Dandelion Commons: An Ecovillage for Northwest Arkansas

Almost four years ago myself, my partner, two friends, two dogs, and a cat moved from south Mississippi to Northwest Arkansas with a shared dream - to create an ecovillage community to be a haven for queer and neurodiverse folks like us. While the journey to this point has been difficult, we remain dedicated to making our dream a reality.

Currently, we are exiting the first stage of stabilization and entering the second stage: growth. In this stage, we will focus on three areas of growth: our savings, which we need to buy land; our community, which is the foundation of the ecovillage; and ourselves. While it is tremendously exciting, growth is uncomfortable and even painful at times.

You may be wondering why it has taken almost four years to move from stabilization to growth. During that time, our tiny village has faced and overcome numerous challenges. We have taken on additional education and community leadership while navigating mental, physical, and financial hardships.

As we grow, we will accomplish several goals that are necessary for establishing the ecovillage:

• We will meet our initial savings goal of $50,000 as a down payment for land.
• We will hire a lawyer to review and finalize our community by-laws.
• We will apply as an Agricultural Cooperative Corporation in Arkansas.
• We will hire an interior designer and architect to draw up official plans for our community building design.
• We will grow our community to 8-10 founding members.

If you are interested in joining us as we grow, stick around for updates on our progress.