[Cob] Natural Building in Community

[Joseph Kennedy]

Natural Building in Community
June 7 – July 30, 2004
Emerald Earth Sanctuary, Boonville, CA

For more information or to request an application:
phone 707-972-3096; ask for Darryl or Michael
email lorax at ap.net
write    NBiC c/o Emerald Earth, PO Box 764, Boonville, CA 95415

This is a rare opportunity to develop natural building skills in the 
stimulating environment of a rural intentional community. During the 8-week 
program we will be constructing a hybrid natural cabin and finishing several 
other structures. Each week will include 25-30 hours of supervised hands-on 
building, 2-5 hours of “classroom” time, a communal work project such as 
gardening, and an individual Natural Building research project. The program 
will run Monday-Friday, with optional activities on some weekends. 
Participants will be integrated into the dynamic social context of the 
community, sharing meals, cooking and cleaning tasks, meetings, fun and 
games with other residents. The supportive learning environment will focus 
on developing skills not only in Natural Building but also in group living 
and communication.

Things you will learn:
• Straw bale
• Cob
• Round pole framing
• Straw light-clay
• Earthen floors
• Natural plasters and finishes
• Rubble trench foundations
• Earthbags
• Sustainable materials harvesting
• Home power generation
• Passive solar design
• Organic gardening
• Structures and processes for Intentional Communities
• and lots more about Natural Building, rural homesteading, and living and 
working in groups

Who should apply?
This program will take a whole-systems approach to Natural Building, 
combining earth, straw, wood, sand and stone in various ways to create 
inexpensive, efficient hybrid structures. This is a highly practical 
program, with most time spent on hands-on building, supplemented by a 
“classroom” curriculum that will be developed by the group as a whole and by 
individual research projects. The group will be very small (maximum 6), 
allowing lots of individual supervision and skill-building. It is 
recommended for people who want to take their Natural Building education 
further than is possible by attending short workshops or training in a 
single technique, especially for owner-builders and for people working 
towards a Natural Building career. The community setting will be most 
interesting to those contemplating joining or starting a collective living 
situation. No previous experience is required.

About the community:
Emerald Earth is a growing intentional community located on 189 acres in 
rural Northern California. The land includes redwood forest, meadows, 
majestic oaks, a seasonal creek and swimming pond. It is a 20-minute drive 
from a small town, an hour from the nearest bank or movie theater. We have 
15 permanent residents, including 3 children, and several short-term work 
exchange. In the last 5 years we have built 4 hybrid natural cabins, 2 
composting toilets, a greenhouse/bathhouse/sauna, and a power shed/workshop, 
in addition to the pre-exisitng common house. We have expanded the 
community’s water system, gardens and orchards, and endeavor to grow much of 
our fresh food. We are off-grid, generating power by solar and (soon) 
micro-hydro. Since 2000 we have taught a highly successful series of short 
workshops on Natural Building, permaculture and organic gardening. In 2004 
we plan to build more resident cabins, expand food production, and complete 
several unfinished building projects. You can read more about us and see 
photos at our web site, www.emeraldearth.org

About the instructors:
The main instructors for this program are Michael G. Smith and Darryl 
Berlin. Both have been Emerald Earth residents for 5 years and have 
extensive experience in many aspects of Natural Building and design. Michael 
was a founding director of Cob Cottage Company in Oregon and has been 
teaching Natural Building for 11 years. He is the author or co-author of The 
Cobber’s Companion, The Art of Natural Building, and The Hand-Sculpted 
House. Darryl installed and manages the community’s home power system and is 
a partner in Village Power Design, providing alternative energy consulting 
and installation. Other Emerald Earth members and guest instructors will 
share their leadership and expertise.

Cost and application:
The 8-week program costs $2400, including instruction, on-site camping, and 
organic, mostly vegetarian meals. We require a written application, and 
encourage a visit to the community to meet the instructors and other 
residents and to see the environment where they will be living, working, and 
learning. If a visit is not possible, we will conduct a phone interview. A 
$300 non-returnable deposit is due once applicants are accepted; the 
remainder is payable at the beginning of the program, on June 7.