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Natural Building / Permaculture

Green Living Network

Natural/Regenerative Building

 

To move beyond just "having a place to live" and leaving our dwellings and neighborhoods to "go out in nature" is the underlying goal of the EarthVoice’s Natural/Regenerative building workshop programs.

 

It is possible to take steps toward creating housing that reflects our human nature as described in many Paradise stories. Most, if not all, humans find something missing or hollow in the toxic boxes that we find in modern housing options. Physically, mentally and spiritually lacking, our shelters typically cost us decades of money exchange, compromise our health and encourage inefficient large floor plans that promote, almost demand inputs of material glut to fill them.

 

The good news is that there is a resurgence in availability and experimentation to synthesize old and new technologies that create a less toxic and inherently more interesting place for humans to live. Educators from EarthVoice have created demonstration projects and held workshops displaying Straw bale and Cob technologies. Along with many others, these technologies help us to feel confident in building our own homes on a human scale, supplant many of the dangerous chemicals used inside our homes with natural alternatives and create housing spaces "designed for humans" and not humans designed for housing spaces.

 

Many exciting developments are growing the area of Natural Building. EarthVoice promotes educational and research in this expanding body of knowledge. To go beyond "sustainability" as a goal in design and implementation of areas of human habitation brings us to the idea of Regenerative Building. With an open-minded approach and constant experimentation we can utilize our natural instincts to build future buildings that will help regenerate natural processes (water flow, soil building, biodegradability) that have been damaged by past and current destructive practices.