In this article, Danielle Harford reviews the 2024 Caribbean Earth Building Immersion through the quirky framework of a cooking recipe - sharing memories, key "ingredients", and what it takes to pull off a community build in the Caribbean.
Building a mud house in the Caribbean sounds like a fairy tale. However, pioneering an earth building immersion that teaches the people to build their own homes can scare any chef.
For the best results, an EBI should be well done and handled with care. This ensures that it is succulent. However, if you are not yet sure if this recipe suits your lifestyle, consider a few things first.
You’re hungry for some new flavours but you haven’t baked in a while or haven’t baked at all. Worry no further, in this recipe the sun does all the baking for you! If the old, unhealthy concrete diet is no longer serving you, then this too is the recipe for you. What about my budget? Earth building is a cheaper alternative to modern construction options and this recipe comes with a few additional scholarships for those who need a dash of support when learning. As for the old saying that your health is your wealth, the community that grows is also your cornerstone.
This recipe has been tried and tested with delicious results. It is based on the 7 Day Earth Building Immersion of August 2024 in Freeport, Trinidad and Tobago designed by OneRegeneration in collaboration with Wa Samaki Ecosystems .
One last note, nature always provides the best prototypes for design. It’s how we developed flight, night vision, velcro and even soap. Why wouldn’t we trust nature’s engineers and architects to create our buildings- not just to withstand the elements but rather, to live in harmony with the elements? Now let’s begin!
List of Ingredients
1 Site with zest
3 or 4 committed organizers (freshly picked and well seasoned)
1 Large happy posse (the binder)
1 Batch of juicy content (the sweetener)
1 Chef Maleah (the bliss point)
1 Handful of talented musicians (the cherry on top)
Servings: whole communities
Prep Time: training from birth
Cook Time: 7 Hours for 7 Days
Total Time: 7 Hours for 7 Days, plus planning and at least 8 hours to cool and stay cool!
A Site with Zest
The immersion was set on a permaculture demonstration farm in central Trinidad and Tobago, known as Wa Samaki ecosystems. Already a teaching and learning space, it was well outfitted with ample ‘classroom’ conveniences to digest and discuss theory as well as a separate eating area that accommodates diners at a big ‘round table’, accompanied by a buffet style counter for farm ‘banquets’. Keep in mind that the overall style is rustic and in keeping with life on a farm.
Most of the materials used for the earthen structures in progress are sourced on site like the clay which was harvested from trenches manually dug nearby and the foundation wood, felled from the food forests intentionally grown years prior. For this 7 day immersion however the primary focus was building the walls of the tiny home known as Forever Home. Although the design possibilities for earthen structures are limitless and concrete can be avoided altogether, the home owners and designers of this particular home did choose a concrete floor while all the walls in the home are constructed with cob. Electrical wire was repurposed and weaved between a wooden framework, forming the core of the wall structure. The cob mix was then applied to this wire framework using the draping technique that includes long pieces of fiber. In this case, rice straw was the fiber sourced from another local farmer.
On site, there are other earthen structures already built that utilize different techniques like the incorporation of adobe (bricks), made from a similar cob mix with fiber. Some designs showcase the ‘exposed’ brick aesthetic while others are finished with an earthen plaster. Both variations on the farm experiment with different colour palettes so that overall, there is a variety of earthen designs available on site to learn from.
This includes the very special tiny home The Honey Hex which functionally serves a younger generation of family on the farm. The foundation of this home including its floors are made strictly with a cob mix. The design also utilizes beautiful upcycled glass bottle walls like other smaller structures on site like compost toilets. Altogether, Wa Samaki Ecosystems is like a rustic display room to shop around for ideas when designing your earthen structures. It is your local home store as well as library. As such, the space served participants well and provided answers to their questions.
More about the Farm
Wa Samaki Ecosystems is run by a team led by Erle, who was born and raised in Kenya. The farm is over 30 acres large and was once a citrus estate. Since 1997, the site has been rehabilitated utilizing permaculture principles and restoring the presence of naturally settled wildlife. Wa Samaki has hosted Permaculture Design Courses (PDCs) and syntropy workshops for many years and has embarked on a number of natural building structures on site from its beginnings, harvesting bamboo for construction.
Now, joining forces with OneRegeneration, has opened a realm of possibility in advancing the offerings for learning about natural building in the region. A significant part of fostering awareness and skill transfer for this type of construction hinges on experiencing ‘life’ as practiced in cob and adobe living. As such, Wa Samaki offers a first hand look at how generations of one family may sustain their lives on one site, in harmony with nature and living in homes built with the help of community. The collaboration between OneRegenration and Wa Samaki Ecosystems is transforming the space further, into a living, breathing, life curriculum.
