Description
Day 1 | 9am-5pm: On day 1, participant’s will circulate between 3 different stations:
- Station 1 – Building with in-situ (cast-in-place) hempcrete with April Magill and Tim Callahan (read the teacher’s bios below). We will also explore different finishing methods, including natural plasters.
- Station 2 – Building with the DiVita Hemp Block; Chaze Williams (read the teacher’s bios below), a Davita Affiliate Member, will be teaching this hands-on method. Finishing methods will also be explored.
- Station 3 – Join Kelly Flynn (read the teacher’s bios below) in our ‘refueling room’ for her presentation on her research at Clemson Univ. on industrial hemp in SC.
There are benefits to utilizing natural fibers in and creating building materials entirely from natural fibers, such as industrial hemp. Achieving more widespread utilization of these materials in order to access these benefits requires that elements of the value chain be in place. Production, processing, manufacturing, and expertise are services that communities need to access to have hemp building materials available. We’ll discuss the benefits of utilizing natural fibers in building materials and the essential pieces of a value chain needed in a hemp building community.
Other Offerings – Participants will also have ample opportunity for social networking and connecting, and informal panel discussions throughout the day. There will be hemp-based building materials on display, such as Hempwool batts, Hempwood flooring, and more for participants to learn about. All participants will be invited to meet at a local restaurant on Saturday night for more networking and connecting.
Lunch will be provided on both days. Participants will be responsible for securing lodging and for all other food needs during the weekend.
Day 2 | 10am-4pm: On day 2, participant’s will:
Revisit the 2 building stations for deeper discussions about the 2 systems and further explorations of different finishing methods.
Tim Callahan (read the teacher’s bios below) will present on the most essential and beneficial aspect of hempcrete: its hygroscopic and phase change capabilities. Join Tim as he discusses the building science behind hempcrete and why this method is such a desirable and appropriate material for the south. Also, see some of the hempcrete homes Tim has designed and helped to build in the southeast.
Presentations, discussions, and panel discussion on:
- Spray-in hempcrete method
- 3D printing hempcrete
- Mycelium hemp blocks and other innovative developing industries
- Connecting the dots for a Hempcrete future
- ***more content will be added as time nears***
Ample opportunities for social networking and connecting will occur on Sunday as well.
All funds generated from this event will be recirculated to support the on-going missions and work stated above. Scholarship applications are available for anyone wishing to attend but cannot meet the financial requirements. Please contact Info@RootDownDesigns.com to learn more about how to apply for the scholarship opportunities available.
Lunch will be provided on both days. Participants will be responsible for securing lodging and for all other food needs during the weekend.
More information on the details and the schedule will be administered as the event nears.
All sales are final. This is a rain or shine event. This event is limited, reserve your spot now!
This event is for ages 16 and up. We will be using heavy machinery and working with caustic materials like lime.
***ALL PARTICIPANTS JOINING ON DAY 1 WILL BE REQUIRED TO COME WITH A ‘NIOSH CERTIFIED’ RESPIRATOR – when worn correctly, these respirators will block 95% of airborne particles. ***
Meet the Team:
Tracy Lloyd McCurty, Esq. is the Executive Director of the Black Belt Justice Center and the Co-Alchemist of the Acres of Ancestry Initiative/Black Agrarian Fund, a multidisciplinary, cooperative ecosystem rooted in Black ecocultural traditions and textile arts to regenerate custodial landownership, ecological stewardship, and food and fiber economies in the rural South. As a great-great granddaughter of sharecroppers turned independent farmers in eastern North Carolina, Tracy views her work as a continuation of her ancestors’ value paradigm rooted in collective land tenure, spirit-culture reclamation, and ecological harmony. Decades of farmer-led organizing combined with Tracy’s leadership over the last three years through the Black Farmers’ Appeal: Cancel Pigford Debt Campaign advanced reparative land justice for Black farmers through various federal legislations and agricultural policies including a USDA foreclosure moratorium, debt cancellation, and direct payments for past discrimination (these policy recommendations became pillars in President Biden’s 100-day action plan). Tracy has elevated both intracommunity and national discourses regarding reparative justice through participation in numerous racial and land justice convenings including the “Whiteness As Property: A Twenty-Year Appraisal” Critical Race Studies Symposium at UCLA School of Law. Tracy is energized by the urgent call to (re)build a decolonized society governed by the values of racial equity, indigenous knowledges, spiritual journeying, and cooperative economy. She believes the Southern Black Rural Imagination is regenerative when boundless and interdependent. To learn more about our liberatory ecosystem, visit www.acresofancestry.org.
