, and that she even fills in
when office work in the family business becomes overwhelming.
The family's story is colorful and certainly not mainstream. Everything
centers around their tiny yet very productive family homestead in California,
located on less than an acre in a low-income neighborhood in Pasadena. On a 1/5
acre lot, there's a 1500 square foot residence; the rest (about 3900 square
feet) is an organic garden/farmyard which has produced up to three tons of fruit
and vegetables in a year. They also keep goats, ducks and chickens.
The Dervaes family submits that there are ten steps toward becoming a true
urban homesteader (re-printed from www.urbanhomestead.org):
1. Grow your own FOOD on your city lot.
More than 50% of diet, organically, on an urban lot (approx. less than half
an acre*) with visually appealing landscaping. *Depends on square footage of
house, location, and climate zone.
2. Use alternative ENERGY sources.
E.g., solar, wind, in conjunction with energy efficiency and conservation
measures to reduce usage.
3. Use alternative FUELS & TRANSPORTATION.
E.g., bio-fuels and/or alternative methods of transportation (bicycle, walk,
public).
4. Keep farm ANIMALS for manure and food.
Practice animal husbandry.
5. Practice WASTE REDUCTION.
Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without, compost it, re-purpose it.
6. Reclaim GREYWATER and collect RAINWATER.
Practice water conservation and recovery.
7. Live SIMPLY.
…in the manner of past eras. Develop back-to-basics homemaking skills,
including food preservation and preparation.
8. Do the work YOURSELF.
Learn to do home and vehicle maintenance, repairs and basic construction.
9. Work at HOME.
Earn a living from the land or hand work done at home. Develop a homebased
economy.
10. Be a good NEIGHBOR.
Be conscious and considerate of your surroundings – ask yourself, “Would I
want to live next to me?” Offer a helping hand for free. Urban homesteading is a
community-based way of life, not a business opportunity. Be a neighbor, not a
business person.
The Dervaes's submit, in part, that "Path to Freedom is a noncommercial,
family-operated venture. We devote countless hours to this site, and, despite
the opportunity for profit, we remain committed to keeping it an
advertisement-free forum." The non-profit, ad-free website, however, links not
only to the Peddlar's Wagon merchandise site, but also to Freedom
Seeds.org (a marketer of organically-grown, environmentally-compatible,
non-genetically-altered seeds) and to Der Vaes Gardens (yes, the spelling is different, ostensibly to capitalize on Mr. Dervaes's family history in the Belgian flower industry)
("since 1995" a marketer of organically-grown produce and edible flowers to
restaurants, caterers and the public).
The Der Vaes Gardens website states that they tithe ten per cent of their
product.
Surfing through their blog, one gets the feeling this is kinda like a Martha
Stewart of urban homesteading. Boy, are these folks busy. But urban
homesteading is hard work. Maintaining eight websites is time-consuming, hard
work. Beside doing all that, they appear regularly at conservation/environmental
shows and fairs, and have appeared on network television. And a blog is a
regular (sometimes daily) commitment of time.
And what a blog it is. For example, click on an article about greywater (home
wastewater from washing and laundry; not from toilets, kitchen sink or
disposal) and you find an explanation of how to use greywater for irrigation,
how to handle greywater, and a discussion of the California laws governing the
need of permits to install greywater irrigation systems. Other blog posts are
listed under the "resources" heading. Then, finally, there's a "Products"
heading, which, in this case conveniently opens a window displaying a "toilet
lid sink" that enables one to wash one's hands and have the drainage go into the
toilet tank. Half of the flush-water is routed up to the spigot of the sink for
hand-washing. It's cold water, only.
The product description doesn't tell you how many gallons of water you'll
save a year by using the device. It's $89.00 plus shipping and handling. (If
you're in Canada, they explain, shipping and handling of this item is an
additional $40.00.) However rest assured that, according to the site, "Portion
of each sale goes to the Natural Resources Defense Council for the protection of
our nation’s water resources." Just for thoroughness' sake, I looked up the
Natural Resources Defense Council. They're quite an organization with powerful
spokespeople and a significant national profile. They also post this on their
website, under "NDRC: Donating the Proceeds of Sales or Events:"
DISCLAIMER
As we do not have the staff resources to review each business and
vendor that contacts us about donations, we cannot allow any business or
individual to imply a formal affiliation with NRDC. Our Board of Directors
requests that you include the following disclaimer on any web page, printed
material or email message that mentions "Natural Resources Defense Council"
or "NRDC" as the recipient of proceeds from sales or events:
" {Insert name} is not affiliated in any manner with the
Natural Resources Defense Council or any of its programs, projects or
websites."
