Today is Thanksgiving. There is definitely a lot to be thankful for, including that I have somehow managed to not become ill with all the hours I am putting in. What's the secret? Lots of vitamins and this stuff called "wellness formula" which is available at most natural health stores.
I will keep this brief.
I am very happy with the direction of this business over the last few months. We have gotten over a huge hump that was the results of how things were done a year ago. Although I still work as many hours as I did a year ago, I now feel that I am not going around in circles as much. A year ago, I spent Thanksgiving in the Detroit area, just long enough to eat before I had to leave to go make sure all those people that clung to me had work. This year I have come back to my house for the day to spend it with family. Friday morning, the bus leaves for the future!
The Earth Shelter Project is beginning on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. My plan is to work around the clock, every single day, to get the domes ready for the volunteer core we have to start wrapping re-bar around the domes. This project is will be very interesting to follow, and we will be shooting HD video every step of the way. While I lead a core of volunteers, Uncle Rog and a few other 'recruits', my other employees will be back down state to finish what we have going on. I will be bouncing back and forth between the projects until we finish our downstate work. I am looking forward to finishing our other projects that are currently moving in their own directions, so that I can focus solely on this incredible project. This will be the largest Earth Shelter Project ever built on the face of the Earth (residential) and will be built to standards not usually seen in this area. We will build the south facing, passive solar wall and windows to withstand 300 mph winds and equip that side with thick steel plates to prevent anything from breaking the already, incredibly tough Andersen Window Storm Glass. These steel plates will drop into place when needed. The way I am approaching this south wall, is that I do not want anything to penetrate it, and I am sure that there are not many things on this Planet that could penetrate that wall once we get everything done. The underground complex will be buried in some areas under 22 feet of Earth. The exposed south facing walls will be ICF and the out side will be Certainteed Fiber Cement siding in a color that matches the landscape, so as to keep it from standing out where its located and to have an organic feel. You will see in the videos that we shoot, that this place will be out in a huge field surrounded by woods and big hills. When completed, it would take a trained eye to pick this place out, even from the sky.
This Earth Shelter Home, will be off the grid also. With 5 underground facilities all connected together, taking this sustainable complex off the grid will be no easy task. Can you imagine how tough it will be to passively vent an underground barn full of farm animals? Stay tuned and you can see how its done. We will be working closely with Ferris State University and their engineering students to learn together about this cutting edge project. How does this all make me feel? Well, I am stoked. I can't even sleep when I am dead tired, thinking about this project. I hope this project will connect me with others out there who wish to live in, on, or around a totally sustainable homestead.
Since it is Thanksgiving and I promised most of you that I wouldn't work today, I guess I better go and relax and get ready to got to Thanksgiving dinner.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
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