Plans: Sustainability

As of yesterday, there are a few new ideas in my noggin.. I thought I would share them with y'all: 

1.  Permaculture. I've had this one on my mind for a while now, but haven't paid it much attention. That is, until I found some classes in the Austin area! It's time I learn how to grow my own food, so that I can give back to nature while avoiding the high prices and unreliability of grocery stores. For those of you who don't know what permaculture is, here's a quick look: 

Permaculture is an ecological design system for sustainability in all aspects of human endeavor. It teaches us how build natural homes, grow our own food, restore diminished landscapes and ecosystems, catch rainwater, build communities and much more. 

• The cornerstone of permaculture design is observing and mimicking patterns found in nature. 
• By applying permaculture design principles, we can actually have a positive impact on the land and on all other species (as opposed to merely reducing our negative impact).

 2.  Earth/Nature Building. When I'm done with college, I'd like to start or join an eco-community.. the structures within this community being made from Earthen materials of course. All built by the 'owner', with the help of friends and family! I found an apprenticeship that I'd like to attend next summer, but it's in Oregon, so if I can find one closer to Texas that would be great. One material that I've grown particularly fond of is cob. What is cob?

 A cob house is made of clay, sand and straw. The mixture is "kneaded" like dough before it is put into place by stomping on it with your feet or using a cement mixer. The clay acts as the glue, while the sand gives strength to the mixture and the straw gives the walls tensile strength once hardened into place. Cob is a very old building method that is now enjoying a renaissance. There are homes still standing today in Wales that are at least 500 years old.

ADVANTAGES OF COB BUILDINGS 

1. Energy Efficiency - A cob house provides a large amount of thermal mass. This helps keep the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
2. Inexpensive - The walls of the home are made entirely of natural resources that are available under your feet. (Some have cost only $1000!)   
3. "Buildability" - Cob homes are owner built. 
4. Fun - This is an excellent style of house to build for those with imagination.

 3. Nonprofit. Some of you might know that my biggest 'cause' is education. In the US, our education system is incredibly flawed. Students are treated as if they're numbers rather than unique, growing human beings, and there is no room for free expression, stimulating conversation, creativity, etc. Of course, I know there are some wonderful teachers out there, believe me I've had some. I'm not saying that the teachers are the problem.. rather, the system is. Anyway, I've been thinking that it would be great to someday create a 'free school', entirely taught by volunteers, free and open to any and all people. It could be run by the community for the community, and we could all use our unique skills to keep it up and running efficiently (ie. Carpentry, legal, etc). Classes could range from music to literature to simply a class where we can exchange ideas and talk about current issues. Still dreaming, but maybe someday I can make this dream a reality!