Oops. I'm sure it was an oversight but the Dervaes family plum forgot
to add the required disclaimer. Well, it's alright. They're good people.
God-fearing people. Let me explain.
While I was looking all over the page for the required NDRC disclaimer, I did
come across an interesting admonition: "A day of rest, a Sabbath request. We ask
that wherever you may live to refrain from purchasing from this website between
Friday sunset and Saturday sunset." Wow. If you read that, you're assured that
these are some good, religious folks here. Wouldn't it make more sense for them
just to shut the thing down for the Sabbath? I clicked on the associated
link for more information. A page comes up entitled "Our Sabbath" that discusses
the virtues of not working, not consuming, but being reflective and spending
time with family. They cite the Hebrew tradition of Sabbath-keeping, as well as
Genesis 2:1-3.
A silly scene just popped into my sick little head. Fancy a troll, lurking about the internet, who
comes across that request. Do you think he/she would buy something out of spite; do you think
someone would actually spend money to offend these folks? Can you see someone whose heart's filled with
hatred and whose funds are unlimited just going to town, say, at 11:00 on Friday night buying
environmentally-friendly stuff? Stranger things have happened.
An Earth-Care Ministry
Click on the "our non-profit status" tab on any of their webpages and you're
directed to a page entitled "Our Outreach," which discusses everything they do
(and also provides contact information for filming and interviews). The
website's FAQ page directs one to the page where they ask for the money.
Therein you can find the disclaimer (their typos): "Dervaes Institute,
established in 2006, is an earth-care ministry and a California\r\nCorporation
Sole under California Corporations Code Section 10000-10015\r\nand is tax exempt
under IRS Code § 508(c)(1)(A)."
A Kinder, Gentler Urban Homesteader
I've always been uneasy with the moniker "urban homestead." It's the
title of our book (what else could we have called it?), but it' not really
accurate. The activities we describe are also practiced by suburbanites and
people in rural places. And "homestead" is not technically accurate--all the
readers of our book, I'm fairly certain, either own or rent their property.
— Erik Knutzen and Kelly Coyne, in their blog Homegrown
Evolution
On the other side of the intensity spectrum are the duo of Erik Knutzen and
Kelly Coyne. Their blog, Homegrown Evolution, is written very matter-of-factly,
with the occasional self-deprecating humor. They chronicle their failures as
well as their successes. They wear their passion like comfortable clothes.
They've written a book, "The Urban Homestead" (2008, Process Media, CA) which
was favorably reviewed by none other than The New York Times ("Home
economics as our great-grandparents knew it" bleated the Times reviewer.)
More than anything else, Ms. Coyne and Mr. Knutzen write not about their own
achievements, but the achievements of other kindred spirits. They're all about
resources for the beginning urban homeasteader. This couple knows, seemingly,
everybody who's anybody (nearly) in the Urban Homestead biz. They list dozens of
blogs and websites authored by their colleagues in the side-bar of their own
blog. Nearly every one of their blog posts lists at least one individual or
group involved in urban homesteading.
What they don't make mention of is anything to do with the
Dervaes family nor any of the Dervaes family's enterprises.
Yardstead.com
The folks over at yardstead.com, Jason and Kathleen, do feature one blog
post about the Dervaes family. The title of the post is "The Dervaes Family:
Inspiration to the Yardstead." Inspiration! Now that's more like it.
The rest of yardstead.com is an organization of how-to articles quite similar
to ones that you'd find on any of the other sites mentioned here. Step-by-step
instructions for the novice farmer helping one avoid common mistakes. The blog
is obviously supported by Google ads. It's possible that the manufacturers of
some of the products the blog highlights have paid a premium to be featured,
too.
