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“Women have the power to come together collectively to problem solve and strategize successful outcomes when given the right tools.” –Liz Johndrow
WASI Delegate: United States
WHO: Liz Johndrow
LOCATION: United States
Liz joins the WASI Alliance as the founder of Earthen Endeavors. Her vision is to use natural building as a bridge to create beautiful and functional spaces while embodying a meaningful connection with the natural world, others and our built environment. Working with low impact and resource-efficient materials that are non-toxic and healthful, durable and recyclable, Liz integrates beauty and function into living spaces – through a process that inspires creativity, joy and greater human connection. Liz works with earthen plasters and floor systems, and timber-framing and enjoys the exploration of natural building as a localized, sustainable way of building using the resources we have at hand. Liz has several past lives including raising her son, owning of a small futon business, cooking at a natural foods restaurant, studying midwifery and herbalism, 18 years as a massage therapist, gardener and two years as a wilderness school instructor.
Please check back by January 1st to find out about the other WASI Delegate for the United States.
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Why do you want to join WASI?
I have a passion for women’s empowerment interwoven with their already influential roles as community organizers and stewards of the earth. I believe in the power of when an individual has the opportunity to offer something of worth, from somewhere in their life experience, regardless of their skill base and the confidence and creative forces that ensue. I envision WASI opening up opportunities for building that confidence and tapping into individual and collective creativity, through the practical experience of creating functional and beautiful spaces. I believe the process of team-building, collaboration, and cultivating personal responsibility is transformational for the individual and those exposed to it. I am presently planting the seeds of a natural building movement in Nicaragua and I look forward to continuing to support the women t/here who are already supporting and securing the reemergence of a traditional and collective knowledge of local building techniques, such as adobe. I am also bringing more natural building practices to them and we are creating an exchange of ideas, building techniques and exciting dreams of empowerment for the young women of the country. Presently, I am also constructing a bamboo and earthen classroom with the sustainable agriculture team in the village of Sabana Grande in northern Nicaragua and will be teaching a two week workshop, involving women from the region, participants from other countries and the agricultural group in Sabana Grande. We are introducing bamboo as a sustainable and renewable resource to their reforestation plan as well as a structural material for future building projects. And I hope to continue work with them in the future, bringing natural building workshops to their village, as well as help provide much needed recognition to the groups who are already caring for this severely devastated region.
What are your plans for the future?
My work with WASI will include the ”Women in Transition Natural building and Community Build Project.” This is a four-week training program for women in transition teamed with girls who can benefit from positive role models, to learn basic building skills and expand their social skills. Building skills include introductory carpentry and woodworking, using hand and power tools, concrete work [masonry], roofing, and plastering techniques, supported by instruction in general building anatomy and function. Social skills include teamwork and group problem solving, communication, accountability, and setting personal goals. Leadership and teaching skills will be developed through a culminating building project that will be open to volunteers from the community.
I am also committed to returning to Nicaragua to continue working with the incredible networks of women who are dedicating their lives to this work. We look forward to hosting a WASI Training Convergence in Nicaragua in the future!
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Get involved!
From May-October 2012, Liz and her team will join forces to offer several WASI Builder programs, so that others can join in, and learn from their projects in the United States. For more information on how to participate, please contact Hayley at WASIbuilders@kleiwerks.org.
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Support
To support Liz’s fundraising efforts to get herself to Patagonia and back, please click here.
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