17 September 2011

This school year and next, Groton students will have to opportunity to do something truly unique.  We are building an Earthship permaculture system in Freeville!  This fall we'll be putting the finishing touches on the Earthship barn, which will be vital for livestock, storage, and rainwater collection.  The barn could not have been completed without the help of Mr. Filzen, Mr. Wiech, Mr. Giroux, Mrs. Hume, and Ms. Bassette who stopped in periodically over the summer to help out and lend equipment.  
Today we had a mini workshop to learn how to build with garbage.  Here, seniors, Alex and Quinn work on making bottle bricks for a can wall.  Bottles are cut 4" and duct taped together in various color schemes.

10th graders, Cali and Nick start work on the final wall of the Earthship barn loft.  The nails and lath strips secure the wall to the wood structure.  The barn boasts recycled plastic shingles, locally-cut hemlock boards, old reused windows, and incorporation of over 2,000 aluminum cans and discarded glass bottles.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This was such an amazing experience! Thank you so much for the opportunity.

Cali

Anonymous said...

I really wish I could have been there, but I had plans that took a year to organize. I will try to help out sometime :)

Darian

Chad DeVoe said...

There will be more opportunities Darian. No worries!