Wofati

So I'm wending my way through the permies.com website, and I cam across an article by Paul Wheaton titled "Wofati Eco Building".  What the...  So I read the article.  Paul is a guy who is very interested in building techniques that are really cheap, really cheap.  He is also one who desires to create structures that are made from local materials, preferably from your own land, or nearby, eco-friendly, quickly constructed, extremely durable.

I HAD a book by the name of "The $50 and Up How to Build an Underground House Book", by Mike Oehler.  I leant it to a friend, who decided he didn't want me building such a structure on his property, so he "lost" it.  Book?  What book?

Anyway, Mike Oehler has created some great, super-cheap houses from materials found on his own property, mostly.  Paul thought through Mike's ideas, visited Mike, visited other experts in the field, and made some interesting modifications, which you can read about here:

http://www.richsoil.com/wofati.jsp

I am very interested in this sort of thing, as I find that the housing industry is a joke.  Overpriced, under-built, low-quality housing without an iota of ecological leaning.  I say, "Go for broke"!  Under-price it, over-build it, max out the quality, and max out the eco!  Forget about building 2x4 houses completely.  There is absolutely NO reason to build the crap we've been building for the last 100 years or more.  There exists designs to tackle ALL aspects of green building TODAY, eliminating the need to order lumber from a lumber yard, order flooring from another store, order roofing from a roofing supplier, etc.  I'm interested in knowing your thoughts, whoever you are, so please leave a comment when you read this post.

Thanks,

Ciao,

Panchito

Der Krameterhof

Sepp Holzer, an Austrian farmer, has become a source of inspiration to me of late.  30 years back he inherited his father's farm, which amounted to around 111 acres, or 45 hectares, of rugged, Austrian Alps land.  You'd think that something at that altitude would NOT be a good place to farm, but as they say, "Necessity is the mother of invention".  His is a radical departure from the norm, alternative farming, alternative agriculture, natural farming, and back-to-the-land, are all good descriptions of what he has been up to for most of his life.  These descriptions fall short however.

Take a look at this video about Sepp Holzer and his farm, the Krameterhof.  If this doesn't inspire you, you probably should look for some other blog to read.



I am planning on purchasing a hilly tract of land and creating something like the Krameterhof, only in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.  I am thinking of an intentional Christian community, with a common purse, and a good work ethic.  We will produce most of our own food, electricity, various products, music, and much more, while working toward fulfilling the Great Commission, to the extent that we can.  We'll see what my wife has to say about it????

At any rate, I hope you enjoyed the video.  Sepp Holzer and his Krameterhof are a great example of permaculture in a temperate climate, or even in an semi-arctic climate, since he actually has plantings above the natural tree-line on his mountain.  We stand to learn a great deal from innovative people like him.  America really needs this kind of thinking.  Here in the USA we have spent the last 30 years screwing everything up,, while teaching the rest of the world to do the same.  Let's undo what we've done!

Ciao,

Panchito