Committed Organizers
The team of facilitators (Celine ‘Red Jep’, Rodje 'Nine', Suzzie and sometimes Erle) offered a special blend of expertise and experience in areas such as visual arts, permaculture research, yoga, music, science, rewilding, hands-on designs with local, regional and global projects as well as shockingly corporate past life skills. Together, these instructors provided a bank of information and insights, strongly leading 20 plus participants as a solid authority on earth building. At the same time, while these teachers were serious about their work, they were as seriously committed to participants’ learning and understanding. Their delivery was gentle and they remained a caring and grounded bunch.
Participants felt that their overall well being was catered to as these teachers showed that they were interested in our safety, our enjoyment and the balance of mind, body and soul. They constantly looked out for our hydration and caloric and meditative nourishment. They ensured a strict schedule (bell and all) that allowed time for adequate rest, rejuvenation and fun. They were well planned and made certain that there was much to gain from a 7 day immersion…into a new life and lifestyle.
More on the Format
The EBI blended theory and practice, staying true to its design. It opened with a 2 day introductory workshop that fell on a weekend and acted as a singular unit for participants who could not attend all seven days of the immersion but still wanted to gain key information. At the same time, this introduction served to inform and guide remaining participants through elements of earth building, necessary for overall understanding. Presentations, videos and discussions allowed for big picture thinking and a vision of how versatile earth building materials can be likewise, how creative the process can be. Beyond the introduction, hands-on learning at the tiny home “construction site”, Forever Home, was the main focus.
Days began at 9:00 am and ended at 4:00 pm give or take. Opening mediations started the day in the classroom setting and participants then trekked to the construction site. Tasks were generally divided and rotated for exposure and practice. Mini breaks for hydration punctuated tasks and tools were promptly put down for a restful lunch around 12:00 pm. After lunch, tasks were generally resumed until the day was closed in a circle, back in the classroom setting, and in a reflective and meditative mindset. Here, participants were encouraged to share a positive experience of the day.
Happy Posse
This is the surprise component of the immersion- the mixed barrel of goodies that one gets to draw from everyday. Back to childhood fairs, and hunting for treasures; mystery packages were discovered everyday. 20 plus special candidates offered a wonderful dynamic of fun and hidden expertise. Like an invisible thread or vetiver leaf weaving through the band of electromagnetic pulses; community tapestry was emerging. On the seventh day, born on a farm, we welcomed one big, colourful, quirky quilt of mud lovers to blanket the cold times. We learned that you are never alone in the process of building your “vertical earth” as one kind architect in the bunch articulated. This invaluable resource of skilled friends makes the life journey more joyful and serves to prove that in community, we can live out our great and peaceful dreams to live sustainably in harmony with nature.
Overall, the immersion attracted 23 attendees representing 7 countries and retaining 18 participants in the full 7 day immersion. There was a range of ages and almost a balance of sexes. Notably, a couple mothers and daughters were present as well as couples. While the majority of participants were resident in Trinidad and Tobago, some flew into the country to attend from St. Lucia, Grenada and the U.S.A. Wider connections included Jamaica, Italy and Germany. While no experience was required to be immersed, the group of attendees came from diverse backgrounds, offering a pool of talent, skills and knowledge in areas such as: architecture, culinary arts, homesteading and cottage industry, the arts, entrepreneurship, veterinary science, education, mother care, and the wider humanities.
"Earth building means a lot to me, to us" -Josie
"Its regrouping community, it's not like a regular construction zone where you have a bunch of machinery...there's a bunch of burly men around or whatever, you can have kids around or old ladies around...everyone could be helping" -Adam
"Who goes to live in the tiny house now will have some of my energy in their house and they will have some of the other partcipants' energy and the joy that we had...that is the kind of embodied energy I want in my home...and the kind of energy I want to put in others' homes" -Sariyah
Juicy Content
The immersion was cleverly designed to accommodate the varied needs of potential participants and as such, the first two days, executed on a weekend, served as the theoretical introduction to earth building possibilities and techniques. This acted as a mini workshop that some could attend as separate to the remaining 5 days which fell on weekdays and may not have fit in with some work schedules.
