Casa la Risa

Dreamers. Creators. Doers.​ Builders of community, harmony & sustainable motion... Here are my inspirations on the path to an inventive existence and a meaningful life. Follow my journey and wind in yours, this is our story. [email protected]

[casalarisa]

Our Greenship lays restfully under layers of wintry reprieve but the soul of that site dances on frozen flakes into my heart. Soon my precious, soon enough.... ❄⚒ #ifyouthawittheywillcome #yeggreenship

[casalarisa]

Updates from La Escuela Sustentable! 

Just 9 months ago an empty, sandy lot on the highway in Jaureguiberry, Uruguay underwent a drastic transformation. The Earthship Academy and crew put up the initial building which volunteers continue to develop and beautify, all the while serving as a fully operational school. Talk about setting an example for it’s students!

Massive greenhouse bananas, flowing hanging buckets, lush front gardens, additional supporting structures, fences, retaining walls -- it’s awe inspiring how much has been done here in such short a time. This is far from being just a practical self-sustainable building; it’s art, it’s unity with the earth, it’s community at it’s finest. Thank you for lighthousing how integrated an Earthship space can truly be! 

[casalarisa]

The sound of bold steps reverberating in concentric circles. Open Heart Skies upward and outward - catching wind and taking flight.

#openheartsky #travellife #ariesodyssey #iwillmisstheshitoutofyou

[casalarisa]

Our three canine mascots Tifa, Zelda & Jupiter escape the pound madness and leave us to some backfill. The building envelope includes: rigid insulation to bolster the performance of the thermal mass, vapour barrier to block moisture, gravel to encourage drainage and geotextile to keep out sediments. And once the wall goes up you won't even know it's there!! #basework #yeggreenship #rammedearthtireconstruction #casalarisa @aspencentre

[casalarisa]

Pound Party 4.0 complete! A layer of rammed earth tire bricks is called a course and we nailed out a course and half in just a few hours Saturday alongside some wicked quality checking of our precious work. Onwards and upwards--we have gotten pretty good at this! #YEGgreenship #rammedearthtireconstruction #poundparty #buildingsummerbody #casalarisa @aspencentre

[casalarisa]

Tire pirates conquer again! 70+ in our biggest haul yet, about 200 on site quivering with anticipation to be immortalized in the Greenship walls. Except that janky one top right; low profile tires offer little surface area for traction in stacking and are a wide, unstable nvelope for packing. Even garbage monkeys have standards. #yeggreenship #tirepirates #originaljanksters #casalarisa | [email protected] |

[casalarisa]

Greenship July 31 - Crew Colonel Taylor leads a Sunday afternoon patchy with rain and sun in some site organization and quality checking. Only thing tougher than pounding a tire is digging it back up again. [email protected] #learnbydoing #rammedearthconstruction #buildingwithgarbage #casalarisa

[casalarisa]

T.A.R.P.s -- in Edmonton's new semi tropical stylings, these FREE construction tarps just needed a bit of tie wire and time to be sewn into our rain cover. Go team, this slightly unglamorous task is essential to our operations - gracias! #yeggreenship #teamwork #communaleffort #freetarps #casalarisa

[casalarisa]

Greenship progress July 11 after another weekend battling the elements - and winning. It's a rainy wet work site these days but nothing a few free tarps and some dedicated Greenshippers sewing with tie wire can't accomplish. Our process swaps money and mechanization for shear people-power. Diggin ditches, sifting gravel, hauling wheel barrows of sand, sourcing materials... It's empowering to know our simple, willing hands are enough. @aspencentre #yeggreenship #communaleffort #backtobasics #buildingwithgarbage #garbageissexy #casalarisa

[casalarisa]

The Greenship gets a webpage! Info, photos, calendar & contact for our little greenhouse - spread the good word!

[casalarisa]

Greenship progress by Canada Day, July 1st 2016. The foundation has been laid and only up from here, one tire at a time. [email protected]

[casalarisa]

It's Finance Fridays in the back porch offices of the Greenship. For a build that has cost just $90 since our sponsored excavation we are not in need of much capital but there's still some glue that holds all that salvaged material together... Know grants or sponsorship opportunities for learning oriented, land use and community development projects? We are innovating ways to incorporate capital donations within our materials donation-based process - talk to me! @aspencentre #yeggreenship #financefridays #communitydevelopment #greenqueens #happycanadaday🇨🇦

[casalarisa]

Hump Day - June 29. Our first Wednesday work party in this summer's ongoing series. Some people go to the gym after work - we go to site to get ripped sifting gravel, hauling sand and poundin dem tirrrres. Git in it every Hump Day! @aspencentre #yeggreenship #greenshiphumpdays #buildingsummer #casalarisa

[casalarisa]

Reflecting upon balance, even in our passions, I ponder - do I believe that? Or shall I find what I love and it let it give me life instead?

[casalarisa]

Greenship progress shot June 26, about a month after excavation. We are onto the third course of tires already, how did that happen so fast?? With this growing army there's little we can't do. Join us on Greenship Hump Days every Wednesday - materials hunting party then out to the farm for an evening work party. This is summer bliss... #yeggreenship #buildingsummer #ittakesanarmy #greenshiphumpdays [email protected] @aspencentre

[casalarisa]

I have seen the unfolding of dedication and the humility in creative perseverance. Humble appreciation to all our brethren who transformed an idea into reality with the Information Station. It is a beacon of communication, a portal of words and meaning beyond its illuminated honeycomb. Here's to all those who have convened in her walls. #informationstation #renarnia #freezerburn2016 #lighthousing #freecommunication #casalarisa

[casalarisa]

What is a theme camp and why do we do it? Our home on the fraya - a geodesic shmoof circus holding space for utter creativity and expansion into personal fulfillment within community, all balanced on the scales of Impermanence. ReNarnia forever immortalized in her most recent form at Alberta's regional burn this solstice weekend. #renarnia #freezerburn2016 #mytribe #originaljanksters #impermanence