Happy June fellow email users. We are approaching our summer solstice, the solar-midpoint of the year this month here in the northern hemisphere, where mother gaia is completing her bow to the sun. Whatever weather an unnaturally warm June may bring you, from the unnaturally temperate to the hot and sticky, we hope you stay safe and are able to go outside and enjoy some quality nature this month.
And a big thank you to everyone that attended our talk last week with Ace McArleton! It was a real treat to have so many engaged participants, and such great insights. You can download a recording of the call HERE, and from the success of this event we will be hosting more talks in the future, so stay posted!
BIOSPHERICS
Earth will cross a key climate threshold in two years
While the Paris Climate Accords’ stated goal of limiting global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius was impotent at its beginnings, more and more research is showing that without limits on growth we are blowing past our modest climate thresholds faster than expected. This Washington Post article, based on new research from the World Meteorological Organization, articulates how “irreversible tipping points in the climate system — like the melting of Arctic ice sheets or the wide-scale collapse of coral reefs — are closer at hand than scientists previously believed.”
It’s a genuinely frightening time to be alive, as we enter hurricane season, and what is becoming a year-round wildfire season in the U.S. Stay safe out there.
FIELD NOTES
A hempcrete, thatch, natural timber, and rammed earth bakery
Check out this lovely natural-building smorgasbord from the phenomenal BC architects & studies. Using traditional construction techniques with a contemporary design sense, this sourdough bakery in Belgium is a great example of what can be achieved when thoughtful design is applied to renovation projects.
ECO-TECHNICS
How Wales is building a sharing economy through its ‘libraries of things’
We love tool shares and lending libraries and generally rejecting the notion that we all must be self reliant, owners of all that we use! Becky Harford says it straight: “the principle is simple: people should be able to borrow the things they need but don’t use often — from power tools to pasta makers — without having to buy them. Sharing is not just common sense, it’s community care and looking after our resources.” This article is a great source if you’re curious about starting your own sharing library. We need more Becky’s!
FIELD NOTES
The McMansionization of the White House
The excellent Kate Wagner, creator of the blog McMansion Hell, offers some cheeky historical analysis of the rococo-inspired “Dictator Chic” that Trump is so infatuated with, and which he has foisted upon the White House with gold leaf and hot glue.
Kate also wrote a great piece about HouseEurope this month, an organization which we shared in a previous roundup. Their approach to movement building and advocacy is a huge inspiration and we love to see the momentum build. This article nails it.
BIOSPHERICS
UK’s muddy saltmarshes vital to tackle climate change
Led by research from the WWF, the UKs rapidly dwindling salt marshes are part of a call for additions to the country’s greenhouse gas inventory, after analyzing the gases emitted there. In the words of Alex Pigott "The mud here is so important."
ECO-TECHNICS
The Single Stair Debate: NFPA Podcast
The official National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) podcast (who knew they had one?) reported back on a single stair symposium that the NFPA hosted to debate the pros and cons of increasing the allowable building height for single stair apartment buildings. As they discuss, this is potentially a big deal for creating more urban density. This podcast approaches the issue largely from a fire safety perspective, which housing advocates often brush aside, but we found insightful, if overly conservative in parts.
EVENTS
🌍 June 17 - join the online discussion EARTHBOUND Reimagining Construction hosted by architect Tom Morton and artist/builder Becky Little on reciprocity with nature in construction. And check out all of the other exciting parts of Architecture Fringe’s Architectures of Exchange festival which is hosting events and exhibits all month across Scotland and online.
🪵 June 4-July 27 Summer workshops with Material Cultures - London and Oxford - get hands on clay, wood, straw bale, weaving, and more this summer in the UK.
🎡 June 19-22 - The Petaluma County Fair will host an “Good Earth Grove” this year as a showcase of sustainable living and green inspiration.
🔨 August 4-6 - The full schedule for this year’s Deconstruction + Reuse Conference was recently announced and it looks like fun. Early bird registration ends June 20. $350
We hope June treats you right and if you ever find yourself near London (U.K.), San Francisco (CA), or Green River (UT) let us know and let’s meet up!
See ya,
The Last Straw Editorial Collective
DON’T MISS OUT, GET OUR LATEST MAGAZINE NOW!
The Last Straw Issue 76, on Natural Building Education
How do you learn natural building? How do you teach it? No one told us the one catch-all trick to natural building education, but in this issue our contributors trace the histories and present to figure out a way ahead.
P.S. a cute comic - courtesy of Martin Hammer:
