Info, news & debate

Shelter

Interested in building with straw? Don’t miss The Big Straw Bale Gathering!

| 0

It’s not too late to join the biggest straw-bale building event of the year this August in Swansea. Jeffrey Hart of SBUK tells us about how you can get involved, learning all about building with straw from an impressive line-up of speakers to hands-on workshops.

Read more about Interested in building with straw? Don’t miss The Big Straw Bale Gathering!





Could all new houses be built with rammed earth and straw-bale?

A south-facing, rammed earth, straw-bale-insulated house doesn’t need heating; why aren’t all new houses built this way?

| 6

Rowland ran rammed earth building courses with us for years. He said then that a C-shaped, rammed earth house with straw-bales for external insulation, and as much glass on the south side and as little glass on the north side as possible, wouldn’t need any heating. We wanted to catch up with him to learn

Read more about A south-facing, rammed earth, straw-bale-insulated house doesn’t need heating; why aren’t all new houses built this way?


A free build camp in action

Free build camp to construct a roundwood timber-framed barn with living roof for a community organisation

| 0

This is a REAL, FULL BUILD on-site, so we need everyone taking part in this free build camp to be physically fit, strong and competent with tools. You will also need to be robust and self-sufficient as we’ll be living outdoors in basic conditions. 18yrs +.

Read more about Free build camp to construct a roundwood timber-framed barn with living roof for a community organisation





How you can gain natural building skills for your own build for free, and help put up affordable, natural, community buildings

| 4

Some great ideas from Adrian at Wholewoods. Below are several ways that you can get your hands dirty and gain natural building skills for free, whilst helping to erect beautiful, affordable, natural buildings for schools, charities or educational organisations.

Read more about How you can gain natural building skills for your own build for free, and help put up affordable, natural, community buildings



Debate: how sustainable can an eco-hotel and permaculture community be if it’s for Brits in Portugal?

| 65

We were approached by Peter to ask if we would help promote a proposed eco-holiday complex and permaculture settlement in Portugal. I replied that I didn’t think we could, as I have strong reservations about this kind of eco-hotel development, and explained why. Peter came back with some counter-arguments, and I asked him whether he’d

Read more about Debate: how sustainable can an eco-hotel and permaculture community be if it’s for Brits in Portugal?