EcoNest Education

EcoNest seminars, workshops and professional training programs are comprehensive, hands-on learning experiences for individuals interested in any of the following:

Developing an understanding of the rewards and challenges of building your
dream home from natural, healthy materials
Learning about the principles of natural building
Building your own clay/straw home
Gaining proficiency in clay/straw building
Running a successful natural building business
Becoming a certified EcoNest Affiliate Builder

Register online for any of our seminars, workshops and professional training programs. See our Calendar for dates and locations.

Workshops, Seminars and Training Programs

Builder Training I in Durham, Ontario, Canada (7 days)

Clay / Straw Infill System with Robert Laporte and Joshua Thornton

Introduction to Clay/Straw in Durham, Ontario, Canada (4 days)

Introduction to Clay / Straw

Builder Training I in Jackson Hole, WY (5 days)

Includes Matrix framing, Clay/Straw mixing and placement and door and window framing.

Builder Training I in Roseau River, Manitoba, Canada (5 days)

Come join us for one of these action-packed natural building experiences!

NEW! 2008 EcoNest Intensive (11-18 days)

* Sequential Workshop Package

Our May 2008 Intensive is FULL but the September Intensive is wide open. These were designed to make an EcoNest visit more cost and time effective for those wishing to attend multiple sessions. Our Turning Your Dream into Reality seminar, Timber Framing and Builder Training workshops can now be taken back-to-back in May & September. From an analysis of regenerative and ecological building methods to an afternoon tour of EcoNest homes right into hands-on instruction, these packages are designed for those wishing an in-depth experience or an EcoNest Affiliate Certification. It includes training manuals for each segment and a copy of both books, EcoNest: Creating Sustainable Sanctuaries of Clay, Straw & Timber and the new Prescriptions for a Healthy House, 3rd Edition.

* Special Accommodations

We have made special arrangements for very affordable weekly accommodations at a co-housing community and 2 hotels. Additionally, we also have a list of nearby campgrounds that offer sleeping under the stars! Once registered, we will send information regarding lodging, what to bring and a map. Book early because they will fill quickly at these rates!

* New Book

Our third edition of Prescriptions for a Healthy House, authored by our EcoNest architect, Paula Baker-Laporte, FAIA is due out this spring with a fuller compendium of products and services. The new edition includes 15 essays written by North America's leading Bau-Biologists. Each explores an aspect of the healthy home from this valuable European perspective.

* Cost of EcoNest Intensive

The entire cost of the EcoNest Intensive is $2100. per person, $3780. for couples. Prices include NM state tax. All modules may be purchased separately by going to the Registration Link and clicking on the desired date and workshop.

Turning Your Dream into Reality Seminar (2 days)

Over the past 20 years, the EcoNest team has worked with hundreds of people who dream of creating a better home. If you wish to leave a legacy of beauty, health and environmental consciousness, then you most likely will not find what you are looking for in the offerings of the conventional housing industry. You will need to create your home...to embark on a pioneering venture. This can be a daunting undertaking, one which flies in the face of the current conventional home-owning paradigm. We can help you in this journey along the road less traveled!

Turning Your Dream into Reality seminar will be offered in the fall on September 13-14, 2008 in Tesuque, NM, just 10 minutes north of Santa Fe.

Cost of Seminar is $215. per person, $380 per couple. Prices include NM state tax.

Timber Framing Workshop (5 days)

This workshop is a five-day, hands-on introduction to the traditional craft of mortise and tenon joinery. The student will help cut, assemble and raise a frame. Many students have taken this workshop several times, building on the skills they have previously learned. Assignments are geared to challenge the individual student at their level of expertise. Timber Framing workshops are typically scheduled the week prior to the Builder Training Programs and may be taken alone or as part of the comprehensive 2008 EcoNest Intensive training.

Cost of the Timber Framing Workshops: $640. per person, $1150. per couple available April 28-May 2 and September 2-6, 2008. Prices include NM state tax.

Clay / Straw (4 days)

This four-day CLAY/STRAW building program is at the heart of the EcoNest mission — Creating Living Sanctuaries of Clay, Straw & Timber. Through hands-on experience, students develop practical skills using natural, unprocessed building materials. Presentations and discussions provide additional information about the principles of health and sustainability inherent in the EcoNest building system. Students will work side-by-side with skilled natural building craftspeople to construct the walls of a new EcoNest home. No prior building skill is required.

