www.onecommunityranch.org

If you are interested in different ways of creating a sustainable community, this website may be of interest to you. Here’s some information I pulled off of their website (I hope they don’t mind, but I want to let their own words inspire you).

PURPOSE
To be the open-source blueprint for a sustainable civilization.

MISSION STATEMENT
To demonstrate a new way of living that addresses the pressing problems of today and prepares the world for the challenges of the next century through a duplicable model of large-scale sustainability for the complete human experience founded on a simple celebration of what we are capable of: completely sustainable lifestyle practices, inspired collaboration and global contribution, zero-waste living, and unconditional love for each other.

VISION STATEMENT
At One Community our vision is to transform the world by being the change we wish to see through a thriving culture of seamless cooperation, creativity, contribution, spiritual growth, meaningful relationships, personal expression, partnerships with like-minded businesses and individuals, and abundance that we happily share with the world.

As many of us know, it is time for our cultures and communities to come together in a new way, in a sustainable way. The One Community Ranch has a vision of how that can look. I hope you enjoy visiting their website and that you decide to help in some way to speed up the transition to a more aware way of being.

As more and more people continue to take on holistic lifestyles, it seems the benefits of doing so continue to grow in awareness. As has been shown through many examples, when it comes to the actual building process, using materials such as earth bags and straw bale can not only keep sustainability at a maximum, but also come at a low cost, while still giving the option of a traditional or designs that defy conventionality. What is not as well known, however, is that using an option like earth bags for building can cut down the risk of health problems that may be present in some older building structures.

Many people looking into earth bag building may be on the fence for different reasons such as cost, time, or just to gain more knowledge. For some that may be interested while currently living in some older homes, a switch to using straw bale earth bags can be particularly beneficial to health and sustainability at the same time. The health benefits of sustainable building through use of earth bags or straw bale can prevent people from minor to major health risks.

The use of straw bale is certainly a departure from some of the toxins that may be present in traditional forms of building and construction; this could include the use of common paints, which are high in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s). VOC’s are common to lead to health risks like asthma and other respiratory problems.

Another example of use of earth bags as a healthy home substitution could involve the fact that many people in older homes are seeing some problems with insulation in their homes, possibly putting them at risk of health problems such as nausea or dizziness.

Straw bale building is beginning to gain great notoriety in a number of different areas. For example, in a high humid area such as Houston, TX using straw bale to build can ensure no overheating or constant sweating occurs at home. With the right moisture control techniques, a straw bale house would certainly be an upgrade over an energy consuming Houston apartment or home.

These are just a few of the health risks that may be present in traditional construction and building styles as opposed to earth bag or straw bale buliding. Using organic, earth made materials can not only do wonders in sustainability and helping the carbon footprint, but also in ensuring the best possible home in regards to health risks.

ROCKWOOD — This fall, students at Centennial Public School will be sitting in a classroom made primarily of straw.

Designed by the Guelph-based Evolve Builders Group Inc., the new portable at Rockwood Centennial would put the three little pigs construction efforts to shame. It is completely made out of natural materials, providing a healthier and more educational learning environment for students. Evolve said it is the world’s first portable constructed with strawbale walls.

“Kids learn by investigating,” said Paul Scinocca, the building manager for the Upper Grand District School Board. “As a group that just builds buildings for them to live in, we would like to try and build some buildings that they can learn from too.”

The portable was assembled in Mount Forest and delivered in two pieces to the Rockwood school on Friday. A total of 180 bales of straw and plaster make up the walls that have an insulation rating of R-50, which is very high. The roof is steel, the paint is mineral-based; even the adhesives used are water based. The entire building is free of volatile organic compounds, which should mean cleaner air for students.

Scinocca said the comparison between traditional portables and this eco-building is like comparing apples and oranges. Outside of the different materials used, the new green classroom has many different bells and whistles.

In the winter, the air in the portable is to be moved out of the classroom, heated by the sun and then recirculated back into the room, cutting down on the heat bill. Photovoltaic cells will be on the roof to help provide power to the classroom, which will be lit by LED light bulbs. As opposed to normal portables which use particleboard, all the wood trim in the classroom was milled locally.

The president of Evolve, Ben Polley said the eco-building out performs the standard portable classrooms in every respect. Because it is so efficient, the operating costs will be much lower, helping shave a little bit off its price tag over time.

“If you can get a better outcome for the same cost it’s worth considering,” he said.

While Scinocca couldn’t reveal the actual price of the new portable because not all the bills have come in, he said the school board usually gets these buildings from the Ontario-based Niagara Relocatable Buildings company. The company said the portables purchased by the school board several years ago would run at about $60,000 plus tax if purchased today.

Polley said the new green building cost roughly 70 per cent more than these standard portables mainly because of all the extra add-ons. If it were just the basic unit without the solar cells and air recirculating unit and other extras, he said the cost would be within a 20 per cent price difference.

