AVÌìÌÃ

Fifteen years ago, I found myself on Vancouver Island helping to build house. There were no saws or hammers or noisy machinery to speak of. Instead, we used our bare feet to knead measured proportions of sand, clay and straw together into a smooth, stiff mixture. Guided by our instructor – a German-trained architect specializing in earthen materials – we stacked these lumps together to form the thick, heavy walls that would eventually hold up the roof. The resulting house was unlike any other I had experienced – it was heavy, grounded and sat in perfect harmony with the land around it. Inside, the light played off the curvy walls, warmth radiated from the sun-drenched clay floor, and the air was sweet and uncontaminated. It felt alive. That experience forever shaped my understanding of what shelter could be. Since that time, I have worked with ENGOs to lead a variety of sustainability initiatives focused on energy and water conservation, rainwater harvesting, waste reduction and composting, local agriculture and permaculture. I ran a successful natural building company focused on cold-climate design - straw bale, light-clay straw, cob and adobe, as well as natural finishes, non-toxic paints, clay and lime plasters and earthen floors – working as a consultant, educator and contractor. Driven to learn more, I returned to school in 2016 to complete a Master’s in Building Science at Ryerson University, while also becoming an accredited Passive House Consultant through PHIUS. Prior to joining the SCMT team at AVÌìÌÃ, I worked as the Community Energy Specialist with the City of Kelowna, evolving the city’s regulations to incorporate the Province of B.C.’s ambitious new Energy Step Code initiative - a plan that seeks to take all new buildings in B.C. to Net Zero Energy Ready by 2032. I remain passionate about high performance enclosures, low embodied energy/carbon sequestering materials, natural building techniques, Passive House construction and the interface between politics, economy, health and the environment.