Instructor: Eli Adadow of Ancient Earth

Tuition: $500

website: www.WildernessCollege.com

Location: The beautiful Alderleaf campus at 18715 299th Ave SE, Monroe, WA 98272

What you will learn: Design, foundations, walls, framing, roof systems, thermal performance, strength and integrity, use of local materials, and tricks for building fast, sturdy structures—the skills you will need to create your own earth bag structures

Earth bag structure uses: Homes, garden, tool and bike sheds, wine and root storage, play houses, emergency shelters, and more

Sustainability & self-reliance: These inexpensive, easy-to-build, beautiful buildings have offered self-empowerment and real solutions to sustainability and homelessness around the world.

Accommodations: Free tent or car camping available on site with access to running water, fire pit and bathroom. Limited room rentals may be available. Bare rooms (no furniture) rent for $15 per person per night.Includes bathroom and kitchen access. Local hotel information is available on our website.

Meals: Daily organic lunches (vegetarian options) are provided. Breakfast and dinner are on your own.

Cost & Discounts: $500 per person. 15% discount for extra adult family members Teens (13-17) may attend for $300 when accompanied by an adult.

More information:

Pre-registration required—register online or by phone. 360.793.8709

Visit our website for more information about this class and other Alderleaf programs for both wilderness skills and sustainable living. Space is limited. www.WildernessCollege.com

Salt Spring Island BC

Instructor Paula Baker-Laporte and Robert Laporte

http://www.econest.com

Tuition $125

This eco-home seminar for homeowners is a heartfelt exploration…a first step in the journey of creating your authentic home:

Tuning into your personal resonance
Applying the principles of building biology
Achieving radiant health & ecological performance
Siting for environmental stewardship
Ensuring a harmonic building process

Oregon City, Oregon

Instructor Bernhard Masterson

http://www.bernhardmasterson.com

Tuition $810

A complete cob workshop that provides the skills necessary to transform the earth into a cottage or studio. We will cover design, passive solar, foundations, soils/materials, cob mixing, straw-bale hybrids, doors and windows, sculptural details, roofing, plastering, flooring and more. Using inexpensive natural and local materials we’ll create a garden studio of great durability and beauty. Afternoon lectures and labs will enrich the hands-on experience. Some on-site camping is available, we’ll work with those from out of town on lodging.

As an added treat, gourmet vegan and raw meals will be served by chef Gabrielle Chavez. For more information and to register contact Gabrielle Chavez at gabriellesgarden[at]gmail.com or 503-957-3694

New Orleans, LA

http://communitybuilt.org

We will be gathering in New Orleans for our 20th anniversary conference, Transforming Communities through Collective Action, May 5-8.
The conference will bring together a diverse group of ‘community builders’, from public artists, to architects, to community organizers, to playground designers, to natural builders and educators. We will share our experiences with various projects that utilize community vision and labor to transform the physical environment. The program will include presentations, panel discussions, as well as hand’s on workshops in mosaic, mural painting, playground instrument making, and natural schoolyard design . New Orleans, a site of intense rebuilding, will serve as a rich setting for exploring practical examples communities organizing to re-build, re-pair, and re-shape their own environments!

See communitybuilt.org for conference program and registration. Early registration ends on March 26th!

September 6- October 30, 2010

Campo Ramon, Misiones, Argentina

We will be hosting an 8-week in-depth internship program to individuals interested in getting hands-on experience in organic gardening, natural food production, earthen and natural building, seed saving, and community living. This will be an opportunity for personal growth through shared learning in which interns will cooperate in the different aspects of a dynamic sustainable community. The internship will be a chance to take responsibility for providing for ones basic needs in a positive working environment of like-minding people.

Topics of Focus:

Organic Gardening:
Composting and Soil Amending, Bed-Making, Planting and Transplanted, Seed Saving, Companion Planting, Natural Pesticides, and more…

Natural Building:
We will be constructing a small Earthen building and exploring various natural building techniques: Bamboo, Earthen building with Adobe Bricks, Cob, Wattle-and-Daub, also Foundation, Design Principles, Wall Construction, Plaster and Natural Painting, Roofing, and creative use of site-found and salvaged materials…

Extended Sustainable Ideas:
Food Product Making, Jarring and Preserving, Alternative Refrigeration, Milk-Product Creating, Fermentation and Cultivating Micro-organisms, Alternative Energies, Reforestation, and there will also be plenty of space to explore projects of personal interest and intrigue. Also, there will be opportunities for practicing Yoga, Meditation, Massage (Thai and Swedish), Medicinal Plant Searches, Nature Hikes, Waterfall and River Swimming…

General Schedule:

Sunday- Thursday: morning and afternoon sessions, with an extended break in the middle of the day for lunch and siesta.
We will also have a 5-day break in the middle of the course. September 30 – October 4.
There will be an optional extended stay after the course for those interested.

Meals:
We have a community kitchen where we all share in the meal preparations and clean-up. We provide 3 healthy vegetarian meals with veggies from our garden as well as local produce, fruits, and products.

Living Arrangements:
Interns should bring their own tents and bedding. We may also have some beds to offer in a shared earthen cottage.

Language: English and Spanish

To Apply:
Please write us a short letter introducing yourself. We would like to know who you are and better prepare the program for your needs. (This will remain confidential.) Write a simple, honest letter about yourself and why you want to participate in the internship program. It does not need to be formal, use your own style. Please include your age, gender, and an overview of your present life (for example, what brought you to want to come, where you are from, where you are coming from at this point in your life, how you hope to integrate the experience/learning from the program in your life, a few of your strengths and weaknesses in living in community/working with others). If you have any emotional or health difficulties, please let us know how these are effecting your life now. Please wait for acceptance before making travel arrangements.Please send your letter and any questions you may have to mama.roja@yahoo.com.

Cost of Internship: US$955 (or the equivalent in Argentine pesos)
Your contributions go toward expanding the project and work with our local community on important topics such as seed saving, no chemical usage, and natural building alternatives.

Arrangements can be made for participants from less developed countries.

For more information or questions, contact us at http://mama.roja@yahoo.com

Durham, NC

Instructor Greg Allen

http://www.carolinacob.com

Tuition $500

This is an 8-day, intensive cob workshop. We will be learning not only the basics of mixing and building with cob, but will be studying how to integrate windows, and a door frame into the building. Students will build a cob archway, and will get the opportunity for sculpting shelving and niches in the interior of the building.

There will be presentations and exercises throughout the week covering passive solar design, model-making, general house design, picking out the right site, how to utilize inexpensive/repurposed materials, and a photo slideshow covering the entire start-to-finish process of a cob cottage in Carrboro. If time permits, we will get a half day’s experience in earthen plaster, and will talk about the design for the green roof.

You will leave the workshop with the knowledge and experience to build your own cob cottage.