The Urban Homesteading Controversy

Baby chicks at the home of Robyn Morton, associate director

Do you have a small “homestead” in the city, or maybe have friends who live a rural-style sustainable life inside the city limits? These have been called “urban homesteads” in the past, and were popularized by such magazines as Mother Earth News and Natural Living. Urban homesteading is a lifestyle which incorporates as much of the rural “homestead” values as possible into an urban setting. Urban homesteaders endeavor to use their land in productive ways, typically through extensive gardening and small-scale animal husbandry. Efforts are often made to minimize the amount of energy used in the home, or by creating systems which will generate their own energy rather than drawing off of the grid. But unlike rural homesteading, urban homesteading takes advantage of the community aspects of urban life. Minimizing driving and oil use are common cornerstones of an urban homestead, as well as building strong connections with neighbors, often including sharing homestead activities in order to maximize the productivity of the available land. The goal of urban homesteading is never full self-sufficiency, but a revaluing of the home as the foundation of living a sustainable life.

In the past few years, urban homesteading has taken off, with more and more people exploring new ways of increasing their home’s and neighborhood’s self-reliance within city limits, and creating self-described “urban homesteads”. But if the Dervaes family, and their incorporated entity “The Dervaes Institute” has their way, we’ll all need to find a new term for it, because in 2010 the family registered a trademark for the terms “urban homestead” and “urban homesteading”. Recently, the family has sent out 16 “cease and desist” letters to various people and organizations, including KCRW-FM 89.9, the Denver Urban Homestead association, the Institute of Urban Homesteading, and Google, to name a few. Some of these organizations had their Facebook pages removed without notice, leaving them with no way to contact their participants. Two letter recipients, Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen, are authors of the book “The Urban Homestead: your guide to self-sufficient living in the heart of the city.” This book was published in 2008, two years before the trademark was granted, but that did not stop the Dervaes family from requesting that they cease their use of this term.

The story was originally broken by Gustavo Arellano from OCWeekly, and has spawned a Facebook page “Take Back Urban Home-steading(s)” which has over 5,000 fans (and counting). Adam Parfrey, from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is preparing a legal challenge to the trademark. Said Corynne McSherry, the EFF intellectual property director: "The Dervaes Institute should recognize that this is one community that will not be intimidated, cease its heavy-handed tactics, and take steps to repair the damage it has caused." To read the full legal challenge, click HERE, and watch our Facebook site for updates on this continuing story.

UPDATE 2/28/2011: The Dervaes family has not backed down, and continues to send out cease and desist letters to people who use the phrase ‘urban homesteading’.

Alpacas have cabin fever

So the alpacas got out of the barn this afternoon, but with the grass covered with ice and snow it was almost like you could see them thinking, "now what?"

They enjoy nibbling on the grass, but with all these Midwest snow and ice storms lately the days when they could find the grass have been few and far between.

Hang in there! The weekend weather forecast calls for warmer temps.

Community Supported Agriculture shares now available

With all this snow and ice it might be fun to think about garden fresh produce for a moment.

We are now accepting registrations for our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Forty shares are available for the 2011 growing season.

Enjoy a variety of seasonal fruits, vegetables, and herbs each week — enough to feed a small family, or a couple of veggie-loving adults.

The cost for a full share is on a sliding scale of $450-$650 for 20 weeks. (This is the equivalent of $22 each week.) Half shares are on a sliding scale of $225-$425. Payment options are available

The program will begin in late May and run through September 2011.

Shareholders can pick up their produce on Wednesday afternoons at White Violet Center for Eco-Justice or at our centrally-located pick-up site at 113 S. 19th St., Terre Haute. Half shares are picked up every other week.

The registration deadline is March 28, but don't wait until then to ensure your spot.

For more information, contact Candace Minster at cminster@spsmw.org or 812-535-2933.

To register, share your name, address, phone number and e-mail address with Candace by phone or e-mail.

Please join us for an information meeting in Room A in the lower level of the Vigo County Public Library 6-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15.