Re: [strawbale] Proposal for introduction

[Catherine Wanek <blackrange@zianet...>]

Hello all -

It's great to be connected to this group (although I live and work in
Kingston, New Mexico, USA), since currently I'm the editor of The Last
Straw, the International Journal of Straw Bale and Natural Building
(www.strawhomes.com)   
As you may already know, we are always interested in sharing European
news with the world-wide SB community.

Briefly, I've been exploring the expanding world of natural building
since we built our straw-bale greenhouse in 1992. 
Since then I've produced four videos on the subject (The Building With
Straw series and The Straw Bale Solution) and we have hosted several SB
Conferences and four Natural Building Colloquiums at our facility, an old
stone Lodge, which we run as a Bed & Breakfast.  I have also
helped organize the Build Here Now -  a natural building and
permaculture convergence for the past 3 years.  (Events like these
have helped to create a feeling of community within the independent
spirits who are experimenting with ecological building, as there seems to
be a shared system of deeply held values within this vibrant group.)

The videos and TLS have been good excuses to travel and meet people
around the US & Europe  -- I met a number of folks on this list
last spring, when my mother Betty and I visited 11 countries in five
weeks, accompanied by Andre & Coralie and aided immeasurably by
Martin Oehlmann.  What a wonderful trip we had!   We
continue to tell tales of the warm welcomes we received and the
generosity we experienced.  (This seems to be normal in SB
circles......)  We also had the pleasure of meeting Heidi Snel (and
Malcolm) and seeing their excellent work --  I'm very glad that they
are documenting the European SB projects.

New Society Publishers will be releasing a book in September that I am
co-editing (along with Joe Kennedy and Michael Smith) called "The
Art of Natural Building."   There is a "chapter"
in it about European traditions of natural building and a number of
photographs that I took during our trip.  The subject is a huge one,
so by necessity the article is an overview -- but I have mentioned this
list-serve in it and the ESBN, so my hope is that the book will be a
useful beginning place for new natural builders who want to connect with
the "movement" in Europe.  

I am also working with a group called Builders Without Borders (see
www.builderswithoutborders.org) that is developing a Manual of ecological
home Designs and a process-oriented Handbook for facilitating hands-on
projects in communities of housing need.  BWB is planning a Project
Facilitator Training Oct 1 - 10, 2001 here in Kingston, which will use
our Handbook as a text.  (Interested in knowing more?  I will
post a general announcement with more details, soon.)  I am
collecting video footage for BWB, too, and hope to have time in the
coming year(s) to create several videos to aid in its work.

I can hardly wait till I have another excuse to visit Europe again. 
Meanwhile, if anyone is traveling in New Mexico, we live in a lovely spot
surrounded by National Forest and have a variety of natural building
experiments folks are welcome to tour.   

Best regards,