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Re: water catchment



RE:  Build Here Now, 2001: An Earth Odyssey

DATES: June 10 - 17

For the third consecutive year, natural builders, permaculturalists and 
those who would learn from them, will "converge" for a week at the Lama 
Foundation, creating a microcosm of ecological community in the forested 
mountains outside Taos, New Mexico.

Homes made of earth and straw, composting toilets, organic gardens: Once 
the province of back-to-the-land revivalists, these ideas are going 
mainstream as energy and housing costs soar, and people seek less toxic 
environments.  "Build Here Now" (inspired by Lama co-founder Ram Dass' 
seminal book Be Here Now), shows participants how to build sustainably and 
cultivate wisely.  A new emphasis this year will be community- building 
workshops led by Lama residents.

Attracting presenters and participants from across the U.S. and as far away 
as Europe, Brazil and Estonia, Build Here Now 2001 includes workshops on 
building with straw bales, adobe, cob, earthbags and bamboo, and using 
earthen and lime plasters and natural paints. Among permaculture topics are 
site planning, water harvesting, forest gardening, sustainable timber 
harvesting and native medicinal herbs. Other topics offered include 
composting toilets, photovoltaic systems, cisterns, and designing a healthy 
and spiritually alive home.

Workshops run concurrently throughout each day, interspersed with 
artfully-prepared vegetarian meals, morning yoga classes, evening dances, 
nature hikes and informal chats. Lasting friendships are often born of the 
shared experience. "I will never forget," said one of last year's 
participants, "standing in the cob pit with seven other barefoot builders; 
holding onto one another for support; our feet doing the work of mixing the 
sand, straw, water and soil together; singing, laughing, work merging with 
play. This is the essence of what it means to 'build here now' - when work 
and play are the same thing."

The original event began as a way of helping the Lama Foundation rebuild 
from a 1996 fire, which decimated most of their original buildings. Since 
that time, a flurry of building activity has taken place, with several new 
earth-friendly structures now complete. The work of erosion control, 
replanting and rebuilding continues this summer at this non-dogmatic 
spiritual community, founded over 30 years ago.

Build Here Now 2001 presenters include well-known Southwest 
permaculturalists Scott Pittman, Joel Glansberg, David and Lynne Trew, and 
Dr. Bill Roley from California. Straw-bale building will be led by 
authors/videomakers Steve Kemble and Carol Escott of Sustainable Systems 
Support.  Healthy home architect Paula Baker-Laporte and master builder 
Robert Laporte, creator of the "Econest," will also present.  Workshops in 
earthen plaster and earthen floor techniques will be taught by Carol Crews 
of Gourmet Adobe, while Janell Kapoor of Kleiwerks will demonstrate how to 
build with cob, an adobe mud mix. The New Mexico Solar Energy Association's 
"Sunchaser II" and solar demonstration trailer will be on hand, and Taos 
architect Vishu Magee, author of the book Archetype Design, will provide a 
powerful visualization process for creating your dream home.

A special invitation is extended to officials and residents of fire-ravaged 
Los Alamos, NM to come view the progress Lama has made, and to avail 
themselves of inspiration and instruction in regenerative land 
practices.  Lama is also offering several scholarships to Taos area 
residents to attend Build Here Now. The event is co-produced by the Lama 
Foundation, the Permaculture Institute, and The Last Straw, the 
International Journal of Straw Bale and Natural Building.

Build Here Now 2001 runs from June 10 - 17.  For more information or to 
register, contact The Lama Foundation at 505-586-1269.  Members of the 
press are invited to visit Monday through Saturday, June 11-16.  Photos are 
available.


At 11:05 AM 4/28/01 -0400, you wrote:
>Greetings, I'm designing a community garden for the lakehead Coalition 
>Food Bank.  We
>have the use of an abandoned school for food storage and can use the land 
>for the
>garden. The water in the building is not turned on and the owner will not 
>do so. The
>building has no eavestroughs or downspouts and is quite high. The roof has 
>a major
>hole in it and needs work, most likely just patching for now. I need 
>someway to
>collect and store water on site.  Ideas?
>
>Bob Ewing
>Thunder Bay
>
>
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