Natural Building Colloquium

The seventh AND FINAL! annual eastern U.S. Natural Building Colloquium
Sunday, July 25 through Saturday, July 31, 2010
hosted by The PeaceWeavers :: Thunder Mountain — Bath, New York

Natural Building
and
Sustainable Living

From natural building and permaculture techniques to water and energy conservation . . . from alternative fuels to sourcing your food locally . . . this event is important for everyone concerned about how their lifestyle impacts our Earth.

A message from Sarah Highland, one of the popular regular presenters at the Colloquium:

This Summer's Natural Building Colloquium East, the seventh to be held in Upstate NY and the eighth to be held anywhere east of the Rockies, will be the last colloquium hosted by the Peaceweavers Community for the time being. The Peaceweavers have put on the event somewhat as community service for the last two years, due to not enough attendance to cover their costs, and will be putting their energy in other directions after this summer.

If you have been thinking about attending someday, have friends or clients who are thinking about it, or have had a lovely time there in the past, this is the summer to sign up and support our friends who have been putting enormous amounts of energy into running these wonderful events.

A prominent natural builder who has been to many events has said that given the choice between the Peaceweavers' colloquium and other colloquia, he'd go to the Peaceweavers'. Its strong suit is that it is about building with spirit, and heart and connection. Great for spending time with other people who care about the same things, great for kids. If you come just to learn the nuts and bolts of building, you're missing the point.

The event runs from July 25-31 on a hilltop outside of Bath, NY.

Thanks!
Sarah

It's the seventh year that the PeaceWeavers have hosted this family-friendly event at the Thunder Mountain Retreat Center near Bath, New York, offering very full days of teaching, learning, building, and networking. Top experts, authors, educators, innovators, designers, and builders offer hands-on experience and educational presentations with "close to the earth" building materials and lifestyle choices.

But in the end, there's one really important thing that makes these events amazing. Sure, there's all kinds of new, fun, valuable things to learn — tactile, hands-in-the-mud stuff that you just don't get from the books or the internet. Sure, people can pick up tricks and tips to save precious days and months of misdirected time and effort, as well as thousands of dollars of misspent money, on their own projects and in their lives. Sure, there's the great food, the beautiful natural setting, the music, and so much more. But in the end, the most rewarding and inspiring thing is the rare privilege of being with so many talented, smart, caring, willing, extraordinary people... some of whom just happen to be world-class natural builders, sustainable thinkers, and do-gooders. It's the people — all of them — who come together at Thunder Mountain that are the best thing of all.

Join us for our 7th Natural Building Colloquium!

— a hands-on event with an emphasis on natural building and sustainable living in the northeastern climate. Meet and be inspired by some of the movement's foremost natural builders, designers, and sustainable living educators.

Workshops, demonstrations, and presentations include such topics as:

Strawbale · cob · cordwood · timber framing · earth sheltered buildings · straw-clay infill · permaculture · community-supported agriculture · living roofs · thatching · renewable energy (wind, solar, and more) · natural plasters & finishes · building with hemp · alternative fuels · log cabin construction · international building projects · building codes · and much more...

(Presenters, workshops, & presentations are subject to change.)

· On-site camping and all meals (vegan) are included
· Arrive between 1-5 pm on Sunday, July 25th to set up camp;
opening ceremonies are at 5:00, with dinner and an evening
presentation to follow
· Event ends mid-afternoon on Saturday, July 31st

Register early for savings!
	Adults (18+)	College Students	Kids* (5-17)
Before July 15th	$675	$475	$275
After July 15th	$725	$525	$325
· 50% deposit due at time of registration — balance due by July 15th. · * Must be accompanied by an adult; otherwise college prices apply. · Deposit less $150 processing fees refundable through July 15; no refunds after this date. · Visa/MC/Discover/AMEX accepted. Link to the registration form: (.doc) or (.pdf).

To receive information about upcoming PeaceWeavers retreats, events, products, specials, and words of inspiration, fill out the form on the home page to join the mailing list. Once you've completed the form, look for an email from The PeaceWeavers and click the blue link to confirm your subscription. Your privacy is safe with us, and you can unsubscribe from the mailings at any time by clicking a link at the bottom of any email we send.

A sad surprise... this will be the last Natural Building Colloquium hosted by the Peaceweavers (for the foreseeable future, at least). If you've kept thinking each year that maybe you'd go next year, well, this seems to be the last chance.

2010 PeaceWeaver Colloquium Dates Announced! Sunday, July 25 through Sunday, July 31...

The 2009 event is over, but check these out:

PeaceWeavers to Host Natural Building Colloquium in Bath, NY

NBCNY 2009 - Thinking about Thunder Mountain...

Some photos

More photos

"When I heard about this I knew it was going to be cool, but I've had ten times more fun than I ever thought I was going to. It's like nothing I've ever experienced. I'll definitely be back."
— Matt M

"I've been getting very interested in natural building, and this was recommended to me as sort of an overall vision of that. It's been great, very useful."
— Sue J

"Awesome. The timber framing project is great. Great instructor. Incredible group of people. And I had a ukulele lesson! It's very embracing."
— Liz J

"One thing I love about this colloquium is that it's a community... I love that."
— Kristen R

"With fuel depletion, peak oil, and climate change happening, it's easy to understand the many compelling reasons for natural building. This is where it's at for a sustainable future in housing, building design, performance, community design... the whole thing."
— Dan M

"Connections — connections to people, connections to the natural methods, and ways to learn and grow."
— Dave M

"The presenters are really awesome — they've got a lot of great information and really seem to know their stuff."
— Chris M

"This is great! I was sort of expecting 'hippies.' There are people here with progressive ideas, but still planted in reality. People I can really identify with."
— Clay D

"For me it's a combination of inspiration and vacation, retreat and refuge. Being around people who are thinking the same thing as me — mostly — except for the crazy stuff — is such a gift. I can't imagine not getting here again. It would take a pretty big blizzard."
— Georgie D

"No matter what age you are, or if you have children or not, this is a great place to come and play, or let your inner children come and play."
— Alison B

"I worked on the strawbale a lot, and I'm really inspired to go home and try it out. I've been really enjoying the company of the people I've been working with."
— Emily A

"It's out of my own skin a little bit — but this is a place to grow into some new skin. Very refreshing."
— Aaron V

"I've been coming up here every year, learning a lot about natural building and community. I enjoy the food, and sitting around the campfire is really nice in the evening, talking to people. I just love being up here."
— Janice B

"The best people in the world are on Thunder Mountain today."
— David L