Changing Our Look

Aleana, Maleek, Nigel, Amadu and Jordan

Aleana and her group have tackled the task of creating a new entrance to the farm. There has been much desire to revamp the look of the farm and make a more accessible entrance. As Nigel (one of the youth workers) said, “The three entrances we now have are difficult to find. . . . We need an inviting, easy to find entrance like a strawbale entrance.” I couldn’t agree with him more. The straw bale entrance will also serve as an demonstration of permaculture.

The permaculture approach has been around since the 1970s and was established by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren and their associates. It aims to echo the systems found in nature in order to create structures that are more sustainable and do not harm the environment. For more information about permaculture & straw bale building, check the links below.

National Sustainable Agricultural Website

Permaculture the Earth

Straw Bale Information: Amazon Nails

Nigel, Amadu and Jordan have been working along with Ben and Aleana to build this straw bale entrance. But, it took the help of everyone to finish the straw bale shed entrance. We had to wait for clear skies in order to put the straw bales up because in order for it to work properly the bales cannot get wet. Thursday was busy with moving, cutting and securing the straw bales with rebar. I was surprised at how quickly the process worked because in two days the shed entrance was nearly complete. But, I forget that Nigel, Jordan, Amadu & Aleana have been diligently working since the beginning of the summer to prepare for this day. The next step will be to lime plaster the outside, which hopefully will be done soon. For now, we are very very proud of our first straw bale shed!

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