Santa Fe Community College Classes
Natural Building with Earth and Straw
Saturday October 14- Register Today! Call SFCC at 505-428-1676
There are a variety of ways to build with earth and straw, constructing anything from earthen ovens to strawbale homes. This class provides an overview of what it means to build with adobe, cob, earthen plasters, earthbags, light clay-straw, and strawbales. How do you decide on which building technique to use? How do you find the right earth to build with? We will weigh all the options and look at photos of these techniques in process. Also learn about additions for earthen plasters to add interior color and exterior weather protection. Bring your own dirt if you want to test for it's building characteristics.
Harvest the Sun at Home
Saturday October 21- Register soon! Call SFCC at 505-428-1676
How do you harvest New Mexico's most abundant resource for heating, cooking, and power? We will cover the basics components of a photovoltaic system for electricity production. But most of the class will focus on passive solar design- harvesting the sun's rays directly, and storing the heat where and when you will benefit from it most. Learn how thermal mass and insulation are important components of any passive solar design. We will look at some great solar cooker options and cooking techniques. When retrofitting a home, it's helpful to have an eye towards solar design so the windows are sized and placed correctly. We will look at a couple designs of solar water heaters you can make yourself. Harvesting the sun can also be as easy as opening and closing insulated curtains daily. Tune to the sun and you will see solar opportunities everywhere!
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