THE STORY: A group of about twenty Permaculture Mutual Aid Network participants caravanned to an off-grid intentional community in Missouri for a day of cob building in early May 2021. There were three people currently living at this community, so the labor involved in cob building was an overwhelming task. But in order to expand their housing to host more people, it was a job that had to be done. By creating this influx through a facilitated working group, the Permaculture Mutual Aid Network acted as a catalyst so that this community could house more people in the future. A traveling caravan also helps to organize and connect people to places in a fun and in-person way. Two members of the caravan who resonated with the project requested to stay at this community, and they remained as the caravan moved along to the next location. The Permaculture Mutual Aid Network aims to continue to promote social regeneration for intentional communities or other forms of sustainable land projects.
HOW ITS MADE: The participants of the Permaculture Mutual Aid Network also gained hands on earth building experience. We learned that cob is made through a mixture of clay, sand, water, and a bit of straw. We were able to source the clay and sand on site and create our cob mixture by stomping the materials together and folding the mix over with a large tarp. We used the cob to insulate the inside of an already existing structure, adding to the floor and walls handful by handful.
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