Economic Growth United States Project #20186

Help Build a Home for a Lakota Family

by Trees Water & People

Project Report | Sep 10, 2015
The Building Blocks for a Better Life

By Richard Fox | Executive Director

Building blocks of a better life!

We have started to pour the foundation for the Shield's home and now here are some of the 4,500 compressed earth blocks (CEBs) we are busy making. These are the building blocks for a healthier home and a better life for Paul and his family.

What is Compressed Earth Block?

Building with earth offers an eco-friendly solution to one of the world’s, and one of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe's, most pressing problems—the acute shortage of adequate shelter for families. Although earth is the oldest building material, compressed earth block (CEB) is part of a new wave of green building. CEB reduces the energy required and the pollution produced in the creation of bricks and cement blocks. In many areas, CEB homes can replace wooden structures that are contributing to the depletion of the world’s forests. Earth blocks are cheaper, greener, and far more durable than concrete blocks or mud bricks. It offers a construction upgrade while respecting local architectural and cultural traditions.

How do you make CEB?

Our partners at EARTHinBLOCK have a patented machine that produces blocks of precision height and width, with an adjustable length. The blocks are tongue-in-groove and can be dry stacked or used with mortar. The machine can also be manufactured to produce "traditional" blocks without the tongue-in-groove.

The machine is designed and manufactured in the U.S.A. It weighs under 2,000 pounds and can be towed behind a truck or SUV. It can be easily moved around a building site or up the side of a mountain. It takes roughly 4,300 blocks to build a 1,200-square foot house. The machine produces 2 blocks per minute. These blocks meet all relevant standards for load-bearing capacity and strength.

We look forward to sharing the progress as we continue manufacturing blocks and building this beautiful new home for the Shields family. Thank you so much for your love and support!

EARTHinBLOCK CEB machine

All ages can help make CEB!

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Jul 15, 2015
Happy Bonus Day! Donations matched 50% today

By Jamie Folsom | National Director

Jun 25, 2015
A Blessing Ceremony for the Shields Family

By Jamie Folsom | National Director

Blessing Ceremony for Shields Family

"Grandfather, Great Spirit, once more behold me on earth and lean to hear my feeble voice. You lived first, and you are older than all need, older than all prayer. All things belong to you - the two-legged, the four-legged, the wings of the air, and all green things that live.

You have set the powers of the four quarters of the earth to cross each other. You have made me cross the good road and road of difficulties, and where they cross, the place is holy. Day in, day out, forevermore, you are the life of things."

- Black Elk: Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux

Last weekend volunteers from St. John's United Church of Christ in Denver, Colorado joined Henry Red Cloud, owner of Lakota Solar Enterprises, and Trees, Water & People staff for a blessing ceremony at the site of Paul Shields' future home. Henry led the ceremony with a traditional Lakota prayer, blessing the land where the compressed earth block (CEB) home will be built later this summer. The volunteer group from Denver also offered a prayer to the family as they prepare to build this new home.

Spirituality is critical to the traditional Lakota way of living. Wakan Takna - the Great Spirit - receives thanks for everything on Earth. The Lakota people are full of pride, honor, and dignity. These cultural elements are kept humble and true through prayer and deeply-rooted faith.

This recent ceremony marks the beginning of a new life for the Shields family, who are currently living in a dilapidated trailer that lacks proper heating and plumbing, among other basic amenities. The new CEB home is designed to be energy efficient and affordable, providing the family with a dignified place to call home.

Building this new home for the Shields Family is truly a community effort, bringing together people from around the country who are providing time and donations to complete the home. Thank you for your continued support! We hope you will share this project with a friend and ask them to contribute too.

Mitakuye Oyasin ( We are all related)

Paul and his children meet new friends

Henry Red Cloud prays for the Shields Family

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