Farm Fresh, October 2025
This month's highlights:
This month's highlights:
- Live October 25, streaming on Awakening World, featuring The Farm
- Will your next car be an Electric Vehicle? Time to go EV!
- The Last Market Day 2025 - October 11
- Farm Eperience Weekend - Nov 7-9, 2025
Dear friends,
As I write to you, Deborah and I are soaking in the brilliant fall colors of New England, crossing another experience off our bucket list. The beauty all around us combined with the cool temperatures provide an opportunity for both outward inspiration and inner reflection.
As I write to you, Deborah and I are soaking in the brilliant fall colors of New England, crossing another experience off our bucket list. The beauty all around us combined with the cool temperatures provide an opportunity for both outward inspiration and inner reflection.
Just as our karma is the sum of all that leads to this exact moment, our dharma is the journey unfolding ahead. Periodically we find ourselves at pivotal moments asking ourselves, “Where do we go from here?”
Taking the long view means… Where will you be in 10 years? A new phase of life for sure! What are you doing today to realize your goals and find fulfillment?
Right now I am reminded of the difficult times in the past. What got us through was having a tight circle of friends who supported each other. We shared meals together, partied together, and helped each other out however we could. Start small and expand your circle to include more peole. We all need each other!
I hope you are taking steps toward the life you envision!
Peace,
Douglas
Douglas
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Live 8 PM CST / 6 PM PST, October 25, streaming on Awakening World, featuring The Farm
The Global Peace Tribe is an online show and broadcast collective that streams via Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms, weaving together a rich tapestry of music, spiritual insight, and guest-led conversations. Their flagship program, The Awakening World — pulls from a wide spectrum of traditions and voices, uniting artists, healers, teachers, and activists. The show’s format is a blend of musical interludes, often meditative or contemplative in character, with deeper spiritual talks, interviews, and interactive segments designed to awaken and uplift. Their Wednesday-night Zoom format encourages audience engagement and connection, while Saturday webinars host larger, multi-voice panels, creating a space where ideas, stories, and visions can cross-pollinate. Global Peace Tribe
Each broadcast feels like a gathering of kindred souls: music sets the tone and opens the heart, then a variety of guests bring wisdom, storytelling, or teachings. Over time, the show has hosted a diversity of voices—light workers, writers, spiritual teachers, community-builders, and cultural creatives—sharing on topics such as healing, unity, consciousness, social justice, ecological awareness, and community building. The intention is not just to inform but to inspire inner transformation and outer action, inviting listeners to remember their own capacity to contribute to peace in their daily lives and communities.
I’m very pleased to share that I will be a guest on the Global Peace Tribe show on October 25, 2025, where I’ll be speaking about the history and present-day life of The Farm Community in Summertown, Tennessee. During that hour, I’ll walk listeners through The Farm’s founding, its evolution through decades of change, the rhythms and challenges of communal living today, and how our shared values guide daily life. I’ll be joined by guests representing The Farm’s Midwifery Center, our international relief and development organization Plenty International, and Swan Conservation Trust, a land trust nonprofit and the founders of the 1400+ acre Big Swan Headwaters Preserve which surrounds The Farm Community. Together we hope to give a vivid, grounded picture of what it means to build a living community rooted in values, resilience, care, and hope.
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGlobalPeaceTribe
On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theglobalpeacetribe
To watch the recording, search for Global Peace Tribe October 2025 on YouTube
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGlobalPeaceTribe
On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theglobalpeacetribe
To watch the recording, search for Global Peace Tribe October 2025 on YouTube
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Will your next car be an Electric Vehicle? Time to go EV!
After passing on my 2014 Prius to my granddaughter so she could have a more fuel-efficient car for commuting to school, I found myself in need of a new vehicle. Some friends had the Nissan Leaf. My son had purchased the hybrid Chevy Volt a few years ago. It had a range of 75 miles, enough for commuting to work with a little extra driving around town. However, I knew the Volt had been discontinued several years ago. Curious about today’s electric vehicles, I began exploring the latest options for range, price, and performance.
What I discovered surprised me. EVs are increasingly affordable — especially if you consider a used model.
The small but mighty Chevy Bolt
A friend recommended the Chevy Bolt, which Chevy has also recently discontinued as they shift to a newer style Ultium battery. Although there may still be a few still on new car lots, most of those available are used, selling in the $8,000–$15,000 range, depending on year, mileage, and condition.
New, the Bolt had a range of over 200 miles, but over a few years, the range can diminish to around 125-150 miles. If you are relying on the vehicle’s battery electricity to heat the vehicle, that range can shrink substantially.
My Equinox EV is Base Model Black.
Ultimately, I chose a new 2025 Chevy Equinox, a compact RV model first released in 2024. I can reliably get over 300 miles of real-world range, which lets me drive to Nashville and back (round trip) when needed, and still arrive home with plenty of charge left. I really liked the safety features like lane change assist, an upgrade from my older Prius. A comfortable five-seat interior with reasonable cargo space was another selling point over the Bolt, which barely has a backseat.
The upgrade packages deliver features such as heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a 360° (surround-view) camera system to assist in tight parking and maneuvering. Further optional enhancements include features like a hands-free liftgate, and you can add Chevy’s self-driving Super Cruise.
I was fortunate and got to take advantage of the federal $7,500 “clean vehicle tax credit," which unfortunately ended September 30, 2025, thanks to you know who.
Many states, municipalities, and utility programs still offer their own incentives to make EV ownership more affordable. Here are some examples and general trends:
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California has numerous local and state rebate programs (Clean Cars programs, district-level grants) that can stack on top of federal support (or stand in when federal support is gone). Kbb.com+2Electrek+2
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Colorado offers a tax credit of up to $3,500 for new EVs (plus an additional $2,500 under certain conditions) and other trade-in rebates or point-of-sale incentives. Kbb.com
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Connecticut runs the CHEAPR program, which gives point-of-sale rebates (e.g. $2,250 standard for new EVs) and additional rebates for income-qualified buyers or used EVs.
Because maintenance, and charging costs tend to be lower than for internal-combustion vehicles, total cost of ownership can be quite attractive. And if one can tap into available tax credits or rebates, the upfront cost becomes even more competitive.
While public charge stations are getting more widespread, this is like paying retail for electricity and not the way to lower your driving costs.
Installing a 220-volt (Level 2) outlet at home is usually quite affordable, since it often only requires running a dedicated circuit from your breaker panel to your garage or parking space. That upgrade dramatically accelerates charging speed up to 10 times faster than standard 120-volt charger, letting you replenish dozens of miles of range per hour. With that in place, daily charging becomes convenient, economical, and smooth. I find that my "mile per gallon" cost is about half of what I spend on our 2025 Prius. Go EV!
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Thank you for your time and attention! Come visit us!
Douglas Stevenson
Douglas@villagemedia.com
www.douglasstevenson.com
www.villagemedia.com
Douglas@villagemedia.com
www.douglasstevenson.com
www.villagemedia.com
My books:
- Out to Change the World! $12 plus shipping
- The Farm Then and Now $19.95 plus shipping
- Order both for just $33 including shipping!
Watch my TEDx Talk: Out to Change the World - Living the Hippie Dream
A big thanks to everyone who has become a patron of Farm Fresh! When you become a subscriber, your contribution helps spread the word about community-based alternatives and the spiritual path.
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Douglas
