Earth building and passive
solar design
course in the Himalayas. Tentative dates 15 - 28 July and 29 July - 11 August (two separate modules). We haven't announced it properly yet, haven't set the dates or cost but as soon as we do it will fill up in a few days so I want to tell the Permies friends ASAP so you can think about the travel idea. It will be taught by:
Sourabh Phadke from Pune, an architect who has done a lot of earth building and run a lot of participatory courses like this. See his website soarhub.in (has free downloads of cartoons about composting toilets, earth building and all kinds of cool stuff)
Sonam Wangchuk from Ladakh, and engineer, inventor and social activist who designed all the passive
solar heated earthen buildings at SECMOL as well as several others. After 15 years of successful solar heated earth building
experience he did a masters in earth building at CRATerre in Switzerland. See www.secmol.org
Robert Celaire, a solar designer from France will teach for one week.
It will be very practical, several hours building with mud every day, plus classes with Wangchuk, Sourabh and/or Robert. SECMOL Campus includes an alternative high school, so you will enjoy dance parties, good fun,
vegetarian local food, and conversation with people from Ladakh, India, and all over the world.
Last year we from SECMOL's side were a little late in announcing it, and Sourabh's enthusiastic following filled both modules up within four days, so almost all the participants were Indian. This year we expect a better mix of world participants, Ladakhis, and other Indians. The course is in English.
Look at www.secmol.org for a general idea of the campus it will be held at.
The cost will include about Rs 8000 (under $150) for room and board for each 2-week module, plus the course fee
should be at least twice that but we haven't calculated our costs yet. You'll have to get yourself to the site -- fly to Delhi and then by air (1 hour) or by road (3 days) to Leh, Ladakh, in the very north of India. Best to give yourself 1 or 2 days to acclimatize to this altitude before starting the course (3350m, 11,000 feet). You'll also have to get a visa for India first.
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