The winner of this month’s free 7 day straw bale workshop is…Jesse L.!
Jesse is an artist and writer inspired by the natural world of Vermont. She is also an herbalist and last year was certified in Permaculture Design. For the past two years she has not had a home of her own but instead has been employed by going house to house, caring for people’s gardens, plants and pets. In that time she has written a book, a manuscript of poems and a children’s story.
Jesse has dreamed of building an earth friendly home for years. She sees using her homestead as a small permaculture herb farm with fruit trees and creating an outdoor classroom for art and writing as well. She looks forward to joining the strawbale class, learning skills, working with a team and getting closer to the reality of building a place she can call home. This will also give her family, children and grandchildren a place to visit.
She also looks forward to bringing her acquired knowledge and skills into her community to assist others in creating strawbale and permaculture dwellings. Jesse will be joining us in one of our Oregon classes.
Congratulations Jesse!
About the Author
Andrew Morison is a specialist in straw bale and green construction. He has shown thousands of people how to build their own straw bale projects through his comprehensive series of instructional straw bale, concrete foundation, and plastering DVDs, as well as his hands on workshops. You can check these out at www.StrawBale.com/store.
Email Updates
To be notified of new entries and to get our "16 Essential Steps to Straw Bale Success e-course" absolutely free, enter your email address below then check your inbox to confirm. More Info>>
March 28th, 2012 at 7:06 am
Hola mi amigo Andrew and team ! I say team because Andrew couldn’t do this all by himself …. I don’t even know how many people are on your “team” Andrew ? (behind the scenes) I know your wonderful wife is a huge part of the team… And a few other good people …
Im writting this because i want people to know that when you join this “team” your coming on board to learn ! work ! and meet similar interested people. I myself have only attended one workshop. And i want those of you to know with Andrew as a team leader your going to get a very good education in straw bale construction ! Im a retired firefighter and before that i was in construction …. and before that i was in special forces in the navy …. So I,ve seen a few good , bad , and ugly team leaders! I can say even if Andrew wasn’t in this trade he would make a GREAT team leader in any trade ! …He’s a natrual born leader…. !
If your wondering what your going to get out of this class and your not sure …. Please know your going to get “your moneys worth” ! From meeting other folks from all the world to eating three good meals a day to learning a whole new trade ! Andrew has just about answered every question regarding straw bale you can imagine ..
I met some really greagt folks in my class and Im sure they would say the same thing ! I found myself at the end of the class thinking to myself …. “Dang i just learned a whole new trade , and some great people !” .
Im hoping to be able to have our own workshop in Arizona in 2014 ! (save me a spot Andrew) .. And what my wife and i are looking forward to , is having a team leader like Andrew run the straw bale part of the construction ! And also meet wonderful “Strawpenters” like all of you ! So if your wondering …. What is this class all about , and what will i get out of it ??? Wonder no more ! .. Since my class in Brownsville Or, i have found myself being an ambasador for straw bale ! I love the look on interested folks faces when they hear for the first time “Straw Bale” . Most of everything I,ve learned has been thru Andrews DVD’s and the workshop !
Last i just want to say …. this past year for me has been challenging … I had a close call with cancer and it really got my attention ! A little set back … But hey ! Im back on track and still moving forward to building our dream home in beautiful Arizona ! Take care and wonder no more ! Peace and love … May your interest become reality ! Jim Federico
March 28th, 2012 at 7:53 am
Hi Jim. Thanks so much for your kind words here. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. I’m so glad to hear you are feeling better (of course you and I have already shared that happiness on Facebook and in email). Until next time…perhaps 2014!
March 28th, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Hello Jim et al;
I too would enjoy seeing and participating in a 2014 Arizona workshop. I’ve had retirement property in the Sonoita / Elgin area of SW Arizona for many years. And while retirement is still some years away, I definitely look forward to building a strawbale house, barn and Granny-casita in the future. Due to work necessities, I’m currently living in metro Seattle. However the Sonoita Strawbale dream lives on!! Thanks Andrew and team for all your great work, insights and for sharing with everyone.
Note: I’ve actually been interested in Strawbale construction for upwards of 20 years and there are many Strawbale homes along with early advocates and builders residing in Southern AZ. SB construction and methodology has significantly advanced over the years and will gain further recognition in the mainstream building industry. Cheers! John C.
March 29th, 2012 at 7:19 am
…… John Chalk ! How very exciting ! We were visting friends in Sonoita in 1993 And thats when we were introduced to straw bale construction ! The building was (then) called Karens cafe. Now i belive it is a wine tasting building in Elgin… I remember saying to our friends what a lovely old adobe ” … And they chuckeled and said it was a new straw bale building ! And that’s when it all started for us ! I truly hope you will be able to build in 2014 ! … Maybe our workshops could be back to back LOL ! We could go half ers on Andrews plane ticket LOL ! Catch that Andrew ? !! Ha Ha !!
April 4th, 2012 at 10:37 am
I’ll have to protect my voice then. Riiiicolaaaaaa!