2015 Activities at Strawbale Studio

There have been lots of wonderful activities at the Strawbale Studio in 2015 ! Click on this link for the list of the main events & photos.

 Click underlined links below for Blog Posts & Pictures ! Color code:     * CLASS  * TOUR  * EXHIBIT * *PRESENTATION *NETWORKING * INTERN * FIELD TRIP (tour  + hands-on Activity) 
Instructor: Deanne Bednar unless otherwise noted.
2015 Activities include:
Held Monthly FULL MOON Activities at the Strawbale Studio: Avg 8/Tour, 25/Potluck, 3/Workparty.
Attend Monthly Oakland County Permaculture Meetup
Jan 1, 2015 TOUR ~ Jesse & Brian
Jan 2, 2015 TOUR ~ Dawn Holtz group of 7
Jan 3, 2015 TOUR ~ Kirsten & Daniel
Jan 4 – Feb 4, 2015 2015 WINTERNSHIP ~ Brett Lehner,Adam Gerlic,Harry Ruff, Dean Whitmore, Jennifer Reed, Nana Ferdnance,Trevor Biggs
See 2015 Winternship report / blog for details/pics
Jan 9 & 10, 2015 THATCHING WORKSHOP & Reed Collection
Jan 17 & 18, 2015 ROUND POLE Class. Instructor: Mark Angelini
Jan 24 & 25, 2015 ROCKET STOVE / Fire Workshop
Jan 29, 2015 WOOD CARVING CLASS Guest Instructor: Mark Angelini
1/30/2015 TEMPE-MAKING CLASS Guest Instructor: Kerry Gados
Jan 31 – Feb 1, 2015 EARTH PLASTER & SCULPTING Class
Feb – Mar 2015 Renewal, Reed Collection, Repairs
Feb 6, 2015 TOUR ~ Robbie & Shanna from Kensington Farm
Feb 9, 2015 TOUR ~ Joe Marion ~ Fraiser Construction
Feb 11, 2015 Attend Permaculture Meetup: PC Lawn Presentation
Mar 15, 2015 TOUR ~ Maina & Alex Moore overnight & next day
Mar 21, 2015 TOUR ~ Rodney & Karla
Mar 25, 2015 Attend Mark Lakemans’ CITY REPAIR Presentation at the Red Door Gallery, Detroit
Mar 25, 2015 Visit Maina & Gregs’ off-grid Detroit duplex home.
April 3, 2015 Steve Baibeck’s MSU Art Class Field Trip to SBS
Apr 8, 2015 TOUR ~ Sheryl & Michael
Apr 10, 2015 TOUR ~ Kake and Marianne Amin – Scott’s parents
April 24 – 26, 2015 EXHIBIT at Rochester Earth Day GREEN LIVING Festival. Volunteers help ! Scott and Laura & Noah.
April 25, 2015 VIDEO INTERVIEW at Earth Day by Fox 2 NEWS.
April 27, 2015 Maze straw bales distributed those who helped construct the maze, to become garden mulch.
Apr 27 – May 15, 2015 INTERN Julia Goode does natural building / gardening
May 13, 2015 BAKER COLLEGE Tour & Hands-on for Ann Jacobs’ Interior Design Class
May 13, 2015 FOX 2 News VIDEO INTERVIEW filmed at the Strawbale Studio for the Environmental News.
May 17 FORAGED BRUNCH Class – herb walk & lunch
May 23 – PERMACULTURE MIXER for South East Michigan. Classes, networking & planting 150 trees.
May 24, AGRO-FOREST Class + grafting/planting Instructors: Bryan Metts, Mark Angelini, Jared Bogdonov-Hanna, Trevor Neuman
May 30, 2015 Refresh Earth Plasters on the Kids Cottage at Kensington Metro Park Farm Center. Volunteers help.
Jun 3 – 5, 2015 TOUR & visit ~ Ed & Shakti
Jun 5, 2015 TOUR & visit ~ Kim Harron, Carol & Gina
June 5-7, 2015 Attended: GAIA Singing Weekend with Carolyn McDade . Love Songs for the Earth and presentation on Ban Fracking
June 20 – 21, 2015 ORTONVILLE CREEK FEST ~ Strawbale Studio Exhibit & Gaia singing.
Jun 27, 2015 TOUR ~ Brent & Karen Godfrey
July 11- 24, 2015 2-wk NATURAL COTTAGE PROJECT Cleveland, OH Teachers: Chris McClellan, Deanne Bednar, Christina Ott.
Aug 1 – Sept 1 INTERN ~ Rox Hanna – preparing for NB Intensive
Aug 8 – 14th, 2015 1-wk NATURAL BUILDING INTENSIVE at SBS. Work Traders ~ Emanuel Dan, Rox Hanna, Aaron Brown, Luke Stilgenbauer
Aug 14 – 18, 2015 Work Trader Aaron Brown helped fix and build.
Aug. 29, Sat. 11a – 1p Great Lakes NATURAL Bldg. MEETUP at SBS
Aug 30 – Oct 20, 2015 INTERN ~ Laura Moore, Lucy Herman
Aug 31, 2015 Attend Renaissance Festival. Inspiration /netwk
Sept 19, 2015 BIO-CHAR DEMONSTRATION by Karl & Gaylyn Kaufman
Sept 26, 2015 EXHIBIT ~CLARKSTON FARMERS MARKET, helpers Intern Laura & Lucie.+ Rocket Stove demo
Sept 27, 2015 NATURAL BUILDING MEETUP – New Rocket Cooker construction + FULL MOON POTLUCK / TOUR
Sept 29 2015 WALDORF FIELD TRIP to SBS 3rd Grade. Tour & Hands-on
Oct 1-4, 2015 VOLUNTEER Joel Atkinson from Ohio, builds 2 doors for the Hobbit Sauna with Intern Laura &Lucy
Oct 10 & 17, 2015 FOREST STEWARDSHIP Classes, Instructor: Forester, Wildlife Biologist, Rick McAvinchey
Oct 18 – 24. NATURAL BUILDING COLLOQUIUM.  20th Anniversary Gathering in Kingston, NM. Attend & Present on Thatching.  Networking & Learning, too !