Through the support of digital presentations, videos and discussions, all participants had an opportunity to learn about the general thinking behind earth building. There was adequate time for questions to be answered, for participant inputs and supplementary and referential information was supplied through personalized digital accounts. This therefore eliminated anxiety about taking perfect notes as whole verbatim presentations were made available.
It should be noted here that earth building is actually a singular module of a wider Permaculture Design Course (PDC.) Once again, efficient and strategic planning would have it that the annual 10 day intensive PDC offered on the farm, was delivered in the immediate weeks before the immersion. This allowed for both an interesting flow of ideas and an interesting possibility for some, like travellers who may have wanted to make the best use of their time and learning journey. Overall the course material was exciting, engaging and informative. It also inspired much inquiry and sparked ideas as well as provided clarity when practical activities like plastering on Day 2, made it possible to apply our theoretical know-how.
Key Natural Building Topics Covered
What is earth building
Embodied energy
A look at appropriate materials and equipment available
Different techniques and styles of natural/earth building
What is cob and how to use it
Harvesting clay
How to mix and apply cob via draping technique
What is adobe and how to make adobe (bricks)
How to make a rocket stove using adobe
How to make and apply natural plasters
How to prepare bottles for use in creating bottle walls
Chef Maleah
Every home should have one. Not enough can be said about Maleah’s wholesome and delicious food that kept the farm sustained. It was the lust of the immersion. For seven whole days there was a culinary explosion of fresh, well prepared vegetarian meals that took ownership of our senses. Participants one by one fell under Maleah’s spell and little did she know she could have put a complete stop to autonomy through mind control and programming. We became fussing chickens, wanting more and vocalizing our pleasure with our chicken quarreling voices.
Meals were predominantly local in cuisine with much variety, always well balanced, hearty and bursting with flavour. Occasionally, quinoa, pasta and farm made focaccia made their way into the menu. Everyday was an exciting and surprising food event, out in the middle of the bush after working up a jungle appetite, sun baked and hungry from hard and gratifying work on the land. We were then led to Maleah’s oasis for uplifting and satisfying rejuvenation, all tasting like pure love.
In Round Robin fashion at the end of a day, in a safe circle, when participants had the chance to speak their minds and share positively about their experiences, people were bubbling, obsessively, to speak about the food that they had eaten at lunch… had to blurt it, couldn’t fight it, sort of feeling. A movement had started.
A tiny behind the scenes tidbit is that Maleah and her happy family are the residents and pioneer earth builders of The Honey Hex. A secret also escaped that Chef Maleah may even have future plans to open a farm cafe on site where she can share all her good foodieness more regularly.
Talented Musicians
Just when you can’t imagine the immersion being any more unique and life changing, this recipe was made complete by the infusion of music in our daily lives of work and play. An unexpected layer of drumming and trumpeting followed us and supported our movements and actions, even lending strength when energy waned. The traditional spirit of cob dancing with the community felt even more real; actualized. It was an invigorating and very human part of the experience. The human connection to rhythm, song and dance, alive.
Creative energies merged and awe inspiring beauty took form. The whole recipe was a co creation in real time, happening before our very eyes. Walls went up and sound emerged. In some ways the recipe was its own creation story through light and vibration. Music tied together all the important strands of community living and securing shelter for the species.
As a grand finale to the EBI a special music festival seemed to take shape around a concert by Baba Ayinde Onilu, an “organic percussionist” and musical genius who has innovated novel forest instruments, playing together with the help of a friend and surrounded on this occasion by a forest pot luck pizza party.
Special Equipment Needed
Giant beater (a.k.a. paint mixer)
Giant sifter (for debris not thoughts)
Nuff buckets and containers
Tarpaulin
Assortment of choice tools
Method
Now that you know what is needed to make a succulent EBI, the method of mixing these special ingredients seems to be something of a natural phenomenon. You first gather all the ingredients, mix it all together in a schedule, using special equipment, unleash it to the sunny world, step back and watch it rise, patiently. What happens next is a bit of magic that only the immersed have tasted.
Alternatives and Substitutes
Though other ingredients may exist, truth be told, swapping out ingredients may just alter the succulent flavour of this particular type of EBI. We recommend the original.
Bonus Tips
Pace yourself and savour the moments because this EBI is rich and indulgent. It leaves you wanting more so look out for service learning opportunities when the EBI is finished.
If you like this recipe or would like to indulge in an EBI please let us know.
Riddle me this, riddle me that: abode or adobe? What's the difference?
Explore Earth Building
Learn more about our Earth Building opportunities. Explore our upcoming courses, ongoing projects, and ways to connect with our community
Comments