“A Nelson trust’s humble earthbag school has gained international attention after it withstood the devastating Nepal earthquakes. Now, First Step Himalaya wants to use the earthbag technology in its work to rebuild the schools it supports in Nepal.
safe
Nelson-based Nepalese Director Heads Home to Help
“The Nepalese director of a Nelson based charity is heading home to get rural children back to school after the devastating earthquakes.
Earthbag Building: Potential Trillion Dollar Market
Yesterday I wrote to the two largest industry associations that are related to earthbag building — the Geosynthetics Society and the Textile Bag and Packaging Association. The Geosynthetics Society is the professional organization that represents engineers who design large earthbag projects for highways, railroads, erosion control, mining, marine facilities and many other industrial applications. The Textile Bag and Packaging Association represents manufacturers of bags and tubes that in addition to earthbag building are used for many purposes such as grain and feed bags, cement, etc. Both of these industries are poised to capitalize on a rapidly emerging new market in earthbag building.
Another Earthbag Structure Survives Nepal Quake
“Hello All,
Our earthbag shelter in Badhikhel (image attached) held up beautifully during the earthquake. The government and aid agencies should consider this building technique in places where manpower / volunteers can be found.”
Rebuild Nepal Networking Sites
There are two new websites to facilitate networking among earthbag builders in Nepal. Both are new and just getting started. More content will be added shortly. The main purpose of these sites is to make it easy for groups to communicate with each other, as well as post announcements and news.
First Steps Himalaya Facebook page: Earthbag Rebuild Nepal
This group has been created by First Steps Himalaya as a forum for anyone wanting information about earthbag building and how this could be applied in the post earthquake situation in Nepal.
Earthbag Building in Nepal Meetup
With the help of Vava, one of our readers, we’ve created a Meetup group where people can network with each other and discuss building with earthbags in Nepal.
Earthbag School Survives Earthquake in Basa, Nepal
“Edge of Seven’s most recent project, the Basa Higher Secondary School, is complete! The school is the second earthbag project in the Solukhumbu region and was constructed in collaboration with The Small World, Edge of Seven’s in-country project partner. The two new buildings will serve students from classes 11 and 12 and enable more students (and girls in particular) in rural Nepal to achieve a higher secondary education.