Compressed Earth Block- How to make it a reality.

The Cob Cottage Company has made the English/Welsh earth building method popular first on the West Coast of the US and has since spread east.
With much experience with this method I have grown increasing interested in another method of building walls with earth. This includes using a CEB(compressed earth block) machine.
You might think this adds more mechanization to the picture, but making cob as a builder includes the use of a skidster or tractor. And it is possible for the low impact owner-builder to make CEB's with a hand powered block compressor.

The advantages to CEB's are that in the NE, we have precious little drying weather and the CEB's are installed when dry. This means they can be made indoors and let dry and then taken to a building site and erected quickly without the need for drying time.
What has really made the idea jump forward for me in terms of how it could become reality is based on a great project called Open Source Ecology founded by Marcin Jakubowski in 2003 and lead by Mark Norton.
One of their first projects in their Global Village Construction Set was the Liberator. They have posted plans and for a machine that can be build by most machinists/welders/builders. You can view the project here.
Anyone interested to help build one?

Ralph Nader: Koch Brothers Led Fight to Defend Formaldehyde Despite Carcinogenic Evidence

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The government has added formaldehyde to a list of known carcinogens, despite years of lobbying by the chemical industry. Formaldehyde is found in plastics and often used in plywood, particle board, mortuaries and hair salons. The government also said Friday that styrene, which is used in boats, bathtubs and in disposable foam plastic cups and plates, may cause cancer. The conservative billionaire Koch brothers have led the lobbying effort against labeling formaldehyde as a carcinogen. Georgia-Pacific, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, is one of the country’s top producers of formaldehyde.

The Book Surgeon

I enjoy sharing artwork that I find really stands out. This is one from Brian Dettmer:
http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/the-book-surgeon-15-pieces

Natural Builders Northeast 6th Annual Gathering

Another great gathering of inspiring natural builders was hosted by the Vermont contingent in Northfield. A weekend of pizza and pancake making/discussions/presentations and the most participated in Saturday night slide show event yet.
Of note is the development of the NBNE logo and website which will host a new blog authored by NBNE members.
I have a hard time deciding whether I like the company or the content more!









Here is the old website . Stay tuned for the new format.

Pan begins to communicate

See Pan sign for nursing. Signing gives him confidence and a sense that he can communicate. We have noticed his excitement when making this connection.

Farmland Development Ideas

I have been working on a project that combines conserved land, small scale farming and affordable housing.
Here is a project that adresses similar concerns. Not quite affordable though and minus the farming, maybe. This is more like your green upscale suburbia version, unfortunately.
The design shows that there is a bent towards what is "cool" in green design rather than practicality, and you will pay for it.
But ultimately, we need to go further down this path to find real solutions for more people in the vein of solving multiple problems with solutions that turn them into assets.

Builder's Website

Natural Design/Build Joins New Partnership to Keep Vermont’s Working Landscape Vital

Vermont’s working landscape—its open meadows and mixed forests—offers economic, cultural, scenic, environmental and recreational benefits that are essential to our future prosperity. Yet if alarming trends are not reversed, it could vanish within a generation along with Vermont’s unique character and many of the key values that unify the state.

Fifty years ago half of the state’s land was in agriculture; today barely one-fifth is being actively farmed. Forest products mills are closing and production is down. Parcels are smaller, and development is spreading across the countryside.

The new nonpartisan and broad-based Vermont Working Landscape Partnership is leading a bold year-long campaign to keep our farm and forest economy vital. It will bring a focused Action Plan to the Governor and legislature—one that will help everyone trying to make a living from the land. Natural Design/Build is already endorsing this effort and welcomes this new voice in the State House.

It’s important to show our elected leaders how much Vermonters care about this issue. Sign up as an individual member of the Partnership to stay updated and help shape the campaign for the future of Vermont’s Working Landscape.

In December, leaders from the state, federal, nonprofit and private sectors packed the Vermont State House for the Summit on the Future of the Working Landscape. Many of them have already joined this Partnership in support of its Plan. Learn more and add your name to the growing list.

The Vermont Council on Rural Development is leading this effort. If Vermonters focus and work together, we can build an agricultural and natural resource Renaissance and keep our land working for future generations!