Oooh, this sounds so good. Here’s an opportunity to build your own earthbag home without having to buy land.
“My wife and I (vegan and otherwise ordinary middle aged Americans with 3 children) recently purchased 31 acres, which includes a small semi-attached island just off the northern coast of Maine (USA). We are planning to film and document the entire design and development of a small Earthbag community.
The initial project starts with a collaborative group-effort development of a small cottage on the attached 2 acre private Island. We are interested in building a community of 6-8 families and individuals, which will be allowed to use 2-3 acres of our land ABSOLUTELY FREE to build their own Earthbag home.
Earthbag homes are a way for people looking for a home that is earth friendly and is built from natural materials that are readily available. Because of the design, giving thick walls and the insulating qualities of earth, these homes are designed to make good use of passive solar heat, facing south or east, depending on location. They homes are also designed so that sunlight during the day is absorbed by the interior walls, keeping the room warm after the sun goes down. Often, the only source of energy used is either fireplaces or small propane or electric heaters in individual bedrooms. An important step here is to insure that exterior walls are properly finished so that the daily heat from the sun does not leak back out in the evening.”
Source: The Island Earthbag Project
Hello!
My name is Miguel. I’m a geologist. I saw a photo of your project. It’s great but I want to warn of the danger of flooding. I do not know which river is but the islands in the middle of a river often almost completely flooded during heavy rains.
A greeting.
LOL, I misread this late at night and signed up, I thought it was run by Owen Geiger.
I live in Southern Maine.
It’s cold in the long Winter, then humid in the Summer.
I only like Spring and Fall here but they are extremely short seasons.
A person living in Maine would be wise to have a cabin elsewhere to go to for at least 3 months a year. If not 5 or 6.
So, Luke, if you are unable to get in touch with the people running this program, don’t get discouraged. Research the weather in Northern Maine and breathe a sigh of relief :)
http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate.php?location=USME0330
But the idea is good – we should all live with Owen Geiger on his land :)
I’m sure he’s in a warm place :)
Cheers!
Craig from Maine
Yeah, the photo makes it look great. There’s a reason why that area is sparsely populated. I hear the mosquitoes are fierce.
I hope people can get in contact with these folks, I tried to last year, and got no response. Not sure if this is still being done or not. I would love to know if someone hears from them and their progress.
What a wonderful idea! I’m really glad people are opening up to the idea of sustainable communities.
I love hearing about all these new projects. Sometimes I wonder “geez, what’s taking people so long.” But lately things are definitely speeding up.
This is awesome! Many people are beginning to lend their land for such projects and for those who do not have the funding to do so I should direct you to programs such as the USDA’s rural redevelopment programs that offer grants and loans to people doing just what you are! We are currently seeking ways to fund our projects and workshops solely through government and private funding in order to offer free workshops to anyone who wants to learn! The faster the better! Here is the link –> http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/Home.html
One of our readers (oldtimer47) left a comment. They suggested trying DuckDuckGo search engine. On a whim I tried it and this project turned up. This search engine may not have the size and all the bells and whistles of google, but sometimes it pays to seek out different opinions and resources. Thanks for the tip.
http://duckduckgo.com/
Update: I’ve found two additional topics for future blog posts through DuckDuckGo. And oldtimer47 also suggested reading this link that explains how google and other major search engines provide individualized/customized results based on your profile. This can be helpful at times, but it also hinders finding alternative information as explained in the article: http://dontbubble.us/