ReThink Red Deer

Urban Homesteading

(from the Dervaes family website)

One family has gone off the grid but hasn't moved anywhere. In fact, they live on a city lot -- a model of self-sustaining ingenuity.

In the mid-1980s, The Dervaes family set out to do the seemingly impossible: To create what they dubbed an "urban homestead" and live a self-sufficient, low-impact life in the heart of the city. For years they worked steadily to transform their ordinary urban lot in Pasadena, California, into an organic permaculture garden that supplies them with food year-round.

Having found food security in their own backyard, they were emboldened to take further steps. They began powering their home with alternative energies and fueling their car with home-brewed bio-diesel. Along with new technologies, they also embraced the simple living of past generations. They kept farm animals for egg production and manure, used secondhand goods to decrease their consumption of earth’s nonrenewable resources, and taught themselves a variety of back-to-basics skills. Through much hard work, and no small amount of blessing, their "urban homestead" now enjoys a dramatic degree of independence, with ever-decreasing environmental impact.

The journey is ongoing—and they are by no means finished—but they are grateful to have come this far. In 2001, they named their homegrown venture “Path to Freedom” and created a website  www.PathtoFreedom.com —the first ever devoted to urban homesteading. They hoped that by documenting their personal experiences they could offer encouragement to those striving to live a simpler, more self-sufficient lifestyle. Eight years later, PathtoFreedom.com is now the largest and most comprehensive urban homesteading website, with more than five million hits per month. They believe that their family’s real-life experience is what makes the site unique: They aren''t just writing about the latest eco-practices and products; for more than two decades, they have been living the revolution. At their daily blog, "Little Homestead in the City," you can witness first-hand their struggles and joys, defeats and successes on this pioneering journey.

Whatever you may gain by reading about their journey, please remember to “pay it forward” to others in some fashion. Together, we can ignite a revolution of spirit that will truly change our world for the better!

 
For more info watch this video:

RADIO - Canadian Broadcasting Centre | Dervaes Family of Path to Freedom Urban Homestead:

www.youtube.com/watch

Radio audio set to photos from the Dervaes Family Urban Homestead. Radio interview by Jennifer Westaway of CBC Radio (Photos added for visual interest by Path to Freedom)

Photos copyright: www.pathtofreedom.com

Posted in Gardening & Food Supply by: renemichalak 2009/10/12 2 Comments