Workshops

[ June 3, 2012; ] Start Date / End Date:: June 3

In this fun, hands-on class we will build bottle + jar cylinders and place them in a sculptural Cob mix. This is the most affordable and ecological way to bring colored glass into a structure, and the light coming through it is always fantastic. We will also discuss and [...]

[ April 12, 2012 to April 15, 2012. ]
In this 4 day workshop, we will explore the basics of building with earth. This hands-on/feet-on project will focus on sculpting walls for an earthen playhouse. We’ll cover the basics of cob building including tractor mixing, trimming, window and door installation, sculpting niches and shelves, and talk about how to incorporate different design features depending [...]

[ April 14, 2012; ]  

Play in the Mud is a hands-on cob building experience to wake up your natural connection to the earth. Come and playfully join us in an introduction to natural building materials and methods. We’ll learn about clay soils, how to create the perfect cob recipe and mixing and applying techniques.
Building Experience is NOT a Prerequisite!
Come [...]

[ May 25, 2012 to May 27, 2012. ] In this 3 day workshop we will explore the art of natural plaster finishes. We will look at 4 basic types and applications of earth finishes from a sculpting plaster to a painted-on alis with hands-on projects to practice. We will learn about clays and natural pigments and how to create your own recipes. We [...]

[ June 10, 2012 to June 16, 2012. ] Learn and build the basic cob wall system, mixing, applying, sculpting and incorporating doors, windows and niches.

We will start from the foundation up on a small cottage. Includes camping and meals.
Discounts for couples.

[ June 10, 2012 to June 30, 2012. ] Come join us for 3 Weeks of all about cob building.

Foundations to roof -we will build a small cob cottage from the ground up in beautiful Ojai, CA. Learn the art of mixing, sculpting, trimming, windows and doors, passive solar design and tying in to the roof. Work on another nearby project will finish out [...]

[ July 16, 2012 to July 22, 2012. ] We are building a cob house inside a geodesic dome (greenhouse). It is in northern Norway and the workshop lasts 1 week with the experienced teacher Bjarne Wikstrøm from Denmark. Organic vegetarian food included.

[ July 14, 2012 to July 15, 2012. ] Sustainability Skills School 2012!

Saturday Classes
Soap making
10-11:15
Cob oven cooking
11:30-12:45
Lunch
Candle making
1:45-3
$50.00

Sunday Classes
Cob plastering
10-11:15
Canning/preserving**
11:30-12:45
Lunch
Urban planting
1:45-3
$50.00

This year, we are pleased to present our first annual Sustainability Skills School! Each day includes three classes and lunch break for $50 a day. A weekend rate of $100 dollars includes both sets of classes and free camping. Lunch will be provided by [...]

[ June 16, 2012 to June 24, 2012. August 4, 2012 to August 12, 2012. September 1, 2012 to September 9, 2012. ] Join us in the construction of a roundwood timber framed, balecob, community living space, built to code at the Ananda Village, an intentional spiritual community, near Nevada City CA.

June 16th through 24th

Aug. 4th through 12th

Sep. 1st through 9th

Natural building and living workshops will give the participants the tools they need to:

Build a sustainable structure using [...]

[ April 1, 2012; ] Anytime between April 1st and Nov. 31st

Join us in the construction of a roundwood timber framed, balecob, community living space, built to code at the Ananda Village, an intentional spiritual community, near Nevada City CA.

Available any time from April through October

The Apprenticeship program is an in-depth, intensive study of natural building and natural living.

Participate in [...]

[ June 24, 2012 4:00 pm to June 30, 2012 4:00 pm. ] Learn to build your own energy-efficient home from inexpensive, healthy natural materials. In this hands-on workshop, we will be building a family home from cob (sculpted earth) and slipstraw or light straw clay. We will also experiment with other natural wall systems including cordwood, as well as clay plasters and earthen floors. Daily lectures will [...]

[ March 24, 2012 to April 7, 2012. ] This two-week, hands-on training brings together sustainability designers, teachers and practitioners with enthusiasts who want to learn how to implement projects that integrate and localize solutions to meet basic human needs of healthy water, food and shelter. Through hands-on projects, demonstrations and presentations, classes and discussions, participants will have a chance to wrap their heads, [...]

[ June 17, 2012 to June 24, 2012. ] Workshop participants will join two experienced natural builders in constructing a strawbale garden wall and cob meditation studio. The building site is located in the backyard behind a home-building project in a Downtown Durham neighborhood. This is an intensive, hands-on workshop, intended to give participants a thorough understanding of the materials and techniques of cob [...]

[ June 9, 2012; ] We will be hosting a cob oven workshop on June 9th, 2012 near Granbury Texas (1 hour south-west of Fort Worth). The course will last from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and will cover the arts of proper cob mixing, cob oven building, cob plastering, as well as question and answer on everything cob.

The course [...]

[ April 15, 2012 to October 1, 2012. ] This season, The Year of Mud is offering one intern the opportunity to participate in two comprehensive natural building workshops, including timber frame and straw bale building (a $3000 value if you were to take the courses separately). In addition to participating in these events, interns will help plan and organize the courses alongside the [...]