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 ! |