Du•ma

Mission: The mission of Duma is to demonstrate a more sustainable and fulfilling way of living.

From www.ic.org/directory/du%e2%80%a2ma/:

Du•má is a close-knit group of seven to nine people living together in a beautiful old home on a quiet residential neighborhood in Eugene just south of the University of Oregon.

People of all ages have lived at Duma--from newborn to seniors. During the day people are typically at work or school and in the evening come together to enjoy vegetarian dinners. We share our living expenses (but not our incomes), nurture our relationships with one another, and share the joys and responsibilities of taking care of our large home.

We have a large lot with an impressive garden that includes fruit trees, berry vines, vegetables, flowers, and herbs. We also have solar panels, a sauna, hot tub, beehive, cob oven, and a chicken coop.

Du•má began as a vision of several people who lived together collectively in the late 1980s. They aspired to buy a home that could be a model of both sustainability and community. The first eight members began living together in 1990. Over the years dozens of people have lived at Du•má–-some for just a few months and others for many years.

One-by-one every room in the house was renovated, windows replaced, and wood floors re-finished. The gravel parking lot in back was removed and replaced with fruit tress, vegetables, and a deck.

Visitors often remark that we are neat, well organized, and accountable to one another. They notice the many little touches that make our home beautiful and notice that we usually get along well with each other. Visitors who share dinner with us comment on our scrumptious meals.

While the founders aspired to have everyone become a co-owner, the responsibility and stamina required to hold a collective vision, nurture community, and be a homeowner was more than most people were able to commit to. Over time, members of the core group moved on to other things and by 2009 only one member of the core group remained.

Du•má is now a unique private/collective hybrid with private ownership and shared day-to-day decisions about food, events, etc. With one owner there's a clear line of accountability, less work, and shorter meetings, but the trade-off is less group autonomy.

Visitors are welcome to stay on a night-by-night basis for up to 3 nights. Please contact us at least one week in advance to make arrangements.

From time to time we are looking for people to live with us. We have a strong preference for people who will live here for a year or more. If this arrangement appeals to you please be in touch.

A service of the Data Commons Co-op. The project has been supported by Equal Exchange, the Cooperative Charitable Trust, the USDA, and many others - thank you! Tech volunteers over the years include: Benjamin Bradley with support from GAIA Host. Ben Mauer with support from Quilted. Paul Fitzpatrick. Ronin Tech Collective, Brattleboro Tech Collective, Sligo Computer Services. Jason Lemieux. Default map tiles courtesy of MapQuest. Default map data (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA.