Hello Permaculture Community,

 

Last night I watched the movie “Flashdance” and was inspired by the story of a working gal trying to make her dreams come true and how the people who supported her dreams empowered her to go in the direction of her dream of auditioning for the ballet. “Take your passion, Make it happen!”

 

Natural Building is a shared passion in the permaculture community. With your loving support we can make the dream come true of building a cob structure in our community garden, Our Global Family Village, at City Farm SLO. The workshop dates are Nov. 3 and 4 and also Nov. 10 and 11. (10am – 5pm)

 

 

Chad Franco, Advanced Cobber, will be our guide to create an African Style Mud Hut for children and our community to enjoy. Here is what Chad has to say about the project:

 

“It’s such a gratifying feeling getting grounded again with the earth below our feet to create beautiful works of art that will last a life time. This is your opportunity to come learn, get your feet muddy and build community with your neighbors you don’t know yet. These workshops are beginner to intermediate where you will learn about how to source local materials, integrating doors & windows, shelving, arches, niches, sculpting, plastering & so much more with lunch included!! Workshop dates: November 3 & 4 November 10 & 11 Tuition: $120 for 2-day $210 for both weekends ($30 savings!) If you can’t make it, then please consider donating to this project that’s fully community funded and driven. That means without your help this project won’t happen!”

 

Here is how you can support our passion for the Natural Building  Cob Workshops:

 

  1. Attend the workshops on either Nov. 3 & 4 or Nov. 10 & 11 or BOTH

Tuition: $120 for 2-days and $210 for 4-days (10am to 5pm)

***SPACE IS LIMITED, sign up before October 28th, 2018***

PLEASE NOTE: Ages 18+, workshops are physically demanding

To sign up or reserve your spot, contact Chad Franco at chad@cobjobs.com  with payments via Cash, check, Venmo (@Chad-Franco-1) or Paypal https://www.paypal.me/chadfranco1

Check out Chad Franco's Instagram to see his work! @cobbersdelight

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/276405906311086/

 

  1. Contribute to the GoFundMe campaign

GO FUND ME: https://www.gofundme.com/mud-hut-cob-building-project  

Donations of $120+ may attend a 2-day workshop. This is the best option for you if you want to claim your contribution/registration to the workshop as a charitable tax deduction!

If you can’t make it, please consider a donation of any amount to this wonderful cause.

 

  1. Come to the Pancake Breakfast at SLO Guild Hall on October 7th and donate $7 or MORE to the project. Chad, and his girlfriend Adriana and myself will be there to help with the breakfast. All proceeds from the pancake breakfast go towards this cob construction project. And at 10am you will be treated to a sneak preview of Opera SLO production of The Magic Flute! Please come to eat pancakes, meet Chad, listen to the musical presentation and donate to the community.

 

  1. Come to our next Permaculture Social on October 4th at SLO City Farm to meet Chad and to see the project site. We will be there this Thursday, Oct. 4th from 3pm to 6pm to work on the foundation.

 

  1. Come to the Fall Harvest Festival on October 21st to put some “cobs” made of clay, sand and straw onto the foundation. Support our local urban farm. Family fun for everyone.

 

  1. Become a “villager” at Our Global Family Farm and have your own patch of land to tend. FREE! The land needs your loving hands. Contact treelees@charter.net to become a villager.

 

By participating in this project, you can learn natural building techniques that have been used to build homes with the earth beneath our feet. You will learn about the benefits of natural building, soil testing, sourcing local materials, cob wall construction, wall trimming, integrating windows, niches, sculpting, plastering, and more. Cob is a mixture of local materials including clay, sand, and straw built in one monolithic structure. Here is an outline of the workshops:

 

Workshop 1 November 3-4th: 10am to 5pm
~COB BASICS: SOIL & BRICK TESTING
~BENEFITS OF NATURAL BUILDING
~DOOR PREP & PLACEMENT
~INTERIOR & EXTERIOR COB BENCH

Workshop 2 November 10-11th: 10am to 5pm
~WINDOW PREP & INTEGRATION
~ARCHES, NICHES & "DEADMEN"
~SCULPTING & PLASTERING
~LEARN ABOUT BOND BEAM
ROOF ATTACHMENT

This is a community funded event and we need your help in order to make this dream happen for the kids! We are half of the way there with the funds so PLEASE consider donating to this wonderful cause!

Attached are flyers for other upcoming events in October.

October 6th – Stargazing – An Evening with the Stars

October 14th – The Wild Within Innate Awakening

October 21st – Fall Harvest Festival at City Farm

October 27th – Honey Festival in Paso Robles

 

Teresa Lees – SLO Permaculture Guild