Join natural builder Liz Johndrow at Putney Public Library on Thursday June 18th at 7pm for a presentation about her work training Nicaraguan women and youth in traditional building practices.
In Nicaragua, as in many developing nations throughout the world, traditional earthen buildings are abundant, but are increasingly given a bad name in the face of modern building practices. In reality, new concrete structures are typically more costly and less appropriate than their naturally- and locally-sourced predecessors. We will hear about how Nicaraguans, especially women and youth, are being trained to build and preserve earthen homes using modern adaptations and improvements, such as seismically smart design/build techniques, that lead to healthier and safer housing. Some of these students are taking their new skills and now earning money, sharing their knowledge and empowering more people in their rural pueblos to take housing security into their own hands and share the benefits of earthen homes.
Liz Johndrow is a natural builder, a teacher, and the founder of the Nicaragua Pueblo Project. She is passionate about helping others learn the skills of her trade so they in turn can share their vision of beautiful, sustainable, and socially just structures. She builds for cold climates to just north of the equator and teaches in a many different environments. Her work in Nicaragua training women and youth in rural pueblos, as well as leading volunteers in straw bale building on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona, has been her most challenging and rewarding work thus far.
The Putney Public Library is located at 55 Main Street in Putney, Vermont. This event is free and open to the public.