[Cob] Natural Building Colloquium EAST

[Raduazo at aol.com]

Dear Friends, 
 
Building With Spirit ~ the  2005 Northeast Regional Natural Building 
Colloquium is just one month  away!  It's going to be a feast of learning and fun.  
(If you are  planning to join us and haven't yet registered, please call and  
sign-up soon!)
 
We are  writing to ask for your support in spreading the word about the  
Natural Building movement and Building With  Spirit.  We need to get the word out  
about how these amazing techniques empower us as builders of a sustainable  
society.  Attached and pasted below is the press release  for our event.  It is 
positive  news!  Would you please e-mail it to your local  newspaper and 
mention that you attended last  year?   (If your paper wants to do a feature, we 
can  provide photos of the buildings and contact info for presenters who are 
open to  being interviewed.)
 
Let us know if you pass it along.  It  would be a great support to us and to 
the Earth.
 
Many thanks,
Beth Miller
Outreach Coordinator
Building With Spirit
    
____________________________________


PeaceWeaver News  Release
Thunder Mountain, Bath, New York  14810
607-776-4060            _www.peaceweavers.com_ (http://www.peaceweavers.com/) 
 

For  Immediate Release                 Contact: Beth Miller, 607-776-2878 o, 
776-2689  h 
Friday, May  27th, 2005                                
_bethmiller at infoblvd.net_ (mailto:bethmiller at infoblvd.net)    
2005  Northeast Regional Natural Building Colloquium in Bath, NY 
The 2005  Northeast Regional Natural Building Colloquium, Building With 
Spirit, will be held June  25 - July 2 at the PeaceWeaver Retreat Sanctuary in 
Bath, NY.  This second annual event will gather over thirty of the foremost  
designers, builders, educators and innovators in the fields of natural building  
and sustainable living to share their knowledge and hands-on skills.   

Natural Building refers to construction using a  variety of natural materials 
including but not limited to straw bales, unmilled logs, rammed earth, cob, 
adobe, earthbags,  thatch, cordwood, bamboo, slate and more.  Natural building 
often incorporates the use of renewable energy as  well.  There has been a 
resurgence  of interest in natural building in the United States over the last  
decade.  People are choosing to use  these materials and techniques for many 
reasons including: a) the rising costs  of fossil fuel energy; b) the enormous 
waste produced by building a new home  (avg. - 5 tons)*; and c) the toxic 
nature of many modern building materials  which result in a toxic living 
environment.  For example, air  inside the average home can be ten times worse than 
outside air.* 

To those interested in building a natural home or addition, Building With 
Spirit offers the  opportunity to get hands-on experience with many techniques, 
including timber  framing, straw bale, cob and cordwood construction.  This year
’s Colloquium will also feature  a special emphasis on earthen plastering and 
natural  finishes. 

Additional demonstrations and presentations will focus on  permaculture, 
solar and wind energy, adobe, earthen floors, thatching, slate  roofing, passive 
solar design, monolithic stone raising, bamboo, and log cabin  construction.  
The Colloquium’s program includes a workshop on the “ins  and outs” of 
contracting with natural designer/builders and working with local  code officials to 
successfully build an alternative structure.   

Willow Corrado, event coordinator, shared, “Typically one can  attend this 
kind of event only out West.  But we’ve found that there’s a great demand for 
this type of information,  not only here in western New  York, but throughout 
the entire northeast.”  She added, “If you live on the East  Coast and want to 
build green, Building  With Spirit is the premier place to learn and get 
connected to the natural  building community this summer.”   

The  PeaceWeaver Retreat Sanctuary is a model center for sustainability in  
development.  Seven structures using  natural building methods are already in 
place on the 250 acre wildlife sanctuary  near the southern end of Keuka Lake 
in the Finger  Lakes region.  The PeaceWeavers is a national non-profit 
educational organization.  For over fifteen years this group has  hosted retreats and 
gatherings focused on peace and healing for individuals,  families, and the 
Earth.  

For more information on Building With Spirit or to register,  visit 
_www.peaceweavers.com_ (http://www.peaceweavers.com/)  or call the  PeaceWeavers at  
607-776-4060.