“We’re interested in showing kids things can be done differently than our parents did it.” Scinocca said.

“If you want to get a different outcome, you need to look at doing things in a different way.”

He said this classroom is the perfect marriage between a sustainable, long lasting building and a teaching tool for students. Inside the portable, the builders have left a spot on the wall so the students can see how the structure was built.

“Instead of a building that just houses the students, it’s now a teaching resource,” Polley said.

If you find this inspiring, talk to your school board. Talk to those people in a position to do something about it near you. This type of work can make such a difference in a child’s ability to learn, grow, and be inspired. To me, there is nothing quite as important as creating a healthy and inspiring world for our kids. I hope you’ll join me in spreading the word about this important work.

===================

My name is Melissa Baldridge, and I blog at www.yourgreenspot.com/blog.  I write a periodic column called “Living Outside the Box,” featuring cool energy-efficient housing and the great people who build and/or live in them.  For example, I recently wrote about Masdar City, a clean-tech community outside Abu Dhabi.  We’re also starting a video component to “Living Outside the Box” which could also be useful for the straw bale feature. I would like to do a feature piece on straw bale construction and the people who either live in or design/build these amazing homes.

If you know of someone with a straw bale house in metro Denver who’d like their house featured, please contact me.  Builders and architects, take note!  Same goes for any of your clients who you think might be interested.

Thanks in advance!

Melissa Baldridge, LEED AP O+M

Melissa@yourgreenspot.com

303.394.0202

Canadian Organic Growers (COG), Canada’s largest organic farming organization has joined 59 other farming associations, seed companies and farmers in a legal action against Monsanto to challenge the chemical giant’s patents on transgenic (genetically modified) seed.

In a law suit filed Tuesday, the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT), a Manhattan-based public interest law association, asks the court to consider whether Monsanto has the right to sue farmers for patent infringement if Monsanto’s genetically modified seed lands on their farm. Dan Ravicher, PUBPAT’s Executive Director, said “It seems quite perverse that an organic farmer whose land is contaminated by transgenic seed could be accused of patent infringement, but Monsanto has made such accusations before and is notorious for having sued hundreds of farmers for patent infringement, so we had to act to protect the interests of our clients.”

One of the goals of the suit is to demonstrate that the biotechnology patents issued to Monsanto, the manufacturer of DDT, Agent Orange, PCBs and a host of other toxins, are not in the public interest. In 1817, U.S. Justice Story wrote that to be patentable, an invention must not be “injurious to the well-being, good policy, or sound morals of society,” and “a new invention to poison people … is not a patentable invention.”

COG member and organic farmer Arnold Taylor said “I’m thrilled that Canadian Organic Growers and other farm organizations are not afraid to stand up to the most dominant chemical company on the planet to defend the rights of farmers. Genetically modified seeds threaten the diversity of our seed supply, farmers’ rights to save seed and jeopardize the livelihoods of farmers who could lose access to international markets.”

According to Laura Telford, National Director of Canadian Organic Growers, “Organic standards place the responsibility to produce crops free of genetic contamination on the shoulders of organic farmers. Farmers are required to take appropriate measures to ensure that their crops are not subject to contamination from neighbouring fields. With the proliferation of patents for new transgenic crops from Monsanto, including most recently, a patent for Roundup Ready herbicide tolerant alfalfa, farmers’ ability to grow organic crops is becoming increasingly difficult”.

The full legal complaint is available at:

www.pubpat.org/assets/files/seed/OSGATA-v-Monsanto-Complaint.pdf

For more information, contact:

Laura Telford

National Director

Canadian Organic Growers

613 216-0742

613 298-8848 (cell)

laura@cog.ca www.cog.ca

There was a great documentary about the Beavans on PBS a few months ago and I really enjoyed watching it. I was amazed at how many people actually got mad at them and pointed what seemed like hatred in their direction. Why? Because they are living a life with no impact (or really close) on our planet? It’s weird how the human mind can find a way to get angry when someone else does something that in truth has no direct bearing on them personally. I mean, when a guy decides to use cloth instead of toilet paper, does that affect any of us in a way that we need to get mad at him? I don’t think so. Any way, I think his story is fascinating and I hope you’ll check him out and find inspiration to green up even a little more from where you are today.

Last month I challenged myself as a result of watching the documentary. Nothing huge, just something I can actually do. If I find myself at the grocery store without my reusable bags and I can’t carry out the goods without the use of a bag, I will buy a new reusable bag and skip the paper or plastic. Then, when I’m next at the store with my new bag and my old bags, I will donate my new bag to someone who is about to use paper for their purchase. I hope it will inspire others to stop using thrown away bags. I’ve already had to buy and donate two bags, so either my level of inspiration will stay the same or get higher, or my memory will improve and I’ll start bringing my bags EVERY time I go shopping!

