Our natural building workshops are about the cutting edge of design, sustainable construction, and foundations of quality. We strive for hands-on experience from some of the most competent builders around. Whenever possible, all our materials are recycled or sourced locally.
Upcoming Classesscroll below for more information
Rocket Masonry Stove WorkshopFeb 15 (evening) & Feb 16-17 (day) Three-Layer Earthen Floor Workshop Feb 22 (evening) & Feb 23-24 (day)
SAVE! and take both classes together! $100 off total, for a price of $495 for both weekends.
Rocket Masonry Stove Workshop With Ernie Wisner
When February 15-17, 2008.
6pm-8pm, Friday Feb. 15
10am-5pm, Sat & Sun, February 16 & 17th, Where The Scout Pit, 5040 SE Milwaukie Ave Portland OR
What can transform an industrial basement into a cozy, warm, family-friendly place? How about a super-efficient, radiant-heated bench and woodstove! "Rocket Stoves" are hand-built from local and recycled materials to produce warm, comfortable heat for hours on a fraction of the fuel used in conventional wood (or gas) heaters.
This hands-on workshop includes
Friday Night Fire Science, a hands-on history of heating from campfires to masonry stoves.
Design, construction, and safety principles for rocket stoves, emergency heaters, and Rumford fireplaces
Hands-on practice time: soil assessment, cob mixing and sculpting, brickwork and masonry
Good food and good company for all 3 days of the workshop (Catered Friday night dinner, Saturday and Sunday mid-day dinner, and plenty of tea, coffee, and snacks.)
Instruction by our dynamic local team: researcher Ernie Wisner and science educator Erica Ritter
Start-to-finish completion of an actual working rocket mass heater-capture the whole process in your "memory books" and light the stove before you leave the workshop!
Homestay available for out-of-town participants- please contact us when registering.
Bonus! Your own copy of the book, Rocket Mass Heaters, by Ianto Evans and Leslie Jackson
When February 15-17, 2008.
6pm-8pm, Friday Feb. 15th
10am-5pm, Sat & Sun, February 16th & 17th Where The Scout Pit, 5040 SE Milwaukie Ave Portland OR, Cost $295, scholarships NOW available for promotional work (serious applicants only)
Three-Layer Earthen Floor Workshop With Ernie Wisner
When February 22-24, 2008.
6pm-8pm, Friday Feb. 22nd
10am-5pm, Sat & Sun, February 23rd & 24th Where The Scout Pit, 5040 SE Milwaukie Ave Portland OR
Transform a utilitarian concrete floor into a foot-friendly, durable, natural surface. Earthen floors are known for their beauty, smooth finish and flexibility. A great skill-building opportunity for local builders, homeowners, and those seeking a more ecological lifestyle. Experience the cooperative, earth-based work patterns that our ancestors used to transform their environment using the materials under their feet!
This hands-on workshop includes
Create a three-layer earthen floor: this "poured adobe" technique provides thermal mass, acoustic modulation, and a resilient, durable, attractive surface.
Use thermal mass and radiant heat to warm bodies instead of space. Create a "radiant floor heater" with only earth and sunlight -- no leaky pipes required!
Learn principles of foundations, drainage, and floor support for creating or retrofitting an earthen floor in your own space.
Get your hands dirty with practice: mix local materials, create consistent batches, and work with simple tools and levels to ensure an even, durable floor.
Try our favorite finish techniques to seal and protect your floor from moisture and stains
Enjoy the rhythm of working naturally to music, and bring your songs to share! (Live or recorded music selections welcome -- steady, lively beats preferred.)
Take home a souvenir sample adobe "tile" shaped by your own hands, and step-by-step Earthen Floor instruction booklet for easy reference.
Enjoy nourishing food -- you've earned it! We provide Friday evening's meal; coffee, tea, snacks, and a mid-day "dinner" on Saturday and Sunday.
Work with talented local instructors Ernie Wisner, Erica Ritter, and the team from TrackersPDX
Homestay available for out-of-town participants- please contact us when registering.
When February 22-24, 2008.
6pm-8pm, Friday Feb. 22nd
10am-5pm, Sat & Sun, February 23rd & 24th Where The Scout Pit, 5040 SE Milwaukie Ave Portland OR, Cost $295, scholarships NOW available for promotional work
When February 15-17 & 22-24, 2008. Where The Scout Pit, 5040 SE Milwaukie Ave Portland OR, Cost $495, up to 2 scholarships available for this registration additional work trade (serious applicants only)
Register for Both Rocket Masonry Stove & Three Layer Earthen Floor
Arriving National & International Participants Its easy to fly into Portland's airport and get a ride out to your workshop. We pick up and host up to two nights before. Fees $75 for each non-workshop night: meals and safe lodging included.Contact Usto make your travel arrangements.
Get our eZine
A bi-monthly eMagazine about natural health, local natural history and wild skills.
Ernie Wisner was raised by loggers and fisherman on the Oregon coast, then migrated East to learn street smarts in Chicago. (He escaped as a teenager, and returned to the Pacific Northwest.) He served a tour in the US Navy, and spent fifteen years king-crabbing in Alaska. Returning to land, he worked in the art department and physical plant at OSU while studying botany. After training in natural building, he became a guest instructor with Cob Cottage Company under Ianto Evans. Other elements of Ernie's secret identity include Arctic exploration, ballet, boat building, cooking, forestry, knotwork and Renaissance crafts, muppet voices, and chocolate truffles.
Erica Ritter specializes in hands-on education, writing, and illustration. She grew up hiking, camping, crafting, and listening to mountain and farm stories with her Oregon family. Erica went to Hampshire College (in Massachusetts), studied art and physics. After five years as an OMSI science educator, she helped write a book and took off for a year-long working holiday in New Zealand. She returned in 2005 and spent the next two years caring for her grandmother and collecting stories. Erica works with groups like TrackersNW, The City Repair Project, and Illahee Society. Obscure skills include leathercraft; theatrical design; martial arts; wawa chinuk; handling livestock; and Chinese brush-painting.
Rocket Masonry Stove Workshop
When February 15-17, 2008.
Contact
