[Cob] Natural Building Colloquium East, Bath NY

[Mark Piepkorn]

Yikes - I got an email yesterday reminding me 
that the Natural Building Colloquium East is only 
a month away. And the discount registration rate 
cutoff is pretty much here right now.

The event's webpage, including the presenter list, has been updated - see
http://www.peaceweavers.com/bws/
I'm still stoked about Jim Merkel being there 
(scuttlebutt is that he can only be there for the 
first couple days, so plan accordingly)... and 
along with some others, Frank Meyer has been added! Much too cool.

It also seems that musician Kathy Moser, who 
comes every year, has set up a sponsorship 
program to help deserving teens without means to 
attend. I hear that a couple kids from the 
Rosebud reservation might be able to learn about 
materials and techniques that they can bring back 
to their communities because of her. That's the 
kind of spirit behind this thing... that's why I 
keep going back. Kathy's site has some more info 
about the sponsorship program, and what moves her about natural building.
http://www.kathymoser.com/
The Peaceweavers can accept tax-deductible 
donations if anyone else wants to get in on this kind of help.

The latest email from the Peaceweavers said:

"Concerned about how your lifestyle impacts our 
Earth? The Colloquium, an annual event hosted by 
the PeaceWeavers, focuses on low-impact, 
high-quality green solutions that meet the 
highest levels of comfort, health, and safety. It 
brings together a diverse community of people to 
share information and forge unity among people 
who desire a more wholesome and sustainable built environment."

"The community setting provides a unique format 
for participants to live and work alongside the 
experts and to gain new skills through direct 
experience. Workshops and presentations include 
topics such as strawbale, cob, and cordwood 
construction, earthen plasters, living roofs, 
renewable energy, permaculture, composting 
toilets, alternative fuels, and sourcing food locally."


>>How much green can you go (or rake in)
>>$400.00 is a lot of cash for a weekend, especially for people on a
>>limited budget.the mid atlantic renewable energy fair is less than
>>$20 bucks a day.
>>Ain't mothing cheap about that offer.
>
>         They're different animals.
>
>         Looking at the renewable energy 
> festival's 2006 schedule, I see that there was 
> a one-hour presentation on green building 
> basics; one on LEED; and one on Energy Star. 
> There's clearly tons of great sessions, but I 
> don't see anything offering long days of 
> hands-on natural-building experience led by 
> experienced practitioners, which is the main 
> emphasis of the colloquium. Learning the 
> techniques and properties of non-manufactured 
> materials by working side-by-side with 
> experienced people is a totally different kind 
> of information than comes from books, websites, 
> or sit-and-watch presentations. Whether it's 
> money well spent in the end really depends on 
> the individual and the choices they make.
>
>         The colloquium schedule (it's Tuesday 
> through Sunday, BTW, not just a weekend) runs 
> from dawn to well after dark. Food and camping 
> are included, and it isn't subsidized by rows 
> of manufacturer and reseller booths ($250 and 
> $155 respectively for the energy fair - for 
> which there are 108 booth spaces available, or 
> almost $22,000 using an average price of 
> $202.50) or paid sponsorships ($50 to $2500 to 
> the festival organizers - there appears to have 
> been something over $10,000 from sponsors last 
> year). I'm not saying that kind of subsidizing 
> is a bad thing for the attendees - it's just 
> not what the colloquium does (though they'd 
> probably be willing to consider propositions). 
> There are also fewer participants at the 
> colloquium, making it a more intimate event - 
> and meaning that it costs more per person than the energy festival does.
>
>         When I lived in Minnesota a decade ago, 
> I'd go to the Midwest Renewable Energy 
> Association's annual fair in Wisconsin - it was 
> a tremendous event every time. The one in PA 
> seems quite similar, and I'm sure it's excellent.
>
>         For a better understanding of the 
> different flavors of the two events, compare 
> photos from last year's energy festival -
>http://www.paenergyfest.com/energy06/photos/photo1.html
>         with photos from the past three years of the colloquium -
>http://www.potkettleblack.com/natbild/building-with-spirit/
>
>
>         I hope this is helpful.
>
>
>> > Tuesday, July 31 ­ Saturday, August 4, 2007
>> > Natural Building and Sustainable Living Colloquium
>> > hosted by The PeaceWeavers :: Thunder Mountain ­ Bath, New York
>> > http://www.peaceweavers.com/bws/




>Tuesday, July 31 ­ Saturday, August 4, 2007
>Natural Building and Sustainable Living Colloquium
>hosted by The PeaceWeavers :: Thunder Mountain ­ Bath, New York
>http://www.peaceweavers.com/bws/
>
> From natural building and permaculture 
> techniques to water and energy conservation... 
> from alternative fuels to sourcing your food 
> locally... this event is important for everyone 
> concerned about how their lifestyle impacts our Earth.
>
>It's the fourth year that the PeaceWeavers have 
>hosted this family-friendly event at the Thunder 
>Mountain Retreat Center near Bath, New York, 
>offering very full days of teaching, learning, 
>building, and networking. Top experts, authors, 
>educators, innovators, designers, and builders 
>offer hands-on experience and educational 
>presentations with close-to-the-earth building materials and lifestyle choices.
>
>But in the end, there's one really important 
>thing that makes these events amazing. Sure, 
>there's all kinds of new, fun, valuable things 
>to learn ­ tactile, hands-in-the-mud stuff that 
>you just don't get from the books or the 
>internet. Sure, people can pick up tricks and 
>tips to save precious days and months of 
>misdirected time and effort, as well as 
>thousands of dollars of misspent money, on their 
>own projects and in their lives. Sure, there's 
>the great food, the beautiful natural setting, 
>the music, and so much more. But in the end, the 
>most rewarding and inspiring thing is the rare 
>privilege of being with so many talented, smart, 
>caring, willing, extraordinary people... some of 
>whom just happen to be world-class natural 
>builders, sustainable thinkers, and do-gooders. 
>It's the people ­ all of them ­ who come 
>together at Thunder Mountain that are the best thing of all.
>
>Join us for our 4th Natural Building 
>Colloquium!  ­ a hands-on event with an emphasis 
>on natural building and sustainable living in 
>the northeastern climate. Meet and be inspired 
>by some of the movement's foremost natural 
>builders, designers, and sustainable living educators.
>
>Workshops, demonstrations, and presentations 
>include such topics as: Strawbale · cob · 
>cordwood · timber framing · earth sheltered 
>buildings · straw-clay infill · permaculture · 
>community-supported agriculture · living roofs · 
>thatching · renewable energy (wind, solar, and 
>more) · natural plasters & finishes · building 
>with hemp · alternative fuels · log cabin 
>construction · international building projects · 
>building codes · and much more...
>
>For registration and more info:
>http://www.peaceweavers.com/bws/