This workshop is included in the 2008 Builder Training I modules offered April 7-10, May 5-8, June 9-12, August 11-15 in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada and September 2-6. Dates TBA for Moose, WY.

All BTI workshops are held in Santa Fe unless otherwise noted.

Natural Plaster and Earth Floor (3 days)

Durable and beautiful earth-based plasters complete the breathing wall system of an EcoNest. Earth floors are a warm, sensuous, ecological and practical alternative to concrete slab floors and sub-floors.

This three-day, hands-on training covers the theory and application of earth plasters and earth floors and is included in the Builder Training III modules offered September 17-19, 2008 in Santa Fe, NM and requires no pre-requisites.

EcoNest Apprenticeship Program

At its finest, building a handcrafted home is a soulful experience combining art, science and craft and involving mind, body and soul. The knowledge and skill to build in this way is not learned overnight. The EcoNest Company realizes the vital importance of passing this craft on to the next generation and offers an apprenticeship program to promising individuals who feel a calling to make fine ecological home building their life’s work.

One four-day training, preferably the Builder Training I module (unless previously taken), is the pre-requisite for the Apprenticeship Program.

Builder Training I (4-5 days)

Builder Training I: In this training, the student learns how to build the matrix framework that receives the clay/straw and participates in the clay/straw production. This module is required for any builder working with an EcoNest client and EcoNest plans.

The CLAY/STRAW workshop is included in the Builder Training I modules offered July 14-20 in Durham, Ontario, Canada, July 21-25 in JacksonHole, WY, and August 11-15 in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada and September 8-11, 2008 in Santa Fe, NM.

Santa Fe workshops: $ 560. per person, $1010. per couple. Prices include NM state tax.

Costs may vary for out-of-state workshops, please refer to the specific listings for each workshop location and dates.

Builder Training II (5 days)

Builder Training II: In this 5-day module, the student completes the EcoNest shell, integrates the mechanical and electrical installations and executes the high-performance thermal envelope. A comprehensive discussion on ROOFS is covered in Builder Training II also.

In 2008, Builder Training II modules are presented September 12-16 in Santa Fe, NM and

requires Builder Training I as the pre-requisite.

$560. per person, $1010. per couple. Prices include NM state tax.

Builder Training III (3 days)

Builder Training III: The student will learn about the hand-crafted signature details and natural, non-toxic finishes that go into an EcoNest home.

NATURAL PLASTER & EARTH FLOORS are included in the Builder Training III modules offered September 17-19, 2008 in Santa Fe, NM and there is no pre-requisite to attend.

$455. per person, $815. per couple. Prices include NM state tax.

Builder Training I, II, III in Santa Fe, NM (12 days)

This new offering is a comprehensive "footing-to-rooftop” training in the EcoNest building system. It condenses 20 years of "nest” building experience into three modules. The Builder Training series is for the professional or owner-builder wishing to create a clay/straw building. One four-day training, preferably the Builder Training I module (unless previously taken), is the pre-requisite for the Apprenticeship Program. Completion of all three modules is a pre-requisite for Certification as an EcoNest Affiliate Builder.

The CLAY/STRAW workshop is included in the Builder Training I module.

Builder Training II: In this module, the student completes the EcoNest shell, integrates the mechanical and electrical installations and executes the high-performance thermal envelope.

A comprehensive discussion on ROOFS is covered in Builder Training II.

Builder Training III: The student will learn about the hand-crafted signature details and natural, non-toxic finishes that go into an EcoNest home.

NATURAL PLASTER & EARTH FLOORS are included in the Builder Training III module.

Questions?

If you need additional information or have questions, please contact us.

See our Calendar for seminar/workshop dates and locations.

Plaster and Earth Floor Workshop Coming Soon!!

Comments from Seminars/Workshops

See more comments and photos from recent seminars and workshops.

EcoNest® Company
P.O. Box 864 Tesuque, NM, USA 87574
Office: (505) 989-1813 Fax: (505) 989-1814

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