Category Archives: Healthy Building

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  Intro to Natural Building – Workshop Report

  Posted on August 28, 2012 by somaearth in Earth Plasters, Healthy Building, Natural Building, Natural Building Workshops, Organic Building, Straw Bale Building, Sustainable

    Workshop hosted by Instructors Ingrid Cryns and Brad Ruelens “The Introduction to Natural Building workshop is a perfect primer into understanding all the different methods of Earth and Straw bale construction.   Not only was it interesting and informative, but it was also fun.  Ingrid and Brad are very warm and caring instructors!”   We first took [...]

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  Timeless Materials

  Posted on July 18, 2012 by somaearth in Building SOUL Blog, Healthy Building, Natural Building, Retrofit, Sustainable

  Recently, I made a trip out to the most wonderful reclaimed wood store called Timeless Materials in Kitchener, Ontario.  They have the best selection that I have ever seen. It is such a pleasure to walk through the 2 levels of barn that they have of their storehouse of materials.  From reclaimed wood strip flooring, [...]

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  Transition Towns Eco Villages

  Posted on June 11, 2012 by somaearth in Eco-Village, Healthy Building, Natural Building, permaculture, permacutlure, Sustainable, Sustainable Farm, transition towns

  Transition Towns has evolved out of the principles of the Permaculture movement.  Some enterprising students studying under Rob Hopkins of Kinsale Further Education College in Ireland included in their work, David Holmgren’s important and classic book, Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability (2003).  The actual term, Transition Towns was coined by  Louise Rooney and Catherine Dunne.  From Ireland, in 2007 [...]

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  Permaculture & Natural Building

  Posted on June 11, 2012 by somaearth in Healthy Building, Permaculture, Sustainable Farm, Transition Towns, Uncategorized

      Bill Mollison’s, seminal work, Permaculture, a Designer Manual , published in 1998, began the Permaculture movement, based on the core tenents of; Care of the Earth: Provision for all life systems to continue and multiply. Care of People: Provision for people to access those resources necessary for their existence. Setting Limits to Population [...]

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  Splash Twig BandShell Part 2 & 3

  Posted on May 31, 2012 by somaearth in Healthy Building, Natural Building, Natural Building Workshops, Sustainable

    This challenging project tested all of our skills of designing and building.  We went through 3 variations from the original design to finally come up with the above structure.  Working with branches that are completely irregular was one problem.  Nothing will ever line up so you have to learn how to be flexible with [...]

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  Buildings made with Mushrooms

  Posted on May 11, 2012 by somaearth in Healthy Building, Natural Building, Sustainable

      I recently came accross an incredible concept of people working with organic food products to make buildings out of them – like mushrooms!  Philip Ross is creating building blocks out of nontoxic, fireproof, mold- and water-resistant  fungus – a type of mushroom!  He is mostly interested in  the “fungi’s thin, white rootlike fibers”  known [...]

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