3ndless 3arth 3covillage describes itself as “a regenerative community focused on land restoration, permaculture, natural building, holistic health, and eco-conscious education.” Co-founder and secretary, Samantha Iacobello explains that their main goal is to educate people—especially children and young adults—in these skills and eventually become a model of how communities can become more resilient, eco-conscious, and create “a culture of building.”
Building is central to their mission, with natural building workshops being a primary source of community collaboration and trade education. They feature several hand-built structures on their 22 acres of land, with all lumber harvested directly from burnt, dead trees on the property.
One such structure is a 22-foot diameter tipi which was built by 19 people throughout a four-day winter solstice workshop. Community members worked together to harvest, prepare and erect three large cedar poles in the traditional tripod style of the Sioux.
The workshop was directed by lead builder and president Keith Enderlein, a Calaveras local and owns Endliss Timber Works, operating a mobile lumber mill to provide lumber and reforestation services in the county. Working with the available natural resources, 3ndless 3arth 3covillage builds and provides tiny homes and furniture to the community at an affordable price, without causing harm to the environment.
Enderlein is also the lead designer and builder of a proposed two-story Community House, which utilizes two 40-foot-long metal shipping containers. The roof will be made using 40-foot wood beams and framing made of angle iron. The rest will be filled in with straw bales and cob.
Other projects include a shower house (soon to be fitted with solar power and a tankless water heater), wood pallet “humanure outhouses” with compost toilets, an outdoor kitchen, a cob cordwood chicken coop—all built by 3ndless 3arth 3covillage board members and volunteers.
These and future building projects are permitted through Title 25 of the California Code of Regulations. Title 25 regulations apply specifically to “limited density owner-built rural dwellings,” which is defined in the Calaveras Code of Ordinances as “any structure consisting of one or more habitable rooms… with facilities for living and sleeping, located in a rural area as defined in this chapter.”
Under Title 25, landowners are permitted “temporary occupancy” on the land while building is taking place. Landowners are also permitted to use generators as a primary source of power and are allowed to utilize their own lumber, providing that lumber passes review and moisture content requirements.
3ndless 3arth 3covillage is actively seeking volunteers to help with the Community House project. Those with building skills or who want to learn are encouraged to contact 3ndless 3arth 3covillage for more information on upcoming community volunteer workdays and work-trade opportunities. Follow them online at www.333village.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/3ndless3arth3covillage and Instagram @3ndless3arth3covillage.
You can read the original article at www.calaverasenterprise.com