The eNewsletter of the Sustainable Building Coalition

In This Issue...

Fredericksburg Energy Round-up, (9/23-9/25)

Conservation Development Symposium (8/19)

Strawbale-Cob Chappel Workshop (9/2-9/7)

Permaculture Certification Course (10/22-11/4)

SBC Calendar:

August 17th - Member Meeting at Casa de Luz

September 21st - Member Meeting at Casa de Luz - "Therapeutic and Hazardous Aspects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) in our Buildings", James Beal

September 23-25th - 6th Annual Alternative Energy Round-up and Green Living Fair in Fredericksburg

Local Austin Workshops:

Every 1st Saturday of the month - Electrical Wiring

Every 2nd Saturday of the month - Basic Carpentry

All of these workshops are presented by Janet's Solar Electric and they are for women only. For fees and hours, please call 275-0557 or visit www.janetssolarelectric.com

August 17th Member Meeting: "Celestial Geometry for Building Design" with Dr. Dan Lester

Construction of efficient buildings, whether they be for telescopes, spacecraft, or general consumers on Earth will benefit from consideration of celestial geometry, largely the motion of the Sun across the sky. The way the Sun moves across the sky as a function of time, date, and location, is understood very precisely by astronomers, and while that precision is unecessary for most architectural considerations, the large scale motions can help determine design strategy. We will talk about where and when the Sun shines, some subtleties of illumination, and a little about the physics of how things get hot and cold, both on the Earth and in space. We will cover the issue of dark sky preservation and energy efficiency by paying attention not only to what comes down from the Sun, but what we send back up.

Dan Lester is a Research Scientist with the McDonald Observatory of the University of Texas. His research specialty is infrared astronomy, highlighting star formation in distant galaxies, and building scientific instruments that are used to investigate it on telescopes on the Earth and in space. He leads design teams for future generation space observatories working closely with the aerospace industry and NASA. He is active in educational outreach for astronomy working closely with the College of Natural Sciences and AISD, and has developed programs with which to help kids understand the motions of things in the sky.

Please join Dan to learn more about celestial geometry and how it applies to our built environment. SBC meets every 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7 pm at Casa de Luz, 1701 Toomey Road in the Cielo Room. You are welcome to join us before the meeting at 6 pm for a wonderful macrobiotic meal at Casa de Luz.

6th Annual Alternative Energy Round-up & Green Living Fair in Fredericksburg, Sept. 23-25

The 6th Annual ALternative Renewable Energy Round-up and Green Living Fair will occur on September 23-25, 2005 on the market square in Fredericksburg. Come out to find out more about: Solar & Wind Energy, Water Use & Reuse, Energy Conservation, Rainwater Harvesting, Green & Sustainable Building, Organic Growing, Alternative Transportation, Straw Bale Construction. There will be exhibits, free guest speakers, great food, and family activities.

SBC will need volunteers to help staff our booth. Please talk with Yvonne Hansen at the upcoming SBC member meeting to find out how you can volunteer. If you can volunteer with the Round-up for a 4-hour shift, then you will get an organic cotton 2005 Roundup tee shirt, a $16 value, and a 3-day pass to the event, another $16 value. If you volunteer for more 4-hour shifts, then you will receive a $5 food coupon good for a meal at the Chuck Wagons for each additional shift.

Conservation Development Symposium at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, August 19

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center along with the University of Texas School of Architecture and the Texas Land Trust Program are pleased to announce the 4th annual Conservation Development Symposium at the Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas, on Friday, August 19, with an optional field trip on Saturday, August 20. Increasing public concern over the impact of population growth on our natural and cultural resources prompted the Wildflower Center to develop and host the Conservation Development Symposium. The symposium is designed to stir interest and facilitate discussion on ways to attract and support conservation developments regionally.

Land developers, landscape architects, environmental engineers, real estate brokers, and more will benefit from this professional gathering designed to raise awareness of alternative approaches to land development. Registration fee is $115, just $90 for Wildflower Center members, government employees, and students. You can register online here.

Strawbale-Cob Chappel Workshop, September 2 - 7

Barefoot Builder, a Southeast based natural building team, will be hosting a Bale-Cob Chappel Workshop, September 2nd - 7th near Abiliene. This workshop will be a weeklong hands on building intensive. You will learn all the basics of building with cob/straw bale hybrid technique called bale-cob as we sculpt a mission style family chapel. This workshop will cover siteing, design, foundations, electricity, plasters, windows, and doors. There will also be a lecture and demonstration on roofing cob structures.

We will be camping and working on a beautiful 2000 acre ranch in West Texas. There is a pond for swimming and lots of wildlife on the land. We will also offer optional morning Kundalini Yoga classes as part of the workshop and there will be a Naturopathic Doctor on staff. There will be a rustic shower and bathroom facilities. Delicious meals (mainly vegetarian and vegan) will be provided by our hosts. The cost is $495.00. Worktrades and discounts may be available. The instructors will be Christina Ott and Craig Sommers. Please call (850-982-2597) or e-mail (cobdance@hotmail.com) to register.

Kerrmaculture - Permaculture Design Certification Course, Oct. 22 to Nov. 4

A 72-hour intensive Permaculture Design Certification Course to be held at Quiet Valley Ranch, home of the Kerrville Folk Festival in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. The organizers of the course, Ted Norris, Kirby Fry, Rick Wright, and, in memorium, Tom Smith, have again asked Scott Pittman to be the primary teacher in the next course of a Kerrmaculture Series. Long associated with Permaculture in the Southwestern United States and with Bill Mollison's world travels, consultations, and teachings, Scott is considered the premier expert on drylands Permaculture on this planet. He will be joined by several well-known local Permaculture designers, instructors and consultants.

The course will occur from October 22nd to November 4th. The course is intended to finalize a master plan for the Ranch, addressing edible landscapes, green building, erosion control, water catchment and waste management. It has the ability and the intention to elevate the presence and availability of Permaculture world-wide, and to develop an on-going resource center and model of sustainability. With a core of certified Permaculturists to work on continuing and periodic projects, more principles of sustainable design and thought will pass on through the volunteers who make it all happen.

• The course offers a clearly superior Permaculture faculty.
• This course is the most affordable certification course available and the only intensive training available in Texas for the past three years.
• Includes a field trip to several existing Permaculture sites.
• Musicians and Kerrstaff are especially welcome.
• Meals will include vegetarian options.
• Dry floorspace for bedrolls or cots is included in the cost.
• Camping or RV hookups are available and hotel arrangements can be especially arranged in Kerrville 9 miles away.