Learn How
So you wanna become an urban homesteader? You can actually go to urban
homesteading "college" at the Institute of Urban Homesteading in Oakland,
California, USA. Founded by K. Ruby Blume, the school offers a diverse
curriculum covering all aspects of becoming independent of conventional means of
sourcing food, energy, even home repairs.
To read Ms. Blume's biography is to get an idea of the progressive,
enlightened, jack-of-all-trades kind of person who's passionate about urban
homesteading: (from the Institute of Urban Homesteading's website)
K.Ruby Blume is an educator, gardener, beekeeper, artist, performer
and activist, with 20+ years experience gardening in an urban setting. She
has studied everything from permaculture to organ massage and has taught
herself cooking, canning and fermentation techniques, as well as how to set
tile, install a sink, do electrical wiring, tend a beehive and repair a
motorcycle. She has experience with a multitude of art media including
ceramic, mosaic, glass, textile, printmaking, puppetry, collage, assemblage,
costume design and photography. Ruby is known for her work as founder and
artistic director of the non - profit arts group, Wise Fool Puppet
Intervention, and has performed and exhibited her work throughout the Bay
Area and beyond since the mid-80s. The product of three generations of
teachers, Ruby's experience as an educator extends back thirty years. She
has taught music, art, puppetry, design, theatre, gardening, beekeeping,
stiltwalking and more to people ages five to ninety-five. Ruby has studied
and taught body-based healing, massage and sexuality. She holds certificates
in massage and somatic sexology and continues to practice and teach both in
the Bay Area and Germany.
Wow! She can tend a beehive, repair a motorcycle, teach you to stiltwalk,
and help you in the bedroom, to boot! Hereinabove I called Jules
Dervaes the Martha Stewart of urban homesteading... maybe this woman's
better-suited to that title. Ms. Blume's website gives you further clues into
what makes this woman tick. Among her interests are Mead-making,
motorcycles, and support for everyone from sex workers to radical peace efforts. She identifies her politics
as "anarchist."
Interestingly enough, the biographies of all of Ms. Blume's faculty are
similar in that they describe people whose interests are diverse yet include a
focus in things to do with conservation, farming, and home-based living.
Classes are segmented into five categories: Garden; Animal Husbandry;
Kitchen; Water, Power & Building; and Health & Beauty. Additional offerings are
made on a "Special Events" basis. Course costs are on a sliding scale and
average between $20-$40 and $75-100 (for a butchering course which includes
supplies). A course called "Backyard Chickens" was so filled up ($30-$50) that
they had to add an additional date!
Are You An Urban Homesteader?
I, for one, get tired just looking at the pictures on these websites of long,
neatly organized rows of healthy plants burgeoning with ripe produce. It's an
enormous amount of work to "grow your own" in any sufficient quantity to start
seriously avoiding trips to the grocery store. My fear, too is that my lack of a
green thumb, when translated into the animal husbandry skills that one needs to
become an urban homesteader, would result in a barnyard full of dead poultry.
It's a fact that I'm all for communal living as a
way to conserve both resources and money. I can dream about our little commune
being surrounded by organic gardens, greenhouses and a little barnyard where
chickens make noise, ducks quack and goats... er, goats make whatever kind of
noises goats do. Perhaps the efforts of the fine advocates for urban homesteads
above have jogged me into action, subliminally.
What we can learn from urban homesteaders is that there is a better
way to live. Maybe these methods are considered old-fashioned in our
microwave-ready, drive-thru, cell-phone world. But I ask you, have you ever
eaten a few ears of fresh corn and a beefsteak tomato off of the vine, by
candle-light? I have, once, years ago. It's glorious, just glorious.
SOURCES:
Website
of the Dervaes family in Pasadena, California, USA
another
website of the Dervaes family
Website
of "Ellen," from the San Francisco Bay area, California, USA
website
of Erik Knutzen and Kelly Coyne which explores urban gardening, farming,
do-it-yourself, and other topics related to urban homesteading
Commercial
website dedicated to urban homesteading/farming issues and products
Website
of the Institute of Urban Homesteading in Oakland, California, USA
Website
of K. Ruby Blume, Founder of the IUH