Meet Our Neighbors: Brandy Beverly

Written By Farmer Erin Flynn

After a Spring of disappointments, Skip and I craved renewal so we dedicated some of this summer to immersing ourselves in possibility. We did this in part by living in Ireland’s leading Ecovillage (Cloughjordan), visiting a new Cohousing initiative in the Netherlands (De Nieuw Meent), and meeting with others committed to farmland preservation and affordable housing. Seeing innovation in action was a tonic. We returned to Texas revived and with more insight into how to finally complete the four-acre farm and tiny home community that was designed by us, City of Austin, TBG Partners, a whole host of neighbors and experts and Roberts Communities (RC) when the historic Bergstrom farmland we had rented since 2006 was purchased by RC in 2016.

If you’ve ever strayed from the pack you know that leaving the herd is never easy. You have to navigate around skeptics and scammers and ankle twisters that sometimes knock the breath right out of you. For instance, the visionary Dubliners who launched the pioneering Cloughjordan Ecovillage in 1999 could not anticipate how Ireland’s aging infrastructure and the 2008 global financial crisis would converge to derail — for years — their goal of a completing a 67-acre community featuring a farm, work space and sustainable homes. Though these setbacks stalled progress, the community did not quit and progress is now being made in overcoming wastewater, zoning, and other hurdles. 

The story was the same with each person we met with who was working on commonsense sustainability projects. Challenges included: conventional banks unwilling to fund innovative design, antiquated zoning rules, weaponized incompetence, petty jealousies…Nevertheless, what we found time and again is that success often comes down to the dogged determination of just a handful of people. Margaret Mead’s insight —"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has” — has proven true.  Which is why I am putting the spotlight on one of our favorite tiny home residents: Brandy Beverly, a thoughtful, committed citizen.

Native Texan Brandy downsized from a large Houston home for a Village Farm tiny home in 2020. A successful graphic designer and daughter of an accomplished artist, she seemed to effortlessly create one of the most pleasing homes in the community. The professional and honest way in which she shared this journey (“The Emotional and Financial Cost of Extreme Downsizing” on YouTube’s “Tiny Home Tours” channel), is why more than five million people have viewed her story so far.

Fortunately for us neighbors, Brandy applied this same creativity and drive to landscaping her home and to participating in the Garden Club we created for the community in March 2021. As work progressed on several pocket gardens and a 60-bed Community Garden, our goal was to ensure that residents would have leaders who could guide them. For more than six years Brandy has proven to be an outstanding leader who remains focused on solutions.

We admire how, despite ongoing systemic challenges with funding and communication, Brandy has preserved. Not only has she donated hundreds of hours to the design, implementation and management of the Bergstrom Community Garden, she has also, with another neighbor, produced and paid for the creation of a resident website (www.vfresident.com) to ensure neighbors receive accurate information and feel included. On top of this she still makes time for small kindnesses. Often when Skip and I are tired from heat, field work or other frustrations, some deliciousness whipped up in her beautiful kitchen magically appears.

Thanks to Brandy’s efforts our neighborhood is blossoming in ways large and small. Please take the time to thank her next time you see her in the garden. Also, feel free to join us:

Farmer Erin Flynn
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