SPANISH FORT, Ala.—Ever wanted to live in a community where one could walk out the front door onto 1,000 acres of land filled with wildflowers?   

DauerWalden—located on Beebe Farm at 41500 Whitehouse Fork Road, just a half-mile from Spanish Fort—is the first conservation community in the South with a focus on energy efficiency and the ecosystem.

The name is a German forestry concept, with “dauer”—meaning sustainable or perpetual— and “walden”—meaning forest home. The name was chosen to ring true to the meaning of the ethical and ecological basis of this community, according to dauerwalden.com, the community’s official Web site.

Homes will be built on rolling hills and streams in the community and can be built on the edge of a pasture, on the lake or in a wooded area to preserve the farm setting.

All homes built in the community will be EnergyStar and EarthCraft certified. Twenty-five homes at the most will be built in DauerWalden, according to the site.

“One of the requirements for home construction is you must buy local and embrace the local economy,” owner Tommy Swearingen said.

“This means you don’t import bamboo from China to be green.” 

No homes in the development are built at this time, however, Swearingen said they hope to break ground on a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design this winter.

Beebe Farm is located on Baldwin County Road 40 between Bay Minette and Spanish Fort.

The property is located on about 1,146 acres of forests, wetlands, pine forests and about 23 miles of equestrian trails, Swearingen said.

The entire property property is about two square miles, he added.

“This is the ‘greenest’ subdivision in the Deep South,” Swearingen said. “It’s going to be an extraordinary environment.

“It lets people have a country life.”

An open house is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Beebe Farm. Families are invited to join the farm for a day filled with picnics, information and relaxation. Pony and hay rides will be available for the children.

Locally produced goods will be available for sale during the open house. Local artists will also be on hand with display work “right out of ‘The Color Purple,’ ” Swearingen said.

Information will be given out for those who wish to have a home built in this eco-friendly subdivision.

The family-owned farm has been around since the early 1900s. The farm was neglected over many years until Swearingen came to the property in the 1970s. He has since restored the original farmhouse, which is registered with the Baldwin County Historical Society, the Web site said.

For more information visit dauerwalden.com or call 937-3276.