Apprenticeship

Warren, VT

Instructor Hilton Dier III, John Ringle

http://www.yestermorrow.org/courses/detail/solar-design?StartDate=2010-08-26&SortColumn=StartDate&SortDir=ASC

This workshop will present the basic design, theory and methods required to maximize the solar potential of your present or future home. Day one will use lectures, slide shows and tours to show how to use passive design for home heating, cooling and day lighting. Day two will cover the basics of photovoltaics for home power. The course will expand your understanding of how to use the sun’s energy to brighten your life, heat your living spaces and water, and recharge your batteries for a more natural, comfortable and economical home.

Warren, VT

Instructor Gaelan Brown

http://www.yestermorrow.org/courses/detail/diy-alternative-hot-water-system?StartDate=2010-08-26&SortColumn=StartDate&SortDir=ASC&CategorySlug=solar-design

The French farmer/inventor Jean Pain became famous for his innovative ideas about the interrelationship between agriculture and energy production. One of his concepts, the Pain Mound, focused on the use of woody biomass as an effective compost material while collecting heat from the composting process. This course will consist of the construction of a Pain Mound hot water system in the same location as a prototype built in 2009, incorporating the existing plumbing and water-lines but using fresh biomass material.

Warren, VT

Instructor Skip Dewhirst, Seth Kelley

http://www.yestermorrow.org/courses/detail/timberframing?StartDate=2010-08-26&SortColumn=StartDate&SortDir=ASC&CategorySlug=solar-design

Over the last two decades, the historic craft of timberframing in residential construction has experienced a revival. Students will learn the fundamentals of designing and constructing a timberframe using mortise and tenon joinery. Layout techniques, tool use and sharpening, and joinery cutting methods are taught as we work on a small timberframe project. Evening lectures will address the history of the craft, finishing techniques, and mechanical systems for timberframe houses. We will also touch on frame design, joinery choices, and integration of frame and house design. This course will focus on traditional hand-cut joinery and tools and will also demonstrate some of the power tools used by modern timberframers. The class will raise the structure on the final day.

Start / End Date 11/13/2010-11/14/201

Warren, VT

Instructor Marc Rosenbaum

http://www.yestermorrow.org/courses/detail/introduction-to-passive-house?StartDate=2010-08-26&SortColumn=StartDate&SortDir=ASC&CategorySlug=solar-design

Passive House is a German approach to building design and construction that has resulted in some of the lowest energy use buildings in the world. Buildings need to meet strict criteria of energy usage, including total primary energy, and must be tested to be extremely airtight. In climates similar to Germany, all the heating energy is delivered by the fresh air ventilation system. In this course we’ll look at the principles behind the Passive House, present the Passive House Planning Package analysis tool, and look at some examples of construction details and finished buildings. The course will be given at a relaxed pace that allows plenty of time for discussion – this is not a substitute for the nine day Passive House Consultant training.

Costa Rica

Instructor Skip Dewhirst, Lizabeth Moniz

http://www.yestermorrow.org/courses/detail/natural-building-in-costa-rica?StartDate=2010-08-27&SortColumn=StartDate&SortDir=ASC&CategorySlug=natural-building

This innovative course in the rainforest of Costa Rica provides students with a unique opportunity to explore the design/build process using earth, straw, cob, stone, site-milled wood, bamboo, and recycled/reused materials. The class will work on a group project at the Rancho Mastatal environmental learning center or a small community project in the village of Mastatal. Students will have the chance to collaborate on a variety of design assignments. The class will survey and discuss different building techniques and work hands-on and in-depth with a featured number of them. A field trip to investigate local vernacular architecture is one highlight of the course. The class is ideal for architecture, environmental studies, and building technology students and professionals as well as those interested in incorporating natural building techniques into their own projects. Food and lodging at Rancho Mastatal is included in the tuition cost. Visit www.ranchomastatal.com for more information on the class location.

Oxford, Michigan. Rural land 1 hr N of Detroit

Instructor Deanne Bednar, Strawbale Studio

http://strawbale.pbworks.com/Calendar

Hey ya’ll. It would be great to have some of you folks here to learn and be together Aug 20-28. Attend part or all. We have an existing rocket stove, and this will be the second. Learn to do basic thatching on a lean-to woodshed, and try your hand at some earth plastering. Several interns are here, including Ian from Ireland. During the full moon bonfire & potluck we will make pizza in the earth oven. Come enrich this experience with your presence. Some scholarships available. Deanne

Start / End Date August 16 – Fall 2010

Clemson, SC

Instructor Matthew Nistico

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=119976998037835

August 16 – Fall 2010: NATURAL BUILDING/STRAW BALE APPRENTICESHIP

Location: Clemson, South Carolina
Instructor: Matthew Nistico
Paid stipend of $200/week

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=119976998037835

I have room for several apprentices who are serious about learning and practicing straw bale, cob, and natural plastering techniques in the context of a real job setting.

