Profiled in the new book, Renewing the Countryside: Youth, this new generation is making their mark on rural areas, from starting new farms to putting out their own entrepreneurial shingle in small towns. Renewing the Countryside: Youth showcases fifty case study stories, one from each state in the United States, cooking up a super-size serving of inspiration for what can be done in similar communities throughout rural America.

Renewing the Country (RTC), a Minnesota-based non-profit organization, specializes in championing such stories, telling the story of the small-scale but big impact individuals and organizations that are creatively crafting livelihoods that positively impact their rural communities. While other RTC books focus on stories within specific states such as Wisconsin, this latest book project, published in partnership with the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), uniquely celebrates rural youth.

In addition to the case study stories themselves, the engaging writing and photography also came from a team young artists across the nation. But beyond the inspiring read, this book serves as a starter blueprint for others looking to either return to or plant new roots in rural America, no matter one’s age.  Looking at these case study stories collectively, five themes emerge that identify why this particular group of young people are succeeding in the countryside:

Read more of this story »

The following ecopreneur profile, drawn from my ECOpreneuring book, is an example of how some of the most successful ecopreneurs follow their passions, not the profits, while navigating their often diversified enterprises that thrive with a triple bottom line.

Books, bikes, canoes. Publishing, tourism, outdoor recreation. Family, friends and fun. Like nature’s diversified geography providing the Missouri River backdrop for the scenic town of Rocheport, Brett and Tawnee Dufur’s ecopreneurial life reflects the strength in diversity. Despite the sleepy town with a population a dash over 200, 15 minutes outside of Columbia, Missouri, the thirtysomething husband-and-wife team has created a laboratory of innovative, ecopreneurial ventures that keep life and livelihood blended and blooming, locally focused, yet reaching audiences and customers well beyond the river’s touch.

Brett’s first venture started in 1995, when he wrote and self-published the first guidebook for the Katy Trail, the longest rails-to-trails project in the United States, 225 miles along the meandering and mighty Missouri River. It remains a best-seller to this day. “What I discovered is that people are hungry for the opportunity to connect with a sense of place, and that’s what this guidebook is all about,” explains Brett.

Read more of this story »

It seems strange to think that we could lose knowledge, especially in today’s world of information on demand, but if you think about it, certain skills and know how are hard to come by.

At the end of 2008, over one half of the world’s population lived in urban areas. Urban lifestyles come with their own characteristics and culture and so do rural lifestyles. Urban populations don’t have ready access to many of the experiences as rural populations do. General knowledge of where our food comes from for example, the simple act of gardening, knowing the planting seasons, identifying plants and knowing when to harvest; having the understanding of why bees are important, is not something that city dwellers grow up experiencing and knowing.

Based on this, I consider myself very luck to have grown up in a semi-rural area. I was close enough to a city but within easy distance to farms, lakes and rural towns. I learned many things because of this, both craft related and non-craft related and continue to acquire various tactile knowledge (err tacit, but I like tactile better) and I hope to never stop.

Read more of this story »

As co-founder of Renewing the Countryside, Joannides created a means to showcase positive examples of rural revitalization while simultaneously serving as an inspiring example of how one’s purpose and life can passionately blend.

As I write about in the Ecopreneur Profile found in ECOpreneuring, the seed for Renewing the Countryside stemmed from Jan’s master’s thesis work in the late 1990s profiling vibrant, diversified Minnesota farms and ranches. “As I interviewed these folks, I became so deeply inspired by their story and commitment to their family farms that I wanted to get these narratives out to the public, since the media often focus just on the negative decline of rural America,” explains Jan. Inspired by a similar venture in the Netherlands, she tapped into grant funding to publish Renewing the Countryside: Minnesota in 2001, showcasing 44 profiles of successful rural enterprises.

The enthusiastic response to this book led Jan, in partnership with her husband, Brett Olson, to found Renewing the Countryside as a non-profit organization in 2002. Its mission is to strengthen rural areas by championing and supporting rural communities, farmers, artists, entrepreneurs, educators, activists and other people who are renewing the countryside through sustainable and innovative businesses, initiatives and projects. “After all,” she says, “rural America is abundant with prospering enterprises as diverse as colors in the rainbow.” Brett leads the creative side of the organization, developing innovative public education strategies and campaigns.  It’s through our work on the Rural Renaissance book that my wife and I discovered this innovative non-profit organization, an organization that had its pulse on the revitalization happening in rural areas and the net migrations afoot from urban and suburban areas back to rural areas.

