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Seeking Warm Winter Building Site
Sustainable Lifestyle Consultant Wendy
Crews is seeking a warm place to winter and work from Jan to March
2009. Wendy Crews has a passion for natural building, specifically
cob, earthbag, and roundwood framing. Will trade for accommodations or
partial trade. She is skilled in carpentry and more. Please contact
Wendy at (608)637-6408 or E9030 Pierce Hill Rd Viroqua WI 54665.
(posted Dec 15, 2008)
Great Britain & Worldwide
Natural Builder Paul
Tomkins is an independent hard-working individual with earthship/eco/permaculture
and living materials building experience, eager to continue working
and learning applying what I have learned to different climates and
cultures. All round construction background and knowledge, very
eager to travel and take part. Please contact for CV and help get me
out there doing what I do best. Contact me via email at pablowmedown [at]
yahoo.co.uk.
(Posted 23 January 2007)
Help Wanted
Job Announcement – OAEC Occidental,
CA
Facilities Manager at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center
Application Deadline: February 15, 2008 The Occidental Arts and
Ecology Center (OAEC)www.oaec.org
is seeking a new Facilities Manager to be responsible for all
repair, maintenance and new construction for the Center and the
residential community. Applicants should have several years
experience working in construction (e.g. carpentry, plumbing,
electrical etc.) and grounds management. Experience in green and
natural building methods is also very desirable. The position
of Facilities Manager is residential. The Facilities Manager
lives in a beautiful, rustic backcountry cabin. Besides
taking part in the life of the residential community that includes
20 full time (including six children) and five part time
residents, all members of the community have access to the
gardens, orchards, pond, backcountry meadows and woods, as well as
more modern conveniences such as the hot tub and good internet
access. The Facilities Manager is also able to take part in
any and all courses, lectures, and events associated with OAEC
free of charge. We are looking for someone who is excited about
working in a dynamic and growing non-profit. The position is forty
hours per week, 30 of which are paid, and 10 hours in trade for
housing. The provided housing is a small rustic cabin, with
solar power, wood stove heating, and a small kitchenette. To
Apply: Please send a letter of intent, resume, and references
postmarked by February 15, 2009 to the address below, attention
James Pelican. Include information about experience with the
trades, sustainability and living in community. For additional
information, please contact James Pelican by email at james@oaec.org. You
can also consult our website at <http://www.oaec.org>
. Please do not call the office for more information. (posted Dec
19, 2008)
Camp Zest is a business venture
designed to bring people together to plan, build and own a network
of small retreats that feature romantic, natural, environmentally
friendly, and energy efficient cottages. The Makanda Inn
(located in southern Illinois) is the prototype site for this
venture. The inn will open in August 2008. We are
launching the first phase of the Makanda Inn and are looking to
hire experienced natural builders to build a small prototype
cottage this season. I am looking for individuals who can
take this project from start to finish. Please reply by
email if you are interested. Financial terms are negotiable.
greg wellman. www.campzest.com
greg@campzest.com
Opportunities
Intern/Apprentice/Teacher - Allegany
Ranch, Southern Oregon
Allegany Ranch http://www.alleganyranch.com
is looking for
self-motivated, enthusiastic people who want to further their
sustainable living skills in a beautiful and natural
environment. The Ranch, situated in Southern Oregon's
coastal range, is in its' early stages of becoming a
self-sustaining and ecologically sound environment which will
provide a forum for natural building workshops, working with
wood, organic gardening, animal husbandry, land stewardship and
various other self sustaining projects. We are seeking
individuals who would like to be a part of this exciting new
venture. Interested applicants must have the ability to work
independently as well as with others. Applicants should
also be flexible and able to assist with a wide range of Ranch
activities. Current activities include; building projects,
trail maintenance, animal husbandry and various land
improvements. Ongoing and future activities include; natural
building with strawbale/ cob/cordwood, herb/organic gardening
projects, water catchment techniques, and wood milling.
We also offer an opportunity to showcase your skills
through the creation of your own workshops, projects and
inspirations which further your growth. If you are already
an experienced instructor and are looking for new environments
to teach in, this may be for you as well. If you love nature and
are interested in joining a team of creative, honest and
hardworking individuals which promote natural building and self-
sustaining projects- please contact us ASAP. 1-3-6 month terms
(with Opportunity for extension).
