Darren Hatina

Hi Erica,

I may be interested in attending the workshop with my girlfriend who lives in Missoula.  We have met, I worked on the Tipi build with you and the rest of the workshoppers a ways back and had a great time.  I was the only drywaller from Fernie BC there:)

Keenly,
Darren

Perhaps it's possible to make a greasy high performance cob

Rather than using water to dissolve the clay in order to bind the cob, and then having to dry/drive the water out again - cob could be made by mixing earth with some melted coconut oil, vegetable shortening, or even BACON GREASE!!!(emphasis for Paul) in a sauce pan. It works for cookies and they're delicious. Throw in some iron metal filings(from a gas pipe fitter) and you'd end up with a cob mix with improved density, heat conductivity, specific and latent heat, and possibly stronger. Most importantly it would smell like bacon and coconuts!

I am really looking forward to the comments on this one.

Limitations of course..
-The ratio of greasiness would have to be limited so it didn't drop out of suspension when melted or become too plastic
-It would also have to stay far enough away from the heat to not start smoking

My wife won't let me touch her coconut oil otherwise I'd be baking some cob cookies right now.

Hello Andy,

I'm also from Fernie and excited to hear about your greenhouse project.

Where to begin...

There's actually a group forming of RMH enthusiasts in Fernie with various projects planned for this summer. We had a meeting last month at the bakery to get some ideas going - so perhaps we should get together and collaborate. We've talked about hosting a workshop with DirtCraft Natural Builders and if not they already have one scheduled at the Groundswell Community Greenhouse in Windermere early September.

There's a guy in the Hoz who built an RMH in his greenhouse - perhaps we should organize a field trip?

If you're primary concern is providing backup heat for your greenhouse I would highly recommend combining a RMH with storing the excess heat from the summer.
For ideas Google terms such as:
Annualized Geo Solar
SHCS Greenhouse
Climate Battery Greenhouse

Or come and check out the one at my place in Ridgemont. It would be straight forward to trench one in below your existing path

Oh and check out Rob's videos for a stellar example of integration
Bigelow Brook Farms

Talk soon,
Darren (a.k.a. D'S Drywall)

I am attending the second workshop, want a core, and can pay immediately.