Read more of this story »

Mopane worms are the caterpillar stage of the Emperor Moth, Gonimbrasia belina, which feed almost exclusively on the mopane tree Colophospermum mopane. The mopane worm harvest in South Africa is estimated at $40 million a year, of which approximately 40 percent goes to producers who are primarily poor rural women. In addition to the income generated dried mopane worms can contribute significantly to rural household nutrition mainly through their 53.3 percent dry weight digestible protein content.

Read more of this story »

One of the inconveniences of having your car repaired when you live in the country is it is an all day event.  Stuck in town, there is nothing to do but shop and/or see a movie, but I didn’t want to do either of these things. I also didn’t want to drive the two and half hours home to test out the Prius, so I drove to Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and went for a seven mile hike.

The drive to Whiskeytown gave me a chance to see how the Prius would handle a little climb at high speeds. It had enough power not to get lapped by a log truck, but it didn’t have the same acceleration I was used to with my 4runner. I could live with that for the improved gas mileage; however, once I got off the highway, it was a different story.

Read more of this story »

Despite the fact that women living in poverty are the most threatened by the dangers that stem from global warming, they also key actors in ensuring their communities’ ability to cope with and adapt to climate change.

In general, women lives are more intimitately connected to the environment more than men. Oftentimes, men tend to be away in the cities while the women look after children and work on the land in rural areas.

Many women depend on the ecosystem for food, energy, water and medicine, the very ecosystem which is threatened by the specter of climate change.

Read more of this story »

Author’s Note: While I usually report on green building developments in the Pacific Northwest, today I am examining green building trends in my own geographic region, Southeast Ohio. The architect for the LEED project discussed below is my husband, Don Dispenza.

Nationwide, there are currently more than 12,000 building projects pursuing LEED certification. But in economically depressed regions, there are still only a handful. For example, in Southeast Ohio, defined as an eight-county region in the Appalachian foothills, there are only two registered projects on the USGBC website. In areas such as this, which have a minimal amount of new construction overall, increasing a project’s cost by building green is rarely considered.

An exception is the Chamberlain Office Building in Athens, Ohio. The building’s owner, Russell Chamberlain, is a local real estate agent whose desire to build green stems from his own personal value system, and also from the belief that that investing in LEED certification will differentiate his company as being a progressive one. The project is expected to achieve a LEED Silver rating.

Read more of this story »

Ever dreamed about quitting the nine-to-five routine, getting out of the city or suburbs, and moving to a little farm in the country to raise organic vegetables and chickens? Of course you have: most of us trying to live more sustainable lives while maintaining an otherwise conventional existence likely share some version of that dream. John Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist's Rural Renaissance: Renewing the Quest for the Good Life gives a reader a first-hand account of their efforts to live that dream, and shares the knowledge and wisdom they've gained while building both a business and a family in central Wisconsin.

I expected a "how to" book when I first started reading. What I found, to my surprise and delight, was much more eclectic and fascinating. There's a wealth of practical information on renewable energy systems, strawbale building, food preservation and water conservation, but all of that is wrapped in the compelling story of how this couple transitioned from full-fledged yuppiehood to country living with a light footprint.

While not a traditional, straightforward narrative, all of the "how to" sections of the book connect with John and Lisa's personal journey and transformation. A reader will not only learn about different kinds of solar and wind power systems that can be integrated into a rural homestead (or other residences), but also how the couple went about choosing the equipment they now use, how they financed it, and even how new friends such as "Super" Bob, and Phil and Judy, played integral roles in helping these homesteading newbies make the right choices and install their systems. In the spirit of these helpful neighbors and friends, John and Lisa share ample lists of organizations, web sites and books that can help others wanting to build a more sustainable lifestyle. In many cases, there are personal connections here, too: the couple has worked with many of the non-profits and government agencies, met and spent time with authors, and used this information in their own effort.

The book's title might lead a reader to believe that Rural Renaissance concerns the "rebirth" of rural communities that have fallen into economic and cultural decline in recent decades. That's certainly a part of the book, but the renaissance described in its pages is much more varied, nuanced and complex. John and Lisa themselves are "reborn" as they transform the farm into Inn Serendipity, their home and "funky" bed and breakfast. They experience the birth of their child Liam, and the forging new friendships with rural neighbors from a variety of backgrounds. The share fellowship and community with other rural residents, b&b guests, and fellow devotees of "right livelihood." And they discover a way of life that's bursting with connection: to the land and environment, to the people around them, and to each other.

I got a chance to meet and chat with John and Lisa before we opened for business on the first day of the Chicago GreenFest. After reading their book, I hope our paths cross again. They're created a lifestyle that's both enviable and inspiring — I hope they'll continue to share their stories with those of us still dreaming…

For more information on John and Lisa's activities, visit the Rural Renaissance website.