Position benefits: Housing in a tipi or space for dry camping
(tent, camper, or trailer), Composting toilet, Outdoor hot water
shower, Access to communal refrigeration, Garden space and Ranch
eggs (as available), Small weekly food stipend, Safe/secure
learning and living environment.
Please contact alleganyranch@yahoo.com
or 805 857-4962 attention: Beverly (posted Nov 13, 2008)
Straw Bale Volunteering
Opportunity
Seeking volunteers to help
me work on my straw bale house in Portland TN for the next 2-3 mos.
I am currently putting up the walls, then have the bamboo pins to
do, then the plastering. I have a finished straw bale house I am
living in that is 12 by 18 feet, no indoor plumbing, a composting
toilet, using rain water. I have lived there 7 yrs. If
anyone would like to see what not to do in their own house, or what
I am doing differently in the larger house, I can show them
the small house, too. Interested persons call me, Katrina Hays, at
615-429-7946 or e-mail me at krhayes2003@yahoo.com.
(Received Sept 15, 2008)
Natural Building
Apprenticeship Offered for Monolithic Adobe (Cob) Project. September
2008 Construction is commencing on a bathhouse addition to the
charming monolithic adobe studio that was the featured cover story
of the Fall 2005 Real Goods catalog; the story celebrated the first,
and possibly the only, monolithic adobe structure to be seismically
engineered and permitted in the USA. The studio is nestled
into the secluded oak woodlands overlooking a picturesque pond in
the Sierra Nevada foothills of California. With over 13 years of
traditional and natural building experience, Misha Rauchwerger will
lead the project. This is a unique opportunity to work and
learn on an historic natural building with an expert in the field
who is actively designing and building professionally and legally
within the building codes. Experience foundation through
finish work. Learn design, construction, engineering,
laboratory materials testing, and building codes. Explore your
personal interests with access to a phenomenal library of natural
building, architectural design, and permaculture books. The
apprentice needs a basic background in construction; it would be
ideal if the applicant is equipped with a basic set of tools, and
has had previous experience in a natural building workshop or
program, however these are not requirements. Construction is
beginning immediately and will continue through early November,
possibly longer. Please view our website for details and pictures of
our property and location, and our Craftsman-style straw bale home
and curvaceous, hand-sculpted adobe studio: www.strawbaledreamhome.com.
Rustic accommodation in the adobe studio is offered. Terms of
the apprenticeship will be negotiated based on skills, experience,
and needs.
Phone (209) 532-3972 or e-mail misha.rauchwerger@gmail.com
to apply for the position. (Posted September 9, 2008)
SEEKING INTERESTED BEGINNING COBBERS to
build a tiny cob cabin in northeastern PA. It consists of a
fieldstone foundation, timberframe, living roof and cob walls.
Foundation, frame and roof are complete. I have about 2 feet of mud
on the wall. Please contact me if you are interested in coming to
learn hands on about cob, as well as any other natural building
techniques I can offer. I have 4 acres in the beautiful Catskill
Mountains. Sight consists of a hand pump for water, plenty of space
for camping and an outdoor kitchen. There is also a wonderful lake
down the road for swimming. Come out for the weekend and learn about
natural building. No charge! Just pitch in for food. Call for
further details. 607-237-7216. Hope to see you! John Fox, earthcottage@gmail.com.
(Posted July 30, 2008)
Long Way Home, INC is a non-profit
organization in Guatemala that is embarking on a project using
rammed earth construction, and available materials such as recyclables
and old tires in construction of a school building. We are
interested in finding interns with expertise or volunteers with
engineering expertise to work with us. Can you help? Check us out at
www.longwayhomeinc.org
(Posted May 18, 2008)
Natural Building Apprenticeship at White
Oak Farm in Williams, Oregon
The position is a seven month emersion
experience in natural building with a primary emphasis on cob, straw
bale, pole framing, plasters, roofs and floors. The position will
include 2-3 days per week of building projects.
White Oak Farm
offers this position to self-motivated, enthusiastic people who want
to further their sustainable living skills. The position is an
exchange of labor for room, board, and experience. It is not an
academic course or a traditional master-apprentice relationship.
Instead you will be working collectively and individually in a
community of 6-10 people on
projects that help the Farm to function in a way that is ecologically
and economically viable. Required experience for the position includes
one or more of the following: organic farming/gardening, natural
building, and homesteading.
