Firespeaking

Using local materials and our creativity, we made an earthen oven at Riverfront Farm in Spokane, Washington. I led a 4 day workshop with community garden members about the ins and outs of earthen ovens, including how to bake in them.  The project was a part of “Green Jobs Now: National Day of Action to Build the New Economy”, in which we joined with 700 communities and 50,000 people across the North America.  The oven will be part of a bigger outdoor kitchen and band shell and is used by the neighborhood and by “Project HOPE” toward the development of youth micro enterprise projects. See more photos on my blog www.evalarevolution.blogspot.com

During 2006 & 2007, Max and Alex Edleson set about the building of Alex’s house in a clearing in the woods on a community-owned piece of land in the beautiful Rio Azul valley, near El Bolson, Argentina (Patagonia).  The building is a hybrid of natural building techniques including round-pole timber framing, rustic carpentry, non-load bearing strawbale, wattle and daub and living roofs.  We harvested about half the wood for the building from the woods around the house and a had a local woodsman bring in the other half by truck, some of it milled.  Our good friend Simon Van den Heede grew the oats that the straw for the straw bales came from and one fine fall day, with the first sprinklings of the season, we swept the recently harvested bales off of the field and stored them under the newly constructed roof.  We still have yet to make and place the shingles on the front roof so the corrugated asphalt roof is temporary.

Consider the whole structure an homage to the sun, completely oriented to that infinitely generous source of heat and light….

In October 2009, Eva, Max and the fantastic Betty Seaman of Spirit Pine were hired by an accomplished healer in the Santa Barbara area to construct a building to do prayer in.  Perscriptions for the building were that it be affordable and that it follow basic Huichol cultural guidelines for such a space which included being made of adobe and having few windows.  Here’s what we built….

“El Barro, Las Manos, La Casa” is an engaging educational documentary on natural building which comes as close as possible to the experience of working next to natural building master Jorge Belanko as he demonstrates a large variety of different wall systems and how to build a building from start-to-finish.  Jorge also addresses the many reasons why natural building is a good choice as an approach to building your home.

The video is the result of a collaboration between three talented individuals.  The video’s cinematographer and producer is Gustavo Marangoni who trained in commercial and documentary cinematography before beginning his own production company focused on educational and regionally-based documentaries.  Jorge Belanko is a natural builder extraordinaire who comes from a long line of masons and has both built more “natural” buildings and taught more natural building courses than probably anyone else in the world.  Daniel Lugones is an acclaimed musician and composed the soundtrack to the documentary with a spirited tone, inspiring lyrics, and Andean musical influence.

The video was filmed in El Bolson, Patagonia, southern Argentina.  The town presents spectacular surroundings and many examples of projects and other natural builders which are presented in the video.

Firespeaking is the principle distributor of  the natural building DVD/video “El Barro, Las Manos, La Casa” in North America.  As of July 2010, we now carry the original Spanish version as well as the newer version with English subtitles.

The DVD is being sold for $35 plus $4 shipping and handling ($1 s&h for each additional copy).  Payment options include postal money orders or checks written out and mailed to Max Edleson, 2190 Bristol St., Eugene, OR 97403 .

• Link to Original Site in Spanish

• “Naturally Building Patagonia” – February 15-20, 2010
  Patagonia, Argentina

• 2nd level Natural Building Courses at Valle Pinatado – March 3-13, 2010
  Patagonia, Argentina

• Earthen Oven Workshop at Sacred Grove Retreat – April 16-18, 2010
  Gold Hill, NC

• Complete Cob at Cob Cottage Company – June 19 – 27, 2010
  Coquille, OR

• Natural Living Workshops at Hawthorn Farm – August 13-21, 2010
  Woodinville, WA

February 15-20, 2010
El Bolsón, Patagonia, Argentina

Inquiries and registration
bioconstruyendo@gmail.com

Program includes:

Introduction to Permaculture
Permaculture and Natural Building
Passive Solar Design
Introduction to Natural Building
Composting Toilets
Solar Water Heating
Grey Water Treatment
Sacred Geometry
Electricity
Green or Living Roofs
Geodesic Domes

Natural Building Techniques Covered:

Adobe Brick
Wattle and Daub
Light Straw-Clay Bricks
Earth Bag Construction
Cob
Natural Plasters
Earthen Sculpture
Tile Mosaic
Natural Paints
Insulating Panels
Cast Floor Panels

Location

CIDEP, which stands for Center for Permaculture Research, Development and Education, will be the central location for both hands-on projects and lectures.  The center is a 24 acre farm in a beautiful rural area at the foothills of the Andes and 9 miles from the center of the town of El Bolson. Many sustainable systems at various stages of development exist at the center including natural windbreaks, natural buildings, alternative energy generation, passive solar systems, composting toilets, recycling, garden, and nature reserve spaces.  The presence of all these systems creates a dynamic environment for participants since they actually live in and experience them.

