EarthShip EcoTraining

Construction has begun on the new EarthShip here at Terrapin Hollow. From 6/11/2012 through 6/16/2012 we'll be hosting an EarthShip EcoTraining. Learn how to build an earth friendly home out of tires and aluminum cans. Based on the work of the orginal Garbage Warrior, Michael Reynolds, an EarthShip home is a beautiful, low cost, highly sustainable homage to Mother Earth.


Come to the beautiful Ozark Mountains of Northern Arkansas for a week and we'll feed you and teach you everything we've learned in the last 7 years on our homestead, Terrapin Hollow. You can check out the home-made wind-mill and solar panels, rain water harvesting, organic gardening, chickens, and even learn to make your own earth friendly laundry detergent and cleaning supplies. We'll have some indoor sleeping space, and/or camping. Bring your grubby clothes so you can get your hands into the dirt while you gain first hand experience in sustainable construction.

Why lend your back to this project? Terrapin Hollow is not just our home, it is a place of peace and renewal for others. As soon as the EarthShip is done, we'll have indoor lodging for up to a dozen people in two attractive cabins. At that time we'll launch our non-profit retreat center. We'll host spiritual events, sustainability workshops, writer's retreats, leadership development training, meetings, etc. There are other blog posts about Terrapin Hollow.

We hope you'll trek our way and have some fun in the sun with us. We're 36 miles from the Folk Music Mecca, Mountain View, AR. Most summer afternoons there are dozens of circles of musicians picking and grinning 'round the courthouse square. Also, we're in very close proximity to Blanchard Caverns and to the Buffalo National Wild and Scenic River. Heck, you could even borrow our canoe... Friend E. Steven Newby and/or Tree Newby on FB. Or reply to this post.

Oh, and as for the food, we'll be providing farm fresh eggs and veggies and store bought lean meats and carbs. I will probably get a keg. And I can cook a variety of dishes for vegetarians and omnivores. If you're vegan I'll need your help making sure you get what you need. The nearest health food store is in Mountain View and is quite small, but there's a Whole Foods in Little Rock.

In love and light,

Tree of Terrapin Hollow

Elemental Living

At Terrapin Hollow we embrace concepts of Permaculture. We strive to live in balance with the Earth. One way to consider the degree of balance and connection with Earth is to notice and honor the four elements: earth, wind, fire, and water. All life requires some form of all four, in fact, you could argue that there is nothing but these four elements and that all of creation is some mixture of the four.

Water
We harvest our rain water. We can store up to 1750 gallons at a time. The water is collected from the roof of our house and then funneled into an underground cistern. Then we pump the water through the house. There's nothing like the smell of rain in your shower!

Wind
Over the summer we installed a wind generator. My dad built the generator in his garage in Florida and then he and my husband spent the summer clearning trees, building the tower and guide wires, and installing the new electrical system. We chose to remain grid tied because the grid is a billion dollar infastructure through which many people can share clean energy. If you're going with renewable resources I encourage you to stay grid tied so we can diversify the nodes of production.

Fire
We heat our home with a wood stove. Cutting back small diameter trees for fire wood also benefits the forest and wildlife. In fact, the forests in most of the US are not all that healthy due to years of total fire suppression. We understand that fire has a natural role in the ecosystem and that is why Terrapin Hollow is enrolled in the Wildlife Habitat Improvement Project sponsored by the Natural Resource and Soil Conservation agency of the US Department of Agriculture. We received funding to doze a fire break around our land. Over the next 10 years our 40 acres will receive three prescribed burns. We also planted fruiting shrubs for deer and bunch grasses to create bobwhite quail habitat.

Earth
My husband is crazy about using rocks and dirt to make stuff. All our garden beds are raised beds made of stacked rocks. He's building a green house out of cob (dirt, straw, and sand mixture). Our next home will be a straw bale and cob mixture. When you use local resources you save loads of money and petroleum. We compost all our table scraps, news papers, ash, cardboard, and even some of the junk mail. It all turns into rich dirt to feed our organic garden.

The more you realize Gaia Consciousness, the more elemental your life will become.