The owner-builder, Matthew Nistico, has designed the home and site and thus far seen the project successfully through 2/3 of construction, together with input and occasional consultation from some of the best natural builders in the east. We will be covering all of the techniques associated with bale wall assembly, including basic framing; stacking, retying, shaping, external pinning, and prepping bales for plaster; mixing cob and cob chinking; window and door details; mixing earth plaster, and applying earth plasters by hand over straw and lathe (both wood and metal). Depending on timing, there may be opportunities for experiencing both lime and earthen finish plastering techniques by trowel, concrete staining, insulating, and tile work.

You will be working with the owner-builder and occasionally my framer 40 hours/week on the completion of a lime-plastered, post-&-beam, straw bale homestead. The foundation, exterior walls, and roof are complete and the structure is dried in, yet most phases of construction are still visible, from finished exterior plaster to yet-to-be-framed interior walls. We will be employing an innovative “split-bale” method to create nine-inch-thick, straw bale, interior partition walls, which will then be finished and plastered along with the inside surfaces of the exterior walls. As such, much of the work (but not all) will be indoors.

The design incorporates other green features, such as passive solar orientation and layout, extensive use of salvaged and reclaimed building materials, passive cooling and ventilation strategies (as opposed to air conditioning), extensive daylighting, and rain water harvesting.

There will be semi-primitive accommodations for apprentices to live on site, sleeping in their own tent, and sharing an outdoor shower, portable toilet, and small refrigerator. The owner-builder also lives on site, and apprentices may have occasional access to indoor shower and limited cooking facilities. There is also an option of inexpensive, extended-stay motel accommodations 5 minutes away by car. This is a relatively secluded and private, partially-wooded property located on a quiet country road at the edge of a small university town, set in rural South Carolina in the foothills of the Appalachians. The site is located 45 minutes from the city of Greenville, and 2 hours from both Asheville, NC, and Atlanta, GA.

The apprenticeship includes a $200/week paid stipend. Apprentices are expected to be strong workers committed to learning about natural, innovative, and low-impact building techniques. This will be an on-the-job learning experience, working approximately 40 hours per week for the duration of the apprenticeship. Lengths of apprenticeship are negotiable.

Please contact Matthew Nistico at elessarrex@hotmail.com to set up a telephone interview.

12+ site in and around Asheville

http://www.ashevillage.org

Tuition $1,850

ONLY 6 SEATS AVAILABLE. Inquire soon. Starts in August.

THIS PERMACULTURE APPRENTICESHIP offers a group of six participants the 72-hour Permaculture Design Certification 1 day per week, ENHANCED by field work 2 days per week at a variety of nurseries, edible parks, community gardens, and urban homesteads in the Asheville area.

DATES: August 10 – October 28, 2010, Tuesdays thru Thursdays; 10am-6pm.
LOCATION: 12+ sites in Asheville, NC
SPONSOR: The Ashevillage Institute

LEARN
• Become a Certified Permaculture Designer.
• Connect with veteran Permaculture practitioners.
• Get a broad sampling of local Permaculture hot spots.
• Explore your internal landscapes through Nature Connection, Yoga, and Meditation.
• Gain relevant field experience in: organic food production, soil building, nursery production, backyard chickens, aquaculture, fermentation, wild-crafting, edible forest gardening, rainwater catchment, grafting, primitive skills, natural building, and more.

SCHEDULE
• Tuesdays: Permaculture Design Certification class
• Wednesdays: Hands-on projects at the Ashevillage Institute
• Thursdays: Field work at 12 sites within the Asheville area
• Plus: 4-8 hours per week of extracurricular & homework

SPONSOR
The Ashevillage Institute is an eco-urban education center that promotes sustainable solutions in action. Ashevillage sponsors educational programs and is developing a demonstration site on a one-acre site. In the works are two naturally retrofitted houses; a 30,000 gallon, four-pond recirculating aquaculture system with seven kinds of fish and aquaponic greenhouse; integrated chicken coop; earthworks and hard-scaping for maximum water retention; chickens, bees, vermiculture and mushroom production; edible and medicinal landscape; and outdoor and indoor meeting space. The site is situated next to downtown Asheville, NC.

FACILITATORS
Brandy Hall is the main facilitator for the Permaculture Apprenticeship. She is the Site & Program Manager for the Ashevillage Institute. Brandy holds an MA in Contemplative Education and brings forth a love of nature and design to her work with Shades of Green, Inc, a small design/education firm. The apprenticeship will be enhanced by more than 12 guest teachers and site hosts including the bioregion’s premiere Permaculture practitioners who have a collective of over 200 years of experience!

FEE*
12-day Permaculture Design Certification: $1,200
24 days of site visits, field work & materials: $650
Food and lodging not included
TOTAL: $1,850
*10% of fee supports Kleiwerks International.

ACCOMMODATIONS
Housing is not included, although three spots are available for women at the Ashevillage Institute site for $250/month. Inquire within.

REGISTRATION & PAYMENT
• To register for the Permaculture Apprenticeship, send a $650 non-refundable deposit to: Ashevillage Institute, 80 Buchanan Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801. Please include your full name, phone, email, and address.
• The remainder of your payment ($1,200) is due by July 28th.
• All payments are NON-REFUNDABLE.

PAYMENT PLANS & WORK TRADES
Payment plans and minimal work trades are available; inquire within.

INFORMATION
For more details contact Brandy Hall at brandy@ashevillage.org or call 434.284.3057.