The following is written by Adelle McDaniel, the Trees, Water & People National Intern, after traveling to the Pine Ridge Reservation. The reason for her trip was to help prepare the finishing touches on the Compressed Earth Block home before giving it to the Shields Family.
Traveling up to Pine Ridge Reservation for the very first time, I had a lot of questions. Statistics about poverty, living conditions, and health tumbled around my head; I could (and did) rattle them off to anyone who asked where I was going for the weekend. But at that point, I didn’t really know where I was going for the weekend. I didn’t even really know what I was doing when I got there.
When Richard, Trees,Water & People’s Executive Director, pulled up next to a newly built, sustainable Compressed Earth Block (CEB) house on the reservation and I hopped out, the latter question was quickly answered. I would be helping to clean, organize, and prepare the building for the open house the following day. More importantly, I would be part of giving the gift of a home. The three bedroom earthen block home features solar-heated floors and forced air, a PV system on the roof, and one happy family inside. Very little is more rewarding than making others happy. Knowing that you created a safe, beautiful place for a family to spend their years, though, far surpasses that.
It was more than a privilege to be included in the occasion. I couldn’t begin to choose my favorite moment from the weekend. Would it be shaking hands with the new owners, seeing tears in their eyes? Sharing laughs and meals and work with the other volunteers and gaining a new perspective without even noticing? Maybe just taking in the scenery, the soul of a place I had ever been.
The question of where I was going was perhaps both more and less easily answered than what I was doing. I was going to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. I came back from a place filled with devastation and hope, injustice and integrity, deeply embedded history and courageous new beginnings.
Thank you all so much for your support while constructing this home. The Shields Family has settled in and they thank you for your generosity as well. You have changed their lives.
We are almost done building the house for Paul and his family! Some final touches are required such as painting the walls, putting the flooring into the house, a few more pipes to hook up. Our Assistant National Director, John Motley, and a few of our Board Members will be driving up to Pine Ridge from Colorado this weekend to finish some of the bigger tasks, including the floors. Once the floors are in place, all of the household appliances will then be installed. One final coat of stucco is required for the outside of the house, and then it’s on to the roof!
From June 20th-23rd, Trees, Water & People will be hosting a solar panel installation demonstration for Native Americans. The house will be fitted with solar panels that have been donated to with the help of Jonny of Solar Energy International. The panels, the racking for the house, and the inverter were all donated. So far we have five people signed up, but we are expecting 20 people to come for the installation.
On June 24th, we will be throwing an open house so friends, family, neighbors, and supporters can take a look at this CEB building. The open house will also be a house-warming party for the family; this is when we will hand over the keys and help them move into their new home. We are very excited for the family to move in, and we could not have done it without your help! Thank you for all of your incredible support!
The great plains have seen a milder winter thus far, which has been beneficial for many reasons. For our project, this means that we have been able to move forward on the interior of the Shield's home. In January, we were able to run all waterline and electrical line throughout the home. Clearing this hurtle has allowed us to bring heat and water into the home. We are now seeing the house become livable. Now that we do have electricity, we are able to heat the home, allowing us to plaster the interior block walls and completely seal up the home.
The earth block home design provides a unique heat sink where the walls hold heat long after the heating source has stopped running. But heating a home with gas or electricity is not ideal on the reservation, as electric and propane costs can skyrocket in the winter. This is why we are very much hoping to fund a grid tied Photovoltaic solar panel system to offset some of the homes electric cost. Please see our microproject to contribute to this solar PV system!
Over the past month we have started hanging drywall on the interior walls and ceiling. Soon we can begin insulating the attic with “Rez Paper,” as our partner Henry Red Cloud of Lakota Solar Enterprises likes to call it. This particular cellulose insulation is partially made from recycled newspaper from the reservation along with cleaned, cellulose plant material.
As the home progresses this spring we look forward to showing the people of Pine Ridge and beyond that Compressed Earth Block construction is not only functional but livable. We are putting the finishing touches on the Shield's house but we need your help to truly give it that finished feel. The Shields family is anxiously waiting to move in so please consider contributing to this project so that we can get them moved in as soon as possible!
As winter approaches we have buttoned up the exterior of the Compressed Earth Block (CEB) home currently under construction for Paul Shields and his family. The roof is on and the exterior walls are stuccoed. The windows and doors are all framed and set. It is now time to turn these four walls and a roof into a proper home for the Shields family! With your support, we can do this for a deserving family in need.
In partnership with Lakota Solar Enterprises, we have framed the interior walls but before they can be finished we will need to run all the electrical wiring which will not only provide lighting but also heat. To continue finishing the interior, it is imperative to have a warm space so that we can continue working through the winter. This home is already inspiring many people on the Pine Ridge Reservation to think differently about housing possibilities and is proving to be a way to expand their economy as all block for the CEB are made on the site from locally sourced materials.
“Building our own homes with renewable energy, I believe we can build our economy,” says Red Cloud, founder of Lakota Solar Enterprises (LSE) and a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. “We’re building awareness around this.”
As Henry said, we hope that through this home building, we can show people the many possibilities of Earth Block construction. With your help we will not only house a Lakota family but also open the door to more sustainable construction on the reservation. Please consider donating to help us finish this home!
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"We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men." ~Herman Melville
It has been humbling to see so many people, from many walks of life, coming together to help build a new home for the Shields family. With a diversity of hands and hearts working to make this house a home, we are reminded how lucky we are to have such a generous community of supporters creating dignified housing for a family in need.
Over the past few weeks, we have seen rapid progress in the construction of the compressed earth block (CEB) home for the Shields family. Our dedicated crew, led by Assistant National Director, John Motley, EARTHinBLOCK, and Lakota Solar Enterprises, has been working hard to get the home buttoned up before the winter hits. Along with many volunteer groups from around the country, they have all the walls up, doors and windows installed, radiant floor heating, and insulation on the walls. In addition, they started constructing the roof, with metal finish to follow.
What's next?
We are past the half way mark of our fundraising goal. In order to finish the Shields' home, we need to reach our fundraising goal of $10,000. Can you share this project with your friends and family and ask them to make a donation?
Thank you for your generosity! Stay tuned for more updates.
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