Here’s another thing I am planning to bring to my local grocery stores. Charge for every bag that a customer uses. I was just in Ontario, Canada and while there I noticed that people at the supermarket were charged $.05 for every paper or plastic bag they used. I like that. Here in my part of Oregon, you can save $.05 when you use your own bag. The problem is that people in this country seem to respond better when they are charged for it. I believe that if people knew they were going to be charged $1.00 for the 20 bags they use on a large shop, they might actually start buying the reusable bags and start saving that dollar. After all, if they clip coupons, they understand what it means to save, a little at a time.

I hope you’ll come visit me in San Jose and take part in this great event. Bring your questions and I’ll see you June 26th and 27th!

Image from www.LifeUnplugged.net

I’m not a big fan of bales in the roof as you likely already know. They are so heavy and there are several areas of concern in regards to using them above head.

1. The frame needs to be drastically increased in size and/or spacing to support the extra load.

2. Plastering over head is VERY difficult and tiring.This can be alleviated by using planking in place of plaster for the finish.

3. The R-Value gained is not anything better than what you can get with regular insulation materials (either blown in or batts and either natural materials like cotton or wool or conventional ones like fiberglass).

Personally, I stick with light weight insulation materials in the roof and leave the bales for the walls; however, if you want to use bales, you can use an assembly that looks something like this:

[ad#post-horizontal]

- 2×6 tongue and groove planking over beams/girders (to be engineered per the loads and spans)
- Double layer of drywall as described for boiler rooms, etc.
- Vapor barrier as required. I’m not sure what options you actually have for this and may end up with plastic sheeting as the only option.
- Bales dipped in lime plaster to provide fire protection for the bales themselves.
- 1″ Plywood
- 1.5″ air space
- 2×2 wooden nailers secured with 18″ (min) panel screws to the 2×6 wood planks and the beams below the bales.
- 1″ Plywood roof decking material.
- Living Roof Assembly with 2×6 Rim
- Underlayment and pond liner wrapping over the edge of the rim boards.
- Chicken wire over rim board edges to secure the soil and living roof in place. Be careful not to puncture the pond liner inside the rim boards. Nail the wire to the outside of the boards only and fold all sharp edges in before installing.

This system can be done, but it will be very expensive in the cost of wood or steel framing required to support the extra loads of the bales and the living roof. You will definitely need to have an engineer design this frame. Once again, I think you’re better off sticking with conventional insulation materials in the roof, especially if you plan a living roof as that is heavy enough on its own.

What can you do to say thank you?

[ad#post-skyscraper]

-Plant a tree.
-Prune a tree in need.
-Work in your garden to grow vegetables.
-Cultivate flowers to support honey bees.
-Commit to produce less garbage this year than you did last year. Imagine this: you weigh every bag of garbage you produce this year and keep records. You’ll likely be surprised how much trash you throw away each year.
-Don’t limit Earth Day to one day. Make it a year round commitment.
-Use less water.
-Don’t use your dryer, hang your clothes.
-Drive less.
-The list goes on and on. You know what you can do, the next step is actually doing it!

Image Source: www.CobCottage.com

The film will chronicle a self-employed, single mother from Ohio who is in search of an alternative version of the American dream: home ownership. Renee, 40, and her 17-year old son, Hilton, will travel to California to participate in a cob house building workshop in order to educate themselves and to open up the possibilities of safe, low-cost sustainable housing. The film will also speak to average Americans and experts about the feasibility of implementing cob housing in mainstream America against the backdrop of conventional wisdom and the current economic crisis.

Moreover, the film will examine how Americans have already used this ancient technology for living, cooking and addressing social issues such as homelessness in the aftermath of Haiti’s earthquake. Finally, we will travel abroad to Europe/Middle East to discover cobwork edifices that have been lived in for centuries, generation after generation, and propose why socially, economically and culturally these dwellings, and other similar structures, have not penetrated the American psyche.

Currently I am in pre-production and will begin filming in late May and will start the road trip to Point Arena, California on June 22, 2010. Now I am searching for experts who would be willing to speak on camera about the possibilities of using cobwork in rural and urban environments. The specific points I would like to touch on are:

1. The integrity of cob structures in various climates/geographical regions
2. The cost and time comparison of cob building to average residential homes
3. The impact on communities who participate in large-group social activities (wine stomping in France, Amish farm building, etc.)
4. The impact of extracting, refining, shipping and building mainstream housing on the environment vs cob building
5. The main impediments in implementing cobwork: American consumerism, legal issues regarding housing/urban planning, lobbying groups, etc.
6. History of cob in Europe and Middle East (there known as tabya) and its slow migration to North America

If there is someone who you feel may be interested in speaking to these points, please feel free to forward my contact information to him/her. My phone number is 614.327.5484.

Thank you for time and consideration.

Sincerely,
RaeGina