[Cob] Re: cobtun house - more thoughts on sustainability

[ocean]

I've enjoyed the discussion I seem to have started...I was just 
wondering aloud how much the actual cost of the house was to build, and 
how much the house might sell for (maybe that's what the listed price 
was).  And - could we afford it?

Regarding the "greening" of our ever expanding footprint on this small 
globe, my Favorite Elf has a valid point (Hi Perry!).  Any construction 
project will involve an impact on the environment, ecosystem, human, 
animal & plant communities.  My time spent apprenticing with Ianto 
Evans was challenging and instructive, especially his absolute 
commitment to utilize as little fossil fuels as possible - both in the 
construction phase of the buildings he designs, but also in the 
planning of passive solar heating for the building's longer life.

An example:  During construction of the Kiva at Ahimsa Sanctuary in the 
year 2000, I neglected to put in one of the large windows Ianto had 
specified in the plans.  Our thought was - there's a tree here, so the 
southwesterly sun won't really help heat the building anyway.  When 
Ianto showed up on the site a few days later, he immediately said - 
"Where's the window here?  It was in the plans!"  I explained my 
thoughts about the tree and lack of sun.  His response was blunt and 
impassioned:  "That tree won't always be there, and I don't want to 
make your great-great-grandchildren put anymore carbon into the 
environment than they have to."  Half-stunned, we got out a pick and 
dug out the cob, and in a half an hour installed the window that was 
missing.

Some folks (back then - myself included) seem to think Ianto is "too 
extreme".  With stories of him making his apprentices crush drain rock 
with a sledgehammer, this may seem so.  But building with no power 
tools on site, no caustic cement to worry about eating holes in your 
skin, and just the peaceful, slow steady trodding & building with clay, 
sand and straw...I have learned that Ianto lives and teaches building 
with heart and soul.  I've done a lot of machine mixed "industrial cob" 
and poured more cement than I ever care to admit, and have learned in 
my experience to respect the admonishment he offered me during the 
workshop 5 years ago.  I suspect I will also be telling my 
grandchildren the story of the missing window in years to come...

Ocean Liff-Anderson
Steward, Ahimsa Sanctuary
http://www.peacemaking.org
Proprietor, Intaba's Wood Fired Eatery
http://www.intabas.com


On Oct 21, 2005, at 11:26 AM, yourfavoriteElf ofthemall wrote:

> "Your Favorite Elf of the Mall" wrote  :-)
>
> I think the original concept in question was the sustainability. 
> Sustainability is an already complex and even fallacious concept. It 
> makes the assumption that we human beings have not only the ability 
> but the control to guide ourselves, plants, animals, the planet and 
> the universe into a more enlightned state of existance. In my opinion, 
> we as humans have only shown exactly the opposite of this. So until we 
> can check ourselves as a species in regards to a more compassionate 
> and inclusive world value system, I do not think catapulting our 
> scattered  abilities to orchestrate a peaceful existance into the 
> mainstream is a very good idea - unless you like open "clay" pit mines 
> and the rest of our forests cleared so we can grow canola crops for 
> "bio-diesel"!