May 2015
Woodbine Build Party
Join us on Memorial Day Weekend for a work party at Woodbine Ecology Center. We'll be roofing, experimenting with a mosaic, and assembling a prefabricated greenhouse. At the end of the day, we'll celebrate with pizzas in the wood-fired cob oven. Folks are welcome (and encouraged!) to bring a tent and camp. There will also be some indoor sleeping space available too. What you need to know: Come prepared. The weather changes quickly in the foothills and cools down significantly at…
Find out more »What is Appropriate Technology? Talk
Join us for an informal evening talk on appropriate technology. Javier Izquierdo will lead the discussion. If you aren't familiar with appropriate technology, check out this fantastic introductory article from the Pachamama Alliance. We'll be sitting around the camp fire, so please bring layers to stay warm, snacks, and beverages to share.
Find out more »June 2015
A Night with Tadelakt
Long ago, The Moroccans developed a technique for making lime plasters waterproof so they could be used to seal sink basins, showers, water tanks, fountains, and other applications. Not only does this technique make your lime plaster waterproof, but it is also quite beautiful. One might go as far as to say that tadelakt is the "cadillac of natural plasters." This mini-workshop will give participants an idea of the tadelakt process and you'll go home with a small demonstration that you've created…
Find out more »Woodbine Plaster Party + Retreat
Join us at Woodbine to apply the final plaster coat to the cob oven. We will arrive Friday afternoon and stay through Sunday afternoon. Please join us for any amount of time that you are able. All are welcome to join us for this celebratory event as we wrap up this project and put some of the final touches on this structure. Food will be primarily on your own. We will fire up the oven for pizzas on Saturday evening.…
Find out more »May 2016
Plaster Party
Join us for a work party at Tonita Young's house. We'll be plastering a cob bench school bus stop. We built the bench over Earth Day Weekend. Check out our post on the weekend for some great photos.
Find out more »September 2016
Solar Oven Design/Build
Join the Women of Common Earth for their second workshop, how to design and build a solar oven. If you missed the August lesson on tool use, a lot of those elements will be covered here, so don't hesitate to sign up! In this session, you'll learn about how to use the power of the sun to bake and cook your own food, and get a chance to design and build your own. All are welcome, with those who have…
Find out more »Woodbine Fall Festival
We're participating in Woodbine's Fall Festival this year to make some minor repairs to the cob bench that's attached to the oven. Come up for a lunchtime potluck and seed saving lesson, followed by some learning about cob, plasters, and fixing up the bench.
Find out more »October 2016
Bus Stop Cob Bench Tadelakt Work Party
Come help plaster the final coat on the cob bench we built on a school bus stop corner in Arvada. We're gonna do a hands-on tadelakt plaster lesson - learning by doing! For those who haven't heard of it, tadelakt is a Moroccan technique for creating a durable, smooth, and water resistant plaster layer. We'll have a block party trailer with games and fun, bring clothes you can get dirty, a water bottle, and sun protection.
Find out more »November 2017
Rocky Mountain Natural Building Conference
A 3 day networking, learning, and sharing event. Local and regional builders and experts will the presenting. Topics include affordability of natural building, design with natural materials, insuring natural homes, biomimicry, building science with natural materials, healthy and non-toxic homes, and more. Visit the website of Colorado Straw Bale Association for full event info!
Find out more »May 2018
May 2018 Work Party
This month it's the Henry's that could use a common earth love injection into our house and home... while Javier only waited a day after buying his house to get started and have us over it has taken us 3 years to get all of our stuff together enough to finally start on our project!!! As most of you know our house flooded the downstairs 3 weeks after we moved in and then the leaking wall began to structurally fail,…
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