Regenerative Skills

In this episode I talk about some of the most common myths and misconceptions about natural building and bust them. There's a lot of first hand knowledge from my years as a designer and builder around the world, and I work to help you get better information than what's often available online. This talk is mean to give you a realistic idea of how to get started with a natural building project and how to avoid some of the unrealistic expectations and misleading information that can get you started on the wrong foot.

in this episode I had the pleasure of interviewing Sukita Reay Crimmel, the founder of both Claylin LLC. and From These Hands LLC. as well as the co-author of Earthen Floors: A Modern Approach to an Ancient Practice. We talk all about the anatomy of earthen floors, tips, tricks, different applications, maintenance and even chemistry for the real nerds like me.

In this interview I had the pleasure of speaking with Janell Kapoor, founder of both Kleiwerks International. and the Ashevillage Sanctuary. Janell has been teaching natural building workshops all over the world since 1997 and founded Kleiwerks Intl. in 2004. She also ran some of the first earthen building trainings in Thailand, Argentina, and Turkey. Since 2006 she has been renovating and building the site of the Ashevillage sanctuary by reclaiming materials from the waste stream and using natural materials from the site. Since then Ashevillage has become a model ecological learning center and demonstration site that offers a wide range of regenerative living skills courses and workshops. In this interview Janell talks about the mission and intent behind Ashevillage, how she found ways to design systems that bring humans and nature together, her incredible work empowering and working with women, and much more. Janell has been one of my biggest inspirations since I got started in the regenerative living world and her experience and insights do not disappoint. Resources ashevillage instagram ashevillage.org  kleiwerks.org

In this episode I interview Kirk Mobert, the founder of Sundog Building school in Point Arena CA. Kirk has dedicated nearly a decade of research and testing to rocket stove and rocket mass heater technology. In this interview we talk all about how these revolutionary stoves work, why his school focuses on teaching the re-indigenization of building, and how he sees the world of natural building evolving in the future.  Resources: http://www.sundogbuilders.net/ Kirk also sent a follow-up audio a couple days after the interview elaborating on the answers he gave the first time around. This is some great bonus content for you natural building enthusiasts so don't miss it

In this interview I get to talk with Rob Roy, author of 17 books and a leading voice and advocate for cordwood building. Rob gives a ton of information on how to prevent cracking and swelling of the cordwwod while maintaining the insulative integrity of the wall. He also goes into detail about different mortar mixes and explains a bit about his unique ability in moving huge monolithic stones with just basic tools Resources: To find all Rob's books that are currently in print click on the link below hhttps://newsociety.com/Contributors/R/Roy-Rob Here is the Earthenwood Building school website  www.cordwoodmasonry.com

Though this is her first time on the podcast, it's actually round two for Sigi Koko, the founder of "Down to Earth Design" and the "Build Naturally" blog. Click here to see my original interview With Sigi.  Sigi is an architect, builder and teacher extraordinaire. She founded Down to Earth Design back in 1998 and has been designing and building with natural materials in the Mid-Atlantic region ever since. She's a encyclopedia of building and design knowledge which she often uses to help guide new builders and designers on natural building forums on facebook and in her blog.  In this episode we talk in-depth about the anatomy of straw bale walls, the key differences between thermal mass and insulation, and how to make best use of both for your location and climate. Sigi also gives invaluable advice for troubleshooting some of the trickier aspects of natural plaster application and mixing so keep a notebook handy for this one :)  Resources: https://www.facebook.com/buildnaturally/ http://www.buildnaturally.com/ "Building with Straw Bales" by Barbara Jones

In this interview I speak with Liz Johndrow, founder of Earthen Endeavors and the Pueblo Project, about a ton of topics including how she got started in the building trades, the importance of including women in construction and design, tips and tricks with natural plasters, and much more. Liz is a world class natural builder and instructor with a wealth of knowledge and experience. I first met Liz when I assisted on her natural building course at "Atitlan Organics" in Guatemala in November of 2016, and was immediately impressed with her knowledge of indigenous building methods from central America and her focus on empowering women in the building trades. There are invaluable little nuggets of information all through this episode so be sure to catch this one.  Resources:

I first met Shad Qudsi when I assisted on a natural building workshop with Liz Johndrow in November of 2016. Shad's farm "Atitlan Organics" hosted the workshop in which we built a new kitchen area for the farm. Since then he and I have worked on a few projects together and he continues to be a wealth of knowledge and experience, not only about permaculture, but about the local culture here in Guatemala and about regenerative business advice as well. Shad is originally from New Jersey, but resettled in Tzununa on Lake Atitlan nearly a decade ago with his wife. Together they run one of the most diverse and abundant permaculture farms I've ever visited as well as the "bambu hotel," an incredible example of bamboo framing and bajareke walls built by Charlie Rendall (one of my natural building mentors). In this interview Shad shares his unique insights about initial steps in developing a permaculture farm, how to grow a complete diet, why he disagrees with the modern environmental movement, and much more. As promised in the intro, there's also a bonus audio here in the "resources" section in which Shad gives invaluable business advice on how to manage multiple operations in a regenerative business, so don't forget to check that out.   As always, these episodes are meant to be a dialogue and conversation starter more than a lecture series. Especially in these early days of getting the podcast up and running I really appreciate feedback, comments, ideas, whatever. You can even e-mail me directly at info(at)abundantedge.com. I want to hear from you! If you enjoyed this episode please share it with your friends or others who you think might benefit from the information and insights in these episodes. I'm looking forward to making these as useful and informative for everyone looking to make the world and our environment a better place. Resources: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaQhzvfsGGDZvs4ufEZmJmw This is the link to the youtube channel for Atitlan Organics. Here you'll find a ton of entertaining and educational videos about permaculture and farm skills.

Paul Wheaton is easily one of the biggest personalities and voices in the permaculture world today with his sites Permies and Richsoil attracting thousands of visitors daily to the articles and forums. Paul has made waves in the past with his controversial opinions and advice on energy saving methods and techniques for growing a permaculture business. In this marathon interview he goes in depth about his most important experiments, defends his positions on incandescent light bulbs, shares stories from meeting Sepp Holzer and much much more.  Resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_7I-hgtQo4 This is a link for Paul's TED Talk all about ways to save energy in heating your home and busting the myth of florescent light bulbs https://richsoil.com/wood-heat.jsp This is the link to Paul's DVD series on how to build a rocket mass heater

In this episode I got to interview one of my biggest heroes in the natural building world! Patrick Hennebery is one of the most prolific natural builders in North America having built more than 50 cob structures with his company cobworks, and 20 conventional homes. He's a completely self taught carpenter/builder who studied with Ianto Evans and the Cob Cottage Company in the early days when they were just starting the cob revival. He's especially passionate about teaching others to live more simply, buy less junk, and build their own shelter. In this interview Patrick talks about how he got interested in natural building and why he made the switch from industrial building, how you can get started learning to build for yourself, and many stories from his projects in Mexico as well as creative ways in which he got through the permitting process on this cob builds. As always, these episodes are meant to be a dialogue and conversation starter more than a lecture series. Especially in these early days of getting the podcast up and running I really appreciate feedback, comments, ideas, whatever. You can even e-mail me directly at info(at)abundantedge.com. I want to hear from you! If you enjoyed this episode please share it with your friends or others who you think might benefit from the information and insights in these episodes. I'm looking forward to making these as useful and informative for everyone looking to make the world and our environment a better place.