Workshops and Events

Listed Chronologically

Co-Create an Earthbag Home
May 30 - Sept. 29
Taos, New Mexico

This is a four month project, building an earth bag home from the earth up.

MONTH 1: Building a mechanical room, bag work, perimeter insulation, and vapor barrier. Innovative trench grade beam footing.

MONTH 2: Concrete footings and concrete bond beam. 2 x 6 south facing framed wall. Roof framed and sheathed

MONTH 3: Installing fixed and operable windows, seal windows, exterior plaster prep and plaster, pouring finish floors, putting up ceiling, building bottle and can walls

MONTH 4: Plastering interior walls, kitchen and bathroom cabinets, building and installing doors. Finish plaster exterior. Landscaping.

See www.earthandsunsustainablebuilders.com for more information.

Bale Cob Wall System
September 18 - 21
Nevada City, California

Join us and learn how to build with cob and straw bales. This natural wall system combines the best of straw bale building and cob walls. This wall system is easy and fast, and fun for people of all ages.          

See naturallivingschool.com for more information.

High-Quality Low-Cost Shelters Workshop
Sept. 23 - 24
Asheville, NC

We will tour an earthbag earthship, a converted bus, and revisit the construction of the easy yurt, and talk about the costs, strengths, and weaknesses of each. Class members can decide which structure(s) we mostly focus on.

See sustainablelifeschool.com for more information.

Cal-Earth Workshop
Sept. 25 - Oct. 2
Italy

In Cooperation with Vide Terra, the 8-day intensive course teaches how to apply the Superadobe/Earthbag technique for a dome construction. During the workshop a 2m interior diameter dome with a door and a window will be built. The purpose of the course is to give the theoretical and practical tools useful to design and build a small earth structure or living space.

See www.videterra.org for more information.

Cob Leveling Coat
October 2 - 5
Nevada City, California

Come and learn how to use cob as a leveling coat over straw bales. In this workshop, you will learn how to make our special cob mix for leveling coats, and apply it using hand tossing, slapping, and finishing with a trowel. Its fast, accurate, and very strong. Learn the fundamentals of trowel use and get the feel for plastering.   

See naturallivingschool.com for more information.

Natural Plastering
October 9 - 12
Nevada City, California

Learn the basics of natural plastering including recipes and specifications. Get hands on experience applying plaster and plenty of practice developing muscle memory. 

See naturallivingschool.com for more information.

7th International Hemp Building Symposium
Oct. 17 - 18
Montreal, Canada

The two day event will consist of international speakers with the latest research results and material tests. There will also be presentations from people working in the industry about projects they are involved in both planned or completed.

This year’s Symposium visit is an outing to a church and stone buildings situated nearby, a very beautiful project which has been renovated with Hempcrete and Hemp Plaster the inside of the stone wall.

See www.internationalhempbuilding.org for more information.

Intro to Mass Heaters
Oct. 21 - 22
Rockaway Beach, Oregon

We will build an efficient, low-cost batch-burn heater with a heated bench. A great class for anyone wanting to burn wood more efficiently and store the heat. Learn about the wonderful variety in historical and modern masonry / mass heater designs, and how they keep people warm with very little fuel or fuss. Familiarize yourself with several designs, fire science, materials and their sourcing, construction techniques, and planning for a heater project. Hands-on instruction, lectures and slides. Ages 20 and up.

See www.earthenhand.com for more information.

See On-Going Workshops for more listings.