It has been a while since my last post and there has been a lot going on in the world of the Hybrid Home Guy!
First off, I need to thank all those who love and support me because I could not do what I do without you all!
As many of you have known for a while, I have been writing a book about my experiences over the last several years with several green building techniques. This is not a memoir book, but rather, a book that the reader will be able to make their own decisions on which technology is better. I actually finished the book and sent it to the editor who sent it back saying that it lacked my passion because I wrote it more as a text book. That was the best comment ever! I have gone back and re-wrote this book in the first person view and it turned the book into an interesting read. Now the book will not only help owners and builders, but will now be an entertaining look to see what it takes to build an idea into an industry changing trend. As you will learn by reading this book, I did not do this alone. Lots of people and companies helped out along the way.
I am just about done putting the finishing touches on each of the chapters. The next step is for it to go back to the editor who will make it flow better and chop it up. He is the expert on how the book will read. After that, the manuscript will go to the illustrator who will bring the print to life through pictures and illustrations. I am fired up that we are very close to this point! I can not give out too many details about the marketing for this book because the marketers will be upset with me, but let's say that we will be using similar marketing techniques to those that we used to make Hybrid Homes a nationally recognized company in just two years. I am excited to have the team assembled that I do to get this book out there. As with my work in video and radio, the book is intended to spread a message, a message about living sustain-ably and lessening one's load on this planet.
I hope that the book will be printed by October first of this year. There is a great deal of work to do to get it to the stage where it can be printed. Once its printed, look out, because we are going to be everywhere with this book. We are expecting to tour nationally with this book in 2012......stay tuned!
The Earth Shelter documentary has got pushed from its original release date and that was my doing. I felt that the documentary would not end properly unless we showed the homeowners living in at least the house dome. The documentary team's intention is to get all the video that we have shot to Airworthy Productions, the producer of this documentary, within a month. The majority of the funding for this project will come from investors who have been on board with us from the beginning. After the documentary airs on television, we will enter it in several film festivals around the country and in some cases combine the book tour with this film festival tour.
I am excited to get this documentary done, as I have been talking about it for so long. We are hoping that this documentary catches the eye of other television people and thus use it as a pilot for a television show that I would host. There are so many possibilities! However, I constantly tell myself to not put the cart before the horse, so first things first. Step by step! The most important thing that I have learned recently is to NOT LOSE FOCUS!
On August 29th, 2011 at 10am, I will be making a return appearance on Shelley Irwin's morning show in WGVU morning radio. I am excited about this opportunity (as I am with everything else that is going on!) because it has been over a year and a half since I have been on her program. Back then, I talked about the new direction I wanted to take in life and also we talked about the Earth Shelter Project. How has this new direction in life treated me? Was it a good idea to fall off the radar for almost two years? What could I possibly be up to that I am so excited? The answers to these questions and more will be given on her morning show on August 29th! The one thing that I will say, is that we fully intend on winning every major national award with the Earth Shelter Project. I guarantee that there is nothing like it anywhere else in the country if not the world! This interview with Shelley Irwin is sure to be a great one, don't miss it!
But wait, there's more! I will be teaching a class on sustainable living at the Earth Shelter Project on September 17, 2011. This will be a class that has very limited seating. I mention it here because I want to make sure if you want to see this project first hand and see what we did up there in person, that you get your chance. The homeowner had originally told me that we would have an open house at the end of the project, that is no longer the case. She is ready to move in and start living at this amazing place and using it to teach students about living off the grid, and I don't blame her! If you are a builder, homeowner, student, enthusiast or someone who wants to be with a group of like minded people, call 989-773-3636 today to book your spot.
The cost for this class is $89. More than half of the proceeds for the price of admission will go to the Naturopathic Community Center which is where the crews stayed during the construction of the Earth Shelter Project. The director of the community center approached me to teach this class so that they could raise money to start a sustainability program at the center. I am excited to be part of the formation of this sustainability program. The remainder of the money will go to cover expenses and possible tasty, healthy treats! I promise that this class will challenge you to think outside of your normal thinking. The class will be held under battery power and I will show you how the entire place works and use chapters of my book as the outline for the class. Don't miss out on this opportunity, we will have a blast learning how to live a more healthy sustainable life! Call today to reserve your spot! 989-773-3636
For those of you who enjoy our trips to Washington State in search of Sasquatch and a more sustainable life, I just learned that we have booked another trip! There is much interest in how our friend Pam is doing as she lives in her completed Earth Shelter in Washington State. We will once again do some filming at Pam's earth shelter and rush the video back to see how it will fit into the documentary. We will make a short trip there at the beginning of October and bring the camera gear with us. The last time that we cruised around the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, we saw major Sasquatch sign, but never saw the Pacific Northwest Icon. I have a feeling this will be the year to see a Sasquatch! We need an interview with it so that we can start our "What Would Sasquatch DO" environmental campaign. One thing we will definitely showcase on video while we are on this tour is the incredible beauty of that area of the country and show people that through proper forestry we can grow our society without destroying this prime Sasquatch habitat. SO, before you throw that empty Starbucks cup out the car window, ask yourself, "What Would Sasquatch DO?" Stay tuned for the fun and learning that will come from this exciting return visit to the Pacific Northwest!!
I have been very busy consulting on several projects and teaching about green building. I will be returning from Washington State and driving from the airport directly to the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City to teach a large class about this "Green Revolution" that we are currently experiencing in this country. This class is three days long and is closed to the public. I mention this class because it is a great sign that more and more industries are concerned about educating their employees and contractors about living a healthy lifestyle. Some of the classes that I teach help educate the attendees about the motivations of people for making the choices they do when they buy products. This has been an exciting new direction for me and I am thrilled to be teaching in such a 'green' area of Michigan! Perhaps you will see me fishing in the area in the evenings after those classes. Be sure to say hi if you see me walking around town! If the book is printed by then, we will most likely line up a talk at a local bookstore or coffee shop in Traverse City. Keep your eyes peeled to facebook for updates!
Are you still with me? I will handle one more question then I will have to get back to writing the book. That question is, "With your busy schedule, do you intend on building anymore cutting edge hybrid homes in the future?" Well now, that is the question that many people are asking...for the answer, you will have to tune in to Shelley Irwin's Morning Show on WGVU radio at 10am on Monday August 29th!
What Would Sasquatch DO?
ADB
