Jewel Creek farm creates Kickstarter project to fund DVDs
By Shara JJ Cooper
“You don’t have to smell like patchouli and have dreadlocks to be interested in this,” said Glaser laughing, as he explains his Kickstarter project and also the stigma that goes with natural living.
Glaser — who owns Jewel Creek Organic Farm with his family as well as Newsreel Productions — started the Kickstarter project about 20 days ago with the hopes of raising $12,500 for a DVD series on natural building, permaculture and sustainable living.
The DVDs will be created as a documentary and will cover the journey Glaser and his family have taken as they build their natural farm by Jewel Lake. They will also film a series of expert workshops on the farm this summer and use them in the series.
“I don’t want this to be a how-to DVD,” said Glaser, adding that he expects there to be at least three DVDs in the series with DVDs focusing on different aspects like planning and construction. He wants it to show his family’s success story while teaching new skills to the viewers.
He says this is appealing to everyone and that interest in sustainable living is growing everywhere, not just in counter-culture groups.
“The price of everything is going up,” said Glaser, noting that even in major cities like Vancouver, people are looking for alternatives and want the ability to have ultra efficient homes and sustainable power.
While there are many workshops available on sustainable living around BC, Glaser said he understands that not everyone can afford them or take the time off work to attend. The documentaries will help fill that void and provide a variety of information to people.
For those not familiar with Kickstarter, it’s a crowd-funding platform that helps grassroot, creative projects get the funding and attention they need.
Contributions are like an investment as participants can select an amount to donate and will be given something in return. In Glaser’s case, this might be a free download of the DVD, a copy of the Blu-Ray or a free workshop and two week stay on their property with expenses covered. It all depends on how much the individual contributes.
Glaser plans on offering low-cost downloads of the documentaries, DVDs and Blu-Rays. The Kickstarter funders choose their option when they make their contribution. Once the project is completed, he’s not sure if he will offer the DVDs for sale through another media.
“We are concentrating on the original Kickstarter project right now,” he said.
He expects filming to be finished by October at the latest, and then he will process the documentaries over the winter. It’s possible they will be ready by this coming January, but it’s more likely they won’t be released until next spring.
In his promotional video on the Kickstarter site Glaser says, “We want to show people how they can build and live mortgage free. How they can build on a small piece of property out of natural materials and do it with the help of friends for very little money.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, Glaser has raised $2009 of the $12,500. With Kickstarter, no funds are charged until the entire goal is reached. If Glaser doesn’t reach the proposed $12,500 in the remaining nine days, he won’t have any funds raised for the project. He says that he will continue to work on it, but it will take a lot longer.
For more information about Jewel Creek Organic Farm, their eco village and coming workshops, check out their website.
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