[Strawbale] The 2006 International Straw Bale Conference in Canada

[Chris Magwood]

Hello all!

It's taken me a while to figure out why I wasn't able to post to this  
list (I wondered where you'd all gone...), but now that I have I'm  
just in time to send you all the invite to the 2006 ISBBC, which we  
will be hosting here in Ontario, Canada in September, 2006.

I have attended the past three ISBBC events, in Denmark, Australia  
and Nebraska, and I am very excited about being part of the  
organization of this conference, on behalf of the Ontario Straw Bale  
Building Coalition. I have always found these gatherings to be  
informative, interesting and very, very inspiring, and would like to  
promise you the same invigorating experience here in Canada in 2006.

This will be the first ISBBC that is specifically aimed at  
professional bale builders and designers. We are putting together a  
very comprehensive program intended to help those in the profession  
become better at what they do, from hands on instruction in specialty  
areas to design issues to business development. Attached you will  
find a preliminary schedule of sessions, which I hope you find  
exciting and intriguing. If you have suggestions for additional  
sessions you’d like to see included, please let me know. If you see a  
session in the list below in which you feel you’d make an ideal panel  
or forum participant, please let me know. We will be offering reduced  
rates to people formally participating in sessions.

We have been offered an exceptionally affordable conference rate at  
Camp Kawartha (www.campkawartha.ca), largely due to our help in  
building them a straw bale dining hall and greenhouse. This means  
that attending the 2006 ISBBC doesn’t have to break the bank. Early  
bird registration rates (before March 1, 2006) are only $550 for  
shared cabin accommodation and $450 for camping. This includes three  
meals a day, all your conference fees and use of the camp facilities!  
What’s better, these prices are in Canadian dollars! Our space at the  
camp is limited to 250 attendees, and will be offered on a first- 
come, first-served basis.

I know it's a long way to come from Europe, but I think you will find  
that it is worth the effort. I cleared out my bank account to go to  
Australia a few years ago, and it left me broke but happy! There was  
no question after that about spending the money to get to Denmark.  
These events have never failed to re-energize me and increase my  
network of friends and associates world-wide. I hope that you will  
like what you see in the proposed program below, and rush to register  
for the conference at www.strawbalebuilding.ca as soon as you’ve  
finished reading this!

Yours sincerely,

Chris Magwood
cmagwood at kos...
613-473-1718

Tentative Schedule for the 2006 ISBBC


*Note: A hands-on component will be focused on the construction of a  
new office building for our camp hosts. Topics and schedules for  
hands-on sessions will be announced after the plans for the building  
have been approved.
* One session room per day will be made available for ad hoc and  
impromptu sessions.

Sunday PM
Welcome and Keynote Address

Monday AM
Home Owner’s Forum: A Discussion for Owner/Builders
International Development
Water & Waste Systems: Options and Strategies for Integrating into SB  
Designs

Monday PM
Design and Designers: How to work together with owners and builders
Foundations: Best materials and practices

Monday Evening
             Keynote Address: David Eisenberg

Tuesday AM
Budgeting and Costing: Estimating practices and examples
Publishing: Books
Other Natural Materials: Design and Build Techniques

Tuesday PM
Insurance: For Homeowners and Builders
Publishing: Journals and newsletters


Tuesday Evening
             World Tour of SB: Builders, designers and owners show  
off slides of their work

Wednesday AM
Business Case Studies: How we make a living with sb
SB Associations: How we’re organized and how we can work together
Renewable Energies: How to incorporate renewables into bale homes

Wednesday PM
Business Matters: How to be a successful “green” business
Networking with other natural building organizations

Wednesday Evening
             Straw Bale Olympics: National and regional teams compete  
in bale-centered events!

Thurdsay AM
Prefabricated Bale Walls: Experiences and Ideas
Testing: Update on testing done to date
Heating and Cooling: Different technologies/strategies and how to  
integrate with SB

Thursday PM
Workshops: How to teach a good workshop and developing a curriculum
Testing: Planning a strategy for the future

Thursday Evening
Keynote presentation: A world of natural building slide show
Dance w/live band

Friday AM
Financing: How to obtain financing as an owner and a builder
Codes: A review of the new California codes
Clay and Clay Science/Lime and Lime Science

Friday PM
Entering the Profession: Becoming a paid sb builder
Codes: Looking ahead

Friday Evening
Keynote presentation

Saturday AM
Stock Plans: How to create them and sell them
Training and Standards: Defining a  Straw Bale Professional
Ventilation: Passive and active technologies and strategies

Saturday PM
Case Studies: The Best Sustainable Building I’ve Ever Made
Roofing: Materials and Techniques

Saturday Evening
Closing Keynote

Sunday AM
Goodbyes and tour departures







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