The work study schedule is three days per week, 6-10 hours per day
(depending on the season). During two week-long farm camps the work
week will be four days. The primary responsibilities of the work study
position are to work on a straw bale/cob cottage. There will also be
the opportunity to work on other building projects, and in our gardens
and
children's education programs. Due to the organic nature of farm
life the balance of gardening, education events, and natural building
will vary with the seasons. Natural building projects around the farm
include pole framing of outbuildings and roofs, repair of existing
structures and the construction of a straw bale/cob cottage. Work
Studiers will also have the
opportunity to aid and participate in two natural building workshops
in exchange for help with cooking and workshop logistics.
Since White Oak
Farm is a working farm and community, the position also includes
community chores beyond the three day week such as: cooking, cleaning,
farm animal care, participating in meetings, and community facilities
upkeep. All residents at the Farm also pay $20/month into a fund that
covers utilities. Position Benefits include housing in a tipi, staple
and bulk foods* and fresh produce from the organic garden, use of
farm facilities (including ponds, sauna, computer, etc.), and input in
community decision making. Two non-consecutive, week-long vacations
can be arranged at the beginning of the season. There is also
potential for the position to be extended beyond seven months into
long term community member status.
Please contact us at info@whiteoakfarmcsa.org
for more information or check out our website: www.whiteoakfarmcsa.org.
(Posted 15 January 2008)
Work Trade Position(s): Solar Energy
International
Solar Energy International (SEI) has several
positions available for the 2008 work trade program. For the last 15
years SEI has been utilizing the skills and enthusiasm of its diverse
work-traders (interns) from around the country to strengthen and grow
the organization. In fact, a large majority of the current staff were
once work-traders!
If you have an interest in Renewable Energy
and Sustainable Building practices, the work trade program is an
excellent opportunity to offset tuition costs by working with SEI
staff on various projects and tasks. In addition to reduced
tuition costs, work traders also enjoy vast networking opportunities
as part of SEI's dynamic education team. Current positions
available this Winter/Spring include: Natural Building Program
Hands-on Prep, PV Assistant/Ranch Hand, Paonia Eco-Campus
Permaculturist. Please visit our website for additional
details or call us at 970-527-7657.
http://www.solarenergy.org
/workshops/worktrade.html
Contact Jeff Tobe at 970-527-7657, or Rachel
Conor at 970-963-8855
(Posted 15 January 2008)
A call for submissions/participation:
Artist/earth builders of all stripes and colors: To
celebrate/encourage/inspire
/publish/teach earth art in general, and community art in particular,
Hand Print Press invites you to share your best (illustrated) stories
for a public portfolio (and a beautiful book, and perhaps a traveling
exhibit) of beautiful, varied, inspiring art made of mud, from near and
far, by all kinds of experienced or beginners’ hands. If you have a
story to tell (and stunning photos to share), please get in touch and
help us inspire others to stand up for the earth under their own feet
and to take the life of beauty into their own hands.
The editor/coordinators of the project are Kiko
Denzer and Georgie Donais. Kiko published a
handful of such stories in a small book titled Dig Your Hands in the
Dirt (Hand Print Press, 2005). This project is an expansion and
elaboration of that book (sample copies available to potential
participants at a deep discount: http://www.handprintpress.com).
Georgie is an artist/builder who has been working on a variety of
community mud projects at Dufferin Park in Toronto, Canada (http://www.dufferinpark.ca).
A new Dig Your Hands in the Dirt website will be up by early 2008(?),
and we’re hoping to publish a physical book sometime in 2009.
Kinds of art/mud projects we’re looking for:
- Community art/building projects (all ages)
- School/educational projects with kids
(especially so-called “at risk” kids)
- Inspiring stories of challenges met, lessons
learned, beauties won (or lost), breakthrough insights, individual
and community growth, AND, VERY IMPORTANT, illustrations of THE
PRACTICAL ROLE OF ART IN COMMUNITIES.
- Community oven projects (schools
included/cross-referenced)
- stupendous mud art projects of any other
kind/description (visually stunning, solo or collaborative)
details:
- style: humble, practical, down to earth (i.e.,
based on actual experience and written for a broad audience of
potential builder/artist/do-it-yourselfer
s of varied social, political, and spiritual backgrounds — the
point is that anyone seeing the work should have a gut reaction
along the lines of “I could do that!”) But do include your own
personal perspective and understandings of the work and it’s
significance.
- length: long enough to tell the story; ideally,
significant technical notes/details will be separate so that
“how-to” info is easy to find.
