[Lapg] Natural Building Apprenticeship June 5 - July 28, 2006 Emerald Earth Community, Boonville, Northern California

Wed Jan 11 05:15:51 PST 2006

Natural Building in Community
An intensive  skill-builder for natural builders
June 5 - July 28, 2006
Emerald Earth Community, Boonville, Northern California

Instructors: Michael G. Smith and Darryl Berlin
with guests including Janine Björnson, Massey Burke and Sara McCamant

This is a rare opportunity to develop natural building skills in the 
stimulating environment of a rural intentional community. We take a 
whole-systems approach to ecological building, combining earth, straw, 
wood, sand and stone in various ways to create inexpensive, efficient 
hybrid structures. Each week will include 25-30 hours of supervised 
hands-on building, 2-5 hours of "classroom" time, and an individual 
research project. We will also take several field trips to explore and 
participate in other natural building projects around Northern California. 
The group will be very small (maximum 6), allowing lots of individual 
supervision and skill-building. Participants will be integrated into the 
dynamic social context of the community, sharing meals, cooking and 
cleaning tasks, meetings, fun and games with other residents. The 
supportive learning environment will focus on developing skills not only in 
building but also in group living, leadership and communication. This 
program is recommended for people who want to take their education further 
than is possible by attending short workshops or by training in a single 
technique, especially for owner-builders and for those working towards a 
career in natural building. No previous experience is required.

Things you will learn:

o straw bale
o cob
o straw-clay (slipstraw)
o other earthen wall systems (wattle-and-daub, clay wattle, adobe)
o round pole framing and basic carpentry
o earthen floors
o natural plasters and paints (clay and lime plasters, alis paints, etc.)
o alternative foundations (rubble trench, earthbags, rammed tires, etc.)
o sustainable materials harvesting
o home power generation
o passive solar design
o structures and processes for intentional communities
o and lots more about natural building, rural homesteading, and working in 
groups

Cost and registration:

The 8-week program costs $3000, including instruction, on-site camping, 
field trips, and organic, mostly vegetarian meals. We require a written 
application, and encourage a visit to the community to meet the instructors 
and other residents. Two partial scholarships are available for women on 
the basis of financial need.

For more information or an application:

Phone (707) 895-3302 or email 
<mailto:workshops at emeraldearth.org>workshops at emeraldearth<mailto:workshops at emeraldearth.org>.org. 
To see photos and more about the community, check out our Web site at 
<http://www.emeraldearth.org>www.emeraldearth<http://www.emeraldearth.org>.org.

Don't have time for our 8-week program?

Try our Natural Building Intensive, Sept 2-8, which covers many of the same 
topics condensed into a single week. Cost is $500 including camping and 
food. Class size is limited, so register early. Call or email for details.

What previous years¹ participants said:

"The hands-on aspect of the program was great - sufficient time, and a lot 
of different methods covered. I enjoyed all of the lectures, and I can¹t 
think of a major topic that I would have wanted to learn about that was not 
covered. The field trips were great. The individual projects were extremely 
useful. I was amazed with how much you managed to cram into eight short 
weeks!" - MB

"Michael Smith¹s ability to organize and deliver information is unrivaled, 
while Darryl Berlin¹s method is founded in his connection to the land. 
These are soulful teachers who walk their talk. Each day I could feel 
another layer of cynicism about the desperate state of politics and the 
environment fall away. I slept outside under an oak tree, the stars and the 
moon. I ate the healthiest diet of my life, most of it grown by the 
community." - MM

"I really enjoyed the opportunities to work on my leadership skills. I had 
enough time to see myself change from uncomfortable to confident in the 
role of teacher and leader, which was an empowering process. I feel I 
walked away from the program a completely new person, rich with newfound 
knowledge, full of excitement and inspiration, with new clarity on my path 
in life." - BD

"Since completing the apprenticeship, I¹ve led two natural building 
workshops. Both went really well and I know I wouldn¹t have been 
comfortable leading them if it hadn¹t been for the program. I have also had 
paid natural building work as a direct result of the contacts I made at 
Emerald Earth. I would do it all over again without hesitation. It was by 
far the best natural building educational experience I¹ve ever had." - MJ-

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