parging |

This past weekend, 21 grade 8 enriched-math students participated in a community service trip to Solisterra in Kazabazua, Quebec. Students had hands-on experiential learning with renewable energy sources and sustainable construction while living in a straw bale house for two days, operated mainly by solar power. They completed two projects: the assembly and launching of an 80-foot windmill and the building of a straw-bale chicken coop. Four chickens were on site eagerly awaiting their new home!

Two students write about their experience at Solisterra:

Solisterra was by far the most educational and most amusing school trip I’ve ever been on. I would have never thought that working in the hot sun for eight hours straight could be so much fun. On this trip I learned a lot about sustainable energy, using power tools, construction and working efficiently. I thought it was very impressive that I was sleeping in the biggest straw bale house in the world and that it was fully run on Solar Energy. The highlight of my trip was the satisfaction of seeing the 80 foot windmill finally go up after all the hard work that we put into it. I would love to do this trip again in my future years at LCC! – Yianni Manousakis ’16

The Solisterra experience was a very enjoyable yet hard working experience. Building a house and a windmill at Solisterra was such a unique experience. Even though it was hot and hard work, I very much enjoyed seeing the finished results of the projects that we started. Not only was the work rewarding but the house we stayed at was awesome and very spacious, and the food was absolutely delicious. The owners, our teachers and others that helped out were all very supportive and helpful. Overall this was a fun and exciting experience.- Cole Ellicott’ 16

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From November 1 to 3, math-loving grade 9 and 10 students departed for Kazabazua, a small town three hours north of Montreal, to help build a straw bale structure. We stayed at Solisterra, an eco-friendly community of straw bale buildings built by Frank Dutton and Dominique Tonetti. The boys stayed in Rosa, the main house, whereas the three girls (plus Ms. Saunders) stayed in Pinea across the lake. The group worked on a straw bale shed designed to house tools and solar panels, which provide energy for the buildings in Solisterra. Our job consisted of adding and preparing the straw bales for the shed, as well as parging the finished walls; this included placing and modifying bales, stapling chicken wire, and even sewing the bales! Our group was very productive, and by 5 pm Saturday, we had finished parging all but the second floor interior and one main level wall! This job required a tremendous amount of physical labour, but we had plenty of sustenance thanks to the delicious meals and snacks provided by our chef, Deb. After all of our hard work, we were rewarded with a trip to the town’s harvest dinner before the long drive back home.

This was my second trip to Solisterra, and I had a fantastic time once again. It was nice to be working with straw this time instead of wood, as I finally got the experience of putting together a straw bale structure. My favourite part of the construction process was sewing the bales together, which involved communication and teamwork. I want to congratulate everyone for putting in their best effort, and I highly encourage anyone offered to take the opportunity to travel to Kazabazua, and better yet, participate in building a straw bale structure. – Holly Faria ’15

Tag Archives: parging

Solisterra: A Remarkable Accomplishment!

Parging: Worth the Hard Work