Earthship Biotecture crew and Long Way Home are teaming up to build a sustainable Earthship home for Maria and her family.
An Earthship will provide free clean drinking water, the opportunity to grow food. Solar electricity, in addition to the natural light from the green house, will be able to provide lighting for working and cooking. The secure structure of an Earthship will allow her looming business to continue and grow.
We are Looking for Your Help! Please support this project with your donation. Any amount will help. $5, $10 or more.
Project Overview:
Maria is a single mother struggling to raise five children, one of whom is a niece she adopted when her sister passed away. Both she and her youngest child are often sick, due to lack of adequate foods and malnutrition. They do have access to free water; however, it is unsafe to drink. She and her children work 12-14 hours a day. It is a daily fight for Maria to provide for her family on her substandard living wages from her looming work. The looms, which are their livelihood, are threatened by rains leaking through the dilapidated roof.
Earthship Biotecture crew and Long Way Home are teaming up to build a sustainable Earthship home for Maria and her family. An Earthship will provide free clean drinking water, the opportunity to grow food. Solar electricity, in addition to the natural light from the green house, will be able to provide lighting for working and cooking. The secure structure of an Earthship will allow her looming business to continue and grow.
We are Looking for Your Help!
When: November 28 - December 9, 2011
Where: San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala
Costs: $600
Earthship Biotecture is looking for passionate, dedicated people to come and build with us! Join the Earthship Crew in Comalapa and learn how to build an Earthship; All the while serving a great cause in building home for Maria and her family. Earthship will provide their team of experienced Earthship builders at the site, allowing you to learn the more detailed nuances of the Earthship design that has been under development and improvement for 40 years. During the workshop, you will have countless opportunities to put your skills to the test and receive professional feedback and growth.
How To Sign Up & Get Info: Phil Basehart -
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... also email him with questions or for more information about packing, workshop details or to discuss transportation from the airport.
The 12-day Guatemala Workshop offers hands-on experience in:
- Tire pounding - Glass/can bottle brick building - Water harvesting systems - Ferro cement roof construction - Solar shower installation
The following amenities are also included in the package:
- Lodging - Breakfast and Lunch - Transportation to and from jobsite - A Mayan ceremony asking for permission from the gods to do the build - Live music from a local Guatemalan band at opening ceremonies - A cultural presentation from a famous local painter, Oscar Peren - Slideshow presentation and discussion with Earthship builders - A tour and presentation of local LWH community development projects - A tour of local illegal trash dumps
You are responsible for your own airfare. All flights should be booked into Guatemala City’s Aurora International Airport. Citizens of most countries are automatically issued a free, 90-day tourist Visa upon entering Guatemala. Transportation from the airport can be done by either bus or private taxi (approx 2hrs). For planning purposes, be advised that buses don’t run after 5pm.
Bring clothes that you don't mind destroying, sturdy closed-toed shoes, a tape measure, hat and sunglasses. You will also need a pair of rubber gloves and a pair of leather work gloves.
100% of your fee will go towards making this build possible. At the end of the workshop, Maria and her five children will get the keys to their new home!
Last year, Long Way Home founder - Mateo Paneitz, participated in an internship at the Earthship Biotecture Headquarters in Taos, NM hoping to hone his skills in sustainable and recycled building in the town of Comalapa. Long Way Home is in the process of building a Sustainable Vocational Education Center. This is not only a sustainable building and teaching tool itself, but the school will also focus on developing the skills to build sustainable municipal, residential, and commercial building solutions. This education will produce trained local builders and the education will in turn help them find employment.
This partnership with Earthship Biotecture will provide exactly that: Paid employment for the locally trained sustainable builders, in addition to providing a sustainable home for Maria and her children in desperate need of help.
