More to come for Duma
Duma Community
Duma Community is one of my favorite places in Eugene. If someone from out of town asked to see the most impressive permaculture sites in Eugene, Duma would be on the short list.
Duma is an intentional shared household of ten people who occupy a large home built in 1925 by the Eugene Bible University. For a time, it was a home for wayward girls and later, the place was divided into several apartments. Then, in 1990, the three story house was bought by eight idealistic people and transformed into what they described as a home for wayward adults.
From the start, the ideal was to have not only a cooperative household but shared ownership. The place was reworked into a ten bedroom house with a large kitchen, common spaces, a full basement with laundry and wood shop plus many other shared amenities.
Up to date, Duma has solar electric panels, a rain water storage system, safe place for bikes, hot tub and many other features. The outside landscape is one of Eugene's best examples of food forest planning with a wide range of unusual edible plants. The one time packed gravel parking area in the back yard is now a lush vegetable garden and the legendary villain quack grass has been eliminated.
Out front is a playful example of place making on private property but easily accessible to the public sidewalk. There is a large tree stump used as a table for passers by to play with the word blocks to write poetry. There is also a kissing booth encouraging those interested to stand within the artistic enclosure and kiss. There are several fotos on the structure that show acts of kissing, un censored, un ashamed.
The front of the house, the entire house is beautifully painted and maintained, situated in the midst of the edible landscape.
Inside, the décor is simple and warm. This is home for ten people who very much care about where they live and who they live with. The ideal is to deepen relations with others sharing the house and also to reduce eco footprints. Some meals are shared, residents buy basic food together.
Duma is a model for paradigm shift - sharing space and lives, reducing eco footprints. Priorities of time and money have created a wonderful home for its residents. Any group of people could adapt these ideals to a suburban home or even an apartment. Micro eco villages could build relations with each other and create even greater momentum for moving towards sustainability.
Duma Community
Duma Community is one of my favorite places in Eugene. If someone from out of town asked to see the most impressive permaculture sites in Eugene, Duma would be on the short list.
Duma is an intentional shared household of ten people who occupy a large home built in 1925 by the Eugene Bible University. For a time, it was a home for wayward girls and later, the place was divided into several apartments. Then, in 1990, the three story house was bought by eight idealistic people and transformed into what they described as a home for wayward adults.
From the start, the ideal was to have not only a cooperative household but shared ownership. The place was reworked into a ten bedroom house with a large kitchen, common spaces, a full basement with laundry and wood shop plus many other shared amenities.
Up to date, Duma has solar electric panels, a rain water storage system, safe place for bikes, hot tub and many other features. The outside landscape is one of Eugene's best examples of food forest planning with a wide range of unusual edible plants. The one time packed gravel parking area in the back yard is now a lush vegetable garden and the legendary villain quack grass has been eliminated.
Out front is a playful example of place making on private property but easily accessible to the public sidewalk. There is a large tree stump used as a table for passers by to play with the word blocks to write poetry. There is also a kissing booth encouraging those interested to stand within the artistic enclosure and kiss. There are several fotos on the structure that show acts of kissing, un censored, un ashamed.
The front of the house, the entire house is beautifully painted and maintained, situated in the midst of the edible landscape.
Inside, the décor is simple and warm. This is home for ten people who very much care about where they live and who they live with. The ideal is to deepen relations with others sharing the house and also to reduce eco footprints. Some meals are shared, residents buy basic food together.
Duma is a model for paradigm shift - sharing space and lives, reducing eco footprints. Priorities of time and money have created a wonderful home for its residents. Any group of people could adapt these ideals to a suburban home or even an apartment. Micro eco villages could build relations with each other and create even greater momentum for moving towards sustainability.