Lodging and Facilities

The coursesare residential-based since the community experience is an important part of the program.  The facilities are simple: including 12 dormitory-style beds and many options for camping.  Composting toilets are available.  Participants should bring sleeping bags, sheets (or a tent depending on arrangement), towel and other personal hygiene materials, flashlight, comfortable and warm clothing, hat to protect from the sun and footware adequate for not getting your feet wet.
Lodging in the dormitory is limited so it is necessary to reserve your sport upon registering.

Food

Food served during the course will be based on a naturalist diet which includes organic, fresh, whole grained and varied options.  We will harvest many vegetables straight from our and neighboring farm.  We make sure that you receive a diet that will keep you energized and open-minded throughout the course.  Like other aspects of the course, the cuisine we serve is an expression of creativity, art, care of people, and care of the earth.

Registration and Costs

The cost of the course is $1500 (Argentine pesos) or its international equivalent (aprox. U$S 400 / € 275).  Registration is confirmed with a 30% downpayment.

Any other inquiries can be directed to the following email: bioconstruyendo@gmail.com .

Visit the course’s main website which is in Spanish….

A four part series to deepen your experience with natural living crafts

Naturally Building for Fire
March 3 – 6, 2010

Come see how little wood it takes to warm your home while creating a lovely hearth.

Join us in building a multi-functional and beautiful masonry heater using natural building techniques.  Masonry heaters are highly efficient fireplaces which are designed to burn cleanly and and maintain much more of the heat inside your home.  They provide a comfortable and environmentally-sound way to heat your home.  Our project will use affordable earthen materials while also incorporating traditional European stove design and modern methods used in the United States.

Cost: $400

NATURAL FINISHES: PLASTERS, PAINTS, FRESCOES, ETC.
March 10 – 13, 2010

Come join us as we make and apply a plaster coat on our new community kitchen.

Learn how to use local, natural materials to craft many types of beautiful finishes.  This course will include information about various interior and exterior treatments as well as tool and application techniques.

Cost: $400

SHARPENING AND MAINTENANCE OF HAND TOOLS
March 9, 2010

Learn how to keep a sharp edge on all kinds of tools so they can do the work for you.

Realize the difference it makes to use sharpened tools!  Bring knives, machetes, shovels, hoes, saws, chainsaws, etc. from your home and garden (or we will provide many!) and we will show you how to sharpen and maintain them.  We will cover a wide range of tools used in rural homesteading including essential tools for working with draft horses, human-scale agriculture and rustic carpentry.

Cost: $60

BREAD MAKING: FROM SEED TO OVEN TO TABLE
March 2, 2010

Love the taste of warm, fresh bread?  Ever wanted to make your own?

This course will help you understand the how and why of the bread baking process so you can make delicious loaves.  Learn how to make sourdough, rye, whole wheat, pizza, focaccia, calzone, chocolate bread, savory bread and more. Through hands on sessions and discussions you will learn about growing your own grain and how to thresh, winnow and mill it in order to make bread. We will also talk about different naturally built ovens and their use.

Cost: $60

LOCATION: The following projects will take place at and contribute to the development of Granja Valle Pintado, a small land-based community dedicated to the development of local organic food production, natural building, sustainability, and cultivation of the human spirit. We are located in the beautiful river valley of the Rio Azul on the outskirts of the inspired town of El Bolson in Southern Argentina.

Payment and Registration:

Contact for South America- Alex Edleson , alexe@riseup.net

Rest of the World- Eva Miller, evalarevolution@yahoo.com,  503.333.9042

Spaces Limited.  Reserve your spot through 25% down payment

Accomodations and Food:

Course includes 3 fresh, home grown meals and exquisite space for camping.

Count on live music and fireside discussion!

The members of Granja Valle Pintado have over 10 years of experience in natural building and community-based experiential gatherings.

More information on instructors for this course…