- number of photos: again, as many as it takes to
tell the story and show off the work. More is better to start, as
the project will begin as a website; editing will happen later as we
get into book format
- photo quality: should be good enough to
reproduce in (paper) book format. Slides and prints are fine. If you
need them returned, please include SASE. Electronic files are good,
but please send original hi-res images on a CD, preferably with
duplicate files at low resolution suitable for web reproduction
- Links/recommendations for inclusion: please let
us know of any related books/projects/sites/artists
Fine print:
- participation in the site constitutes
permission to publish any submitted materials
- participants will be entitled to order multiple
copies of HPP titles at 50% discount (20% off non-HPP books carried
by HPP); plus shipping.
- participants will be invited to host a
traveling display/exhibit as a way to share the beauty, encourage
local growth/awareness/etc.
- the site should be a resource for new beginners
interested in finding local help for their own new projects
- general participation, suggestions,
encouragement, linkages, assistance are all welcome
(Posted 28 December 2007)
Skill Building
Intern Positions for 2008
We're developing a dynamic
intern program that will include focused skill building along with
service learning for the coming year. More information
and applications will be available in February 2008 for internships
running from March/April through October/November. Contact
Kolmi at info@quailsprings.org
if you're interested.
Skill building opportunities will include
natural building, permaculture design, food systems, gardening,
aquaculture, watershed restoration, animal husbandry, fund
development, and more. Experience and training is not needed, although
this is a great opportunity to further experience and education in all
aspects of farm and permaculture site development.
(Posted 14 December 2007)
The Ashevillage
Institute (AVI), a project of Kleiwerks International, is seeking a
permaculture practitioner volunteer...
Asheville, North Carolina
This person will focus on establishing the hard-scape for AVI's outdoor
infrastructure (gardens, outdoor classroom, kitchen and courtyard,
rainwater catchment, greywater reclamation, sauna/bath house, tenting
area and more). Working closely with core staff in the design process,
the permaculture practitioner will play a lead role in constructing
retaining walls, grading, bed building, material acquisition/salvage
runs, and composting. They will also focalize design work on the master
plan for AVI's surrounding yard/s,
as well as food and mead fermentation/preservation, and depending on
progress, experience some natural building.
Located in a neighborhood a few blocks from downtown Asheville, NC, the
Ashevillage Institute (AVI) is in its early stages of becoming an urban
education center and living laboratory dedicated to sustainable
solutions in action. Please visit our website for a full description: http://www.kleiwerks.org/avi
/gardenintern.php
(Posted 4 April 2007)
Housing
Oxford, Michigan (Near Detroit)
INTERN OR RENTER WANTED.
"Learn natural building skills & enjoy
natural living in this ecological household on 50 beautiful acres
east of Oxford, MI 48370. On rural land 1 hour north of
Detroit."
West Wing Bedroom: $ 500 plus $80 utilities/mo.
Includes private bedroom apartment with loft sleeping area and
a personal bathroom, use of a terrace off the bedroom area,
and 50 acres including gardening space. Shared kitchen / living area
& laundry room in the center of the house.
East Wing Bedroom: $450 plus $50 utilities/mo.
Includes a private bedroom, bathroom which is occasionally
shared with natural building guests, use of the courtyard off of the
bedroom area, and 50 acres including gardening space. Shared kitchen
/ living area & laundry room in the center of the house.
Wanted: flexible, good-natured housemates who are able to be
neat in the common areas and help with household cleaning projects.
Needs to be ok with (or enthusiastic about) occasional workshops on
natural building & sustainable living which utilize the house
and outbuildings. Ecological living opportunities: healthy food,
composting, recycling, foraging and organic gardening. Radiant floor
heating in main house and a Rocket Stove Heated Bench in the
Workshop. The Strawbale Studio is an enchanting thatched roof
structure on the land. The land is a variety of ecosystems,
including woods, wetlands, small meadows and trails. Currently 2
cats in the household. Non-smokers please. Visit www.freewebs.com/strawbalestudi
o for pics and info on the natural building program and the
Strawbale Studio.
Consider living on this site as a renter OR as a renter/intern.
RENTAL. We need rental income, and you can live here as a renter who
is friendly to our activities, but not necessarily involved in them.
INTERN. As an renter/intern you would pay rent, above and also
intern. Internships teach natural building & sustainability
living skills through working on current projects and attending
workshops in exchange for assistance on projects and the land. This
would be a great way to live & learn.
Call Deanne 248 628 1887 or email. If
you love nature, you will love this place.
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