Day 16 of the Earthship Construction – A reflection by Dave Kniffin
Since the conception of this project, people have asked me what we are doing here, “What is the vision?” or “What is the goal?” And at any given time, the best I can do is offer a snapshot of where we are, and where we are going. It’s an evolving dream. Still, at the base of it all, it’s about community, responsibility, ecology, and logic.
Developments happen everywhere, so we’ve made a choice on how we are going to develop. If we don’t do it this way, someone else will do it their way. Maybe our way helps the local community, instead of using them to help ourselves. Maybe our way is a little better for the environment than the conventional build. At the end of the day though, it’s a logical decision.
We live in a world, especially in Nicaragua, of limited resources. A sustainable home gives you total freedom and independence. The decision to build or live in an “off grid” home is not moral, it just makes sense. Who you rely on is who controls your life.
Create your own electricity, capture your own water, treat your own sewage, and grow your own food and then you are not talking about ideals of independence or freedom, you’re living them.
And if you build a community where everyone earns the ability to provide themselves with life’s basic needs of clean water and food, you create a safe place where neighbors look after each other. We don’t give to the community, we build capacity within the community.
And this community is exceptional. I know that theft is a constant struggle in every part of the world, and I’m sure it exists here as well. But we did not lock up tools at our job site. We had no incidents of theft or vandalism. I don’t think there are many developments anywhere that could say that. It is about the community, beyond even what the locals understand, and it seems that they value that.
The crew itself is great. Eliseo and Camilo are all that anyone could ask of a cement mixing team. The pride and ownership that Eliseo has taken for the mixer is an example to even the Earthship crew. The speed at which Camilo works allows him to get ahead of schedule from time to time, and he is quick to provide comic (often mischievous) relief to the crew.
Miguel Angel and Eduardo are another great team. They both have experience in construction, but no real specialty areas. Despite any lack of knowledge, these are two guys that no one has had to tell to get to work. They are both quite, though quick to smile. And from shoveling dirt, to cleaning bottles, to lifting trusses, we have yet to find anyone more efficient.
In this last week it has been fun to watch leaders emerge. Marlo, 35, with a family of five is an exemplary figure to the younger boys both on the site and in the community. He neither smokes nor drinks, and goes hard everyday. He is often the last to leave at the end of the day, refusing to depart before the tools have been properly cleaned and stored.
Fernando Contreraz, son of Efrain, is another strong presence. He is both intelligent and determined, a gentleman with a firm handshake and skilled hands. One of the few literate men on the workforce, I hope that he will continue to develop his building skills while taking on more of a managerial role with the crew.
Jose is the youngest on the crew at 16 years old. He has just graduated sixth grade which means is now attending school only once a week. My understanding is that this is typical in the community since at this point he is expected to start working. Although his age limits his ability to lead, his work ethic is exceptional and his smile is priceless. Someday he’ll grow into that red baseball cap that still slides around on his head.
There are others that have shown strengths and overall it has been a very productive time. Mostly though, it’s about the community. Getting to know these people has been a pleasure. From here, most of them take next week off for the holidays and then begin the endless quest for obtaining temporary jobs to support themselves and their families.
When I return, I look forward to getting as many of them back onboard as possible. Realistically, work will slow slightly as we move into more complex systems and the finer details of the building, so I’ll probably take five to seven and train them as we plan out the next phase. Maybe if this first project gets sold, I can start on another structure or two and have the crew on a permanent basis. We’ll see what the New Year brings…
We’re currently talking about moving forward with five “Tire House Cabanas” (for sale or rent) in an effort to get more people involved in the community and project. I think we’ll run an internship program/tour this spring where we can use the funds to bring a few members from the Taos Crew back down for a week or two. The itinerary is evolving, but could consist of a few days of work, a day of surfing, and a canopy tour, amongst all the other local activities and great food of course. Anyone interested should contact casallanta@gmail.com. We’ll lock down dates in the next few weeks.
Whatever happens, we’ve started something pretty special here. I’ll move forward with that. The rest will take care of itself.
Saludos,
David Kniffin
www.casallanta.com
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:42 pm
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