When: Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Time: 7:00-9:00pm

Where: 8 Bolinas Road-New Location!!
RSVP to Pam Hartwell-Herrerro
Donations of $5-$10 are suggested.

We have moved this event down the street to the Circle Center!

Jeffery was a wonderful speaker and can be contacted at:

774-392-4347

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www.mudrockandearth.com 

Jeffrey is a sustainability consultant, ecology educator and locally recognized permaculture practitioner who specializes in Regenerative Design Education. He presented a lecture and Power Point Slide Show on the historic and present day uses of Natural Building techniques and applications though out the world (specifically in the Western United States). He showed how community oriented people-based-techniques with “hands-on” practices can turn society’s excess “waste” materials into functional non-traditional living spaces (they are labor intensive, community oriented projects, but they always take their inspiration from nature).  

WHAT IS NATURAL BUILDING?

“Any building system that places the highest value on social and environmental sustainability.” – Emerald Earth – Michael Smith 

Reduce –Reuse –Recycle – AND NOW ALSO Rethink - Redesign 

Techniques shown included: 

Ecology of how buildings are set in/on into the land to achieve maximum results of surrounding environmental factors, the use of cobb, straw bale and light clay straw for maximum insulation, passive solar solutions, rain catchment, use of paper and wood pulp mixed with sand or clay to create “paper-crete” (85% paper & 15% concrete), cord wood and mud building structures 

Projects highlighted included: 

Building Reuse Repair Project – Portland, OR – Using the trees and forests of NW Portland to incorporate into buildings that add character to the structures 

Yurok Plank House – traditional structures built from local Redwood trees  

SF Mission Dolores built 1776 - oldest intact building in California made of adobe bricks 

Taos Pueblo – longest continually inhabited structure in the United States 

Anastazi Ruins –Canyon de Chelly – uses massive passive solar techniques 

Stone Iron Forge in Virginia – stone walls all still intact 

Occidental Arts & Ecology Center – an organic process fitting everything together 

Farm Eco Village Training Center – Tennessee 

Solar Living Institute –Hopland – made of natural building materials 

Real Goods Store – Hopland – 5,000 Sq Ft Retail Store - straw bale used, no centralized heat and cooling system with clerestory windows fro ventilation 

Earth Ships World Headquarters –Taos, NM – rammed earth structures made from “used tires” and used bottles 

Dignity Village – Portland, OR – homeless people took over a lot and created their own structures made from natural materials 

Earth Haven Eco Village – outside Ashville, NC 

Ash Village Institute –Ashville, NC –creating spaces for people to get together and socialize 

Matria Eco Village – Eugene, OR –mailbox wall 

Boise, ID – outdoor earthen ovens for pizza, benches from natural materials, bottles & tile work incorporated into the structures 

REFERENCES & RESOURCES 

www.EmeraldEarth.org (Ukiah, CA) 

www.SolarLiving.org (Hopland, CA) 

www.RegeneratriveDesignInstitute.org (Bolinas, CA)

To learn more about Jeffrey’s background and work, please visit his website www.mudrockandearth.com.