April Magill – Architect, Natural Builder, EducatorApril is the Principal Architect and Owner of Root Down Designs (founded in 2011), an Adjunct Professor at The American College of the Building Arts, a Natural Builder, Educator & Workshop Facilitator, Board Member/Advisor to several non-profit organizations, a community leader & activist, and a mother of two. April founded Root Down Designs on a mission to bring a truly sustainable and regenerative architecture to the south. She is an advocate of affordable and healthy building solutions, and the empowerment of women as building artisans. April is a leading voice in the advancements of Alternative, Natural, & Healthy building methods and has been a pioneer in the advancement of alternative building methods in the southeast. She has worked with multiple building jurisdictions in helping clients obtain building permits for alternative materials. April has led over 4 dozen community-building workshops and courses and is a keynote speaker and presenter to many organizations and universities. Her passion for engaging with communities and involving people in the process of building is essential and a major passion. She is a true visionary for resilient and healthy buildings for a healthy future!
Chaze Williams serves as the Executive Director for the South Carolina Hemp Association, which provides outreach and educational resources and trainings. Chaz is working closely with SC farmers to help inform them of the many uses of industrial hemp in SC. Chaze started The Hemp District in 2019 with a mission to better educate his community about hemp and hemp products. Chaze is in the process of building one of the first industrial hemp product supply stores in the U.S. He has also worked on the first hempcrete juice bars in the U.S and is excited to share his experience and passion with others. Chaze lives in Branchville, SC.
Kelly Flynn | Clemson Univ.Kelly Flynn coordinates Clemson University’s Emerging Crops Program, a research and outreach based program for upcoming agricultural opportunities. Her research is currently focused on evaluation of plant characteristics and assessment of value chains in agronomic hemp production in the Southeast. She maintains field trials of both horticultural hemp for flower production and agronomic hemp and coordinates educational programs to help farmers in emerging industries.
Prior to her current role, Kelly served as the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) State Program Assistant and Associate Coordinator of Clemson’s Sustainable Agriculture Program for over a decade. Through her roles she has developed valued relationships in diversified agriculture, local food, and industrial hemp communities throughout South Carolina and the southeast. She is committed to supporting farmers and farm businesses in their efforts towards regenerative agriculture, circular economies, and food and fiber security.
Tim Callahan is a former naval architect and general contractor. He is now in his fifth decade of design-build work, with extensive experience in guitar-making, timber framing, custom cabinetry, custom blue-water sailboats and residential construction. Since 1995, his work has been focused on the creation of healthy & energy-efficient homes. In an effort to develop a model for a low-carbon and non-toxic living environment, Tim led the design team for the Nauhaus Prototype in 2009; this was the first of 10 permitted hemp-lime projects which he has designed, ranging in size from 1200-9600 square feet. In 2005, Tim authored the book, ‘Building Green: A Complete Guide to Alternative Building Methods.” Tim lives in Asheville, NC, where he enjoys the outdoors and making music with his friends.
Zauditu Chambers | Student at American College of the Building Arts
Zauditu is in her 3rd year of studying plaster work and timber framing at the American College of Building Arts in Charleston. She is originally from Brooklyn NY and the bay area of Northern California. She is a woman of a certain age, passionate about sustainable building, building materials and preservation. Zauditu will be assisting during the workshop.
Harold “Big H” Singletary | President & Founder BrightMa Farms
BrightMa Farms is the brainchild of Harold. A certified accountant by trade, highly creative, self-motivated professional with business development, account management, manufacturing and 25 years of corporate accounting experience. Harold brings constant energy and focus to the management team of BrightMa Farms with a proven track record of being a people oriented leader who builds a strong corporate culture with exceptional ability to engage others in development and execution of the company vision and strategy. His vision is embedded in the BrightMa Blueprint to create motivational experiences and opportunities for Minority Farmers with a circular economy model based on the principles of integrity, transparency, compliance and social & environmental sustainability. Harold is a husband and father that lives by a family mantra of Test Driving All Dreams!
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.