Saturday, July 24, 2010

A Building School at The Farm

While on the Farm, Phil and I stayed at the EcoVillage Training Center...when the huge split happened in the 80s where people either left or formed some sort of income generator or non-profit on the Farm, a natural building/earth-loving training center was a natural progression...



The whole place seemed in a state of "almost finished," but we later learned that it is because all of the structures being built are only worked on during classes or if the interns who are on-site make it their project to finish. This means there are so many cool projects that are half built. Not a problem really, but it does give the impression that the folks at the training center have a hard time wrapping things up. Does this matter? To me, no. Perhaps to funders looking to continue to fund their work, yes? As silly as it is, it always seems to come down to how projects are perceived by the funder or how they look within a community. In the urban landscape this becomes much more of a problem. If I were to have a training center within a cityscape...could I leave projects half finished? My inclination would be...no, since it could be an eyesore for neighbors and it may be dangerous if structures are only half finished and there are people wandering through at night. But, how are normal construction sites dealt with? Can't there just be temporary fences erected or something?

It was a neat place for sure and got me excited about building out in Taos. Can't wait to get my hands dirty! As I walked in and out of the structures and explored the waste treatment bogs/ponds I was reminded of why I want to be involved in this movement...it makes SO much sense! Human waste and food waste are composted and recycled back into the gardens, the gardens produce food to eat, the waste water is treated and then can re-enter the watertable, the water used in showers is heated by the sun, the chickens are fed by the food waste compost, etc, etc. Like the song in the Lion King: It's all a circle of life! (Duh.)

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