“This is an overview of the natural building work I am doing in rural Nicaragua, primarily with women and young people. This article shares the conditions, existing infrastructures and materials available, and some of the successes. Nothing has proven to be a failure, though the path has taken some turns! I will follow up with a series of articles deepening the exploration of each of these points.
Workshops
Nepal Earthbag School Update
“Hi there,
I am thrilled to say that we have raised an incredible $44,339 for our earth bag build project in Nepal. This means that we can start the project in Feb in Nepal. We are confident that we can raise $60,000 for the project in total. It is wonderful to think that 18 months ago, this was just an idea and now it is really happening.
Daruma Natural Building
“Daruma Eco-Farm is a sustainable permaculture project located in Bang Phra, Thailand. We offer permaculture design courses, have an artist-in residency program, and are an active member of WWOOF (World-Wide Opportunities in Organic Farming), Couchsurfing, and WarmShowers. Volunteers coming to Daruma Eco-Farm can expect to work on anything from planting rice paddies to sustainable construction to assisting our on-site alternative learning school, Mosaic. There are always different projects going on, depending on the season.
Maritime Strawbale Building Gathering
From the website below:
“Kim Thompson, the consultant we’ve been working with to learn about strawbale building, has completed a research project for CMHC that involves documenting all of the strawbale buildings in the Maritimes. There are at least 55, if you can believe it, and more than a dozen others planned for construction this year. To cap off her research, Kim invited all of the folks who currently own strawbale homes, plus a few industry contacts (architects, designers, builders), and a number of soon-to-be builders like us to a weekend camping at Ship Harbour.
The Bio-Architecture and Intuitive Technology School
“The Bio-Architecture and Intuitive Technology School (TIBÁ) is an eco-centre located in the coastal jungle of Brazil (Mata Atlântica), dedicated to demonstrating and teaching sustainable development and ‘barefoot’ construction techniques.
2015 Chiang Dao Natural Building Workshop, Thailand
“We will learn how to build a roundhouse with a dome roof, using rice-husk bags, bamboo, earth and other local materials. We will not be using any electrical tools. After the workshop, you will be able to go off and build one for yourself!