Nov 6, 2015 RADIO INTERVIEW of Strawbale Studio by Levi Meeuwenberg on Permauclture RealiZed Podcast
Nov – Dec, 2015 CONSTRUCT WOOD STORAGE in Open Pole Barn. Volunteers: Micah, Allison, Kathryn.
Dec 6, 12, 13, 2015 CANDLE & Gift-making Classes
Dec 12-13, 2015 VISIT ~ Marsha Oyler & Jen Su from Ohio stay 2 days.  Also Dec. Worktrade with Kathryn Seger.
Dec 15, 2015 GREEN CLUB FIELD TRIP. Peter McCreedy’s Students from Chatsfield School, Lapeer, MI. Tour & fire up Rocket Stoves !
Dec 18 – 19, 2015 WMU SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS Field Trip to SBS. Derek Kanwischer’s group from Kalamazoo, MI. Stay overnight & engage in many activities !
Dec 27, 2015 CANDLE & Gift-making Class
NEW EXPERIMENTS Hay & Strawbale Gardening. (Gardening in bales) Success with Kale & Tomatos!!
Planting of 150 trees on the Pollinator Pipeline
New Agro-Forest Garden by Fire Circle. Shrubs & Herbs.
Make small model Lashed Ladders using sticks & cord.
Dry Water Keifer grains. Michael Estlerman harvests Jerusulem Artichoke for sale at the Pontiac Farmers’ Market.
IMPROVEMENTS Wood Storage Units built in Open Pole Barn by Volunteers: Micah, Allison, Kathryn.
Metal storage cover for timber frame
Strawbale Studio Woodstove ~ replace pipes, refurbish finish.
Dead trees against or near buildings & dangerous snags taken down and cut and split into firewood.
GUEST INSTRUCTORS Kerry Gados, Mark Angelini, Micah Lindquist, Chris McClellan, Jared Bogdonov-Hanna, Trevor Newman, Bryan Metts, Rick McAvinchey. Karl & Gaylyn Kaufman
UPDATE on the COMPOST FURNACE This dynamic pile of biomass maintained a temperature of 140 + degrees from Nov 15, 2014 to Nov 15 2015 ! Dec, 2015 the pile which is several feet lower than its original 7 feet in heighth, is still 130 degrees as of Dec 20, 2015. Even with these temperatures, the pile was not powerful enough to heat the uninsulated floor of the Studio. The Compost Furnace would likely heat a smaller, more insulated building. There is hope: The WMU Gibbs Center is heating 3 garden beds in their hoop house to 60 degrees with a similar system.
NEW CONSTRUCTION The Hobbit Sauna recieved 2 new hand-made doors, a Garden Wall with arch & Rumford Fireplace, Living Roof, Sauna Loft, Stove Installation & its 1st sauna ! New Rocket Cooker by Sauna.
New Woodshelter by the Earth Oven & Fire Circle using saltbox design, lashed round poles & thatching.
Stone Cavity Wall by Rocket Stove Combustion Unit in the Kids Cottage.
Install a woodstove exit pipe thru a living roof on Hobbit Sauna
Construct a Rumford Fireplace using cob only for fire box.
CONTINUING Innoculated Logs ~ Mushroom production.
Winter harvest freeze-tolerant greens from the Hoop House
2015 MEDIA PODCAST Interview of Strawbale Studio by Permaculture Realized.
FOX 2 NEWS ~ environment video on the Strawbale Studio
2015 WEBSITE strawbalestudio.org 8,000 visitors, 40 posts.
2015 Facebook Deanne Bednar, and Strawbale Studio Page.
SUPPORTERS Publicity: Levi Meeuweberg, Ross Lukeman, Susan Lovelace, Sherry Margolis, Cyndi Summers, John Batdorf. A list of more to come.
Festival Exhibits: Scott, Laura & Noah, Sue Daves,
COLLEGE CREDIT Steve Baybiks Art Class at MSU. Katie E from Oakland University, Jared & Fays’ Permaculture Class from Oakland University, Intern Nana Ferdnance recieved credit from Randolph-Macon College Ashland, VA toward her degree in Environmental Science & Art History. WMU Sustainable Projects Program fieldtrip.
Relections from Intern and participants: Justin Poppa: “When I am at the Strawbale Studio I feel relaxed, empowered and inspired ! “
“I learned the skills that gave me the confidence to do my own projects.”
Winter, Adam writes: I am incorporating new habits into everyday life based on patterns that I learned from the entire group ~  including meditation, more self expression, and keeping my self talk in the positive. I’ve also been incorporating what I’ve learned from our non-violent communication discussions. Overall I find myself more frequently content and in the present than I did before the internship… and I think that’s what I needed most anyways. Deanne responds: It meant a lot to me to hear that the group patterns and NVC discussions were supportive to you. It was very safe and satisfying environment during the winternship….and I am very happy to hear that it contributed to your ongoing well-being. We are building buildings, building relationships. co-creating as a dance !