10. Many people take our workshops because they want to learn how to build a house out of mud and straw. They are looking for a sensible, affordable and healthy alternative to the conventional housing options. However, many people never end up building that dream natural home. So, was the workshop a waste of time and money? No, on the contrary. Our workshops are so dynamic and fulfilling that learning how to build a home, in retrospect, often seems like just a bonus. Here are the 9 other reasons to take a workshop from us:

9. Participants leave the workshop with a great understanding of earthen building materials, and they have gained the skills to use natural building techniques at home. They can build a cob garden bench, an earthen oven, outdoor fireplace or a playhouse for their children, or even put an earthen plaster on that boring drywall or ugly concrete wall.

8. We also spend a lot of time on issues of design. Many of the insights learned at the workshop will help people to look at their existing home with a fresh look and may lead to changes for a better living situation.

7. No matter what happens with peak oil and global warming, appropriate technology and energy conservation are on the minds of a lot of people.
We teach it not from the perspective of doom and gloom but rather from the idea that life becomes richer through the introduction of these technologies and ideas. We always address passive solar, insulation, composting toilets, heating systems and more.

6. Hope! A friend of mine kept taking different workshops. When I asked him what he was planning on building he responded: "Nothing. I am going to these workshops because they give me hope for the world." The workshops are a sharp contrast to the everyday picture that we get fed through the media about the condition of our world. Participants get a break from the negativity and leave the workshop usually with that truly "life is beautiful" feeling.

5. Seldom do we get a chance to be physically active and outside (in beautiful natural settings) for a whole week or 10 days. All the work we do is organized so that it revitalizes our bodies. Everyone works at their own speed and every movement of the building process is designed to help us feel better, stronger and more confident about our bodies. It is not unusual for people to arrive tired and stiff and leave at the end of the workshop rested and strong (and get a lot of building done).

4. When was the last time you took your socks and shoes off and played with mud?

3. Building is fun. Building with a group is even more fun. Building something beautiful out of natural materials with a group of great people is a very positive experience. It is something we get to do very seldom this day and age. For many participants, the workshop brings up romantic images of "barn raising". People are always amazed at how the building just "grows" in front of their own eyes!

2. Dreaming is OK! Even if nothing ever comes of it. Even if it never pays off. Even if you will never build anything in your life. Give yourself a retreat, create some contrast in your life, do something out of the ordinary. Rejuvenate. And if you have dreams about a sustainable world/life/house... keep the dream alive and take a workshop.

1. I get to meet you and you get to meet me (plus a bunch of other rather interesting people). Life is never about houses or building. Life is about people!

Find out which workshop you want to take by visiting the workshop page.