day one design - workshops

One of the best aspects about natural building is that it brings like-minded individuals from around the country and your own community together in the process of creation. It provides an introduction to using natural materials as well as specific skills to folks who'd like to build like this on their own. For those hosting the workshop, it's a great way to accomplish a lot of hours of labor into a short and positive experience.

If you'd like Erica to facilitate a workshop or provide natural building instruction for your project, please contact her at [email protected] to set up a consultation.

For information regarding current workshops that I'm teaching or involved with, check the current workshops page, which will include schedule, cost, location, lodging options, and registration.

Bio-Char Earthen Kiln Workshop Series. Building an Earthen Bio-Char Kiln Saturday & Sunday May 23-24, 10-4pm Using a 55-gal. drum, clay, sand & straw, you can learn to build your own Bio-Char Kiln. This hands-on two-day workshop will go through the entire process of how to build the kiln (including cob and adobe techniques) for producing your own charcoal. $75/person Using Bio-Char as a Soil Amendment Tuesday May 26, 10-2pm Bio-Char is proving to have agricultural benefits, including increased yields, carbon sequestration and nitrogen fixation to name a few. It also provides an improved habitat for micro-organisms and increases hummus production. The technique of adding charcoal to our garden beds stems from ancient Amazonian cultures where we are now discovering large deposits of black topsoil in the unlikely rainforest soils. Using the kiln we built the previous week, we will cover the production of charcoal and how to prepare it for addition to your garden. We will also cover the process of making wood vinegar which augments the productivity of Bio-Char. Come experiment with us! $40/person Organic vegetarian lunches provided. Located in Danby about 15 mins from downtown For more information and registration, call Erica Ann at 607-351-3849 20% Discount for those who pre-register or attend the entire series.