This is an ongoing series of drawings inspired by my work in straw bale building.

My environmental activism started at the young age when I very enthusiastically participated in a school assembly about protecting our ozone layer & combating “acid rain”. A passion for speaking out about the state of the ecosystem grew & later in life I visited Mali, West Africa & learned about the beauty, genius & efficiency of adobe building; the protective cool clay earthen structures in contrast to the heat of the dry desert sun. This inspired me to research a host of other natural building techniques which lead me to doing hands on training in passive solar technology, straw bale building, adobe plaster & green roof construction. In 2007 I worked as a laborer for Furbish, Co, Baltimore, MD to build a 27,000 sqft straw bale Friends Community School in College Park, MD. Straw bale building is a technique using bales of straw which are produced as a byproduct of an industrial wheat harvest. This straw is not the same as hay & is mostly inedible so when it isn’t being used for animal bedding it becomes a waste product & is burned. Building with this industrial byproduct diverts a massive carbon footprint (by not burning) while diverting the use of highly polluting/extractive conventional construction methods & materials. In addition, walls constructed of straw bales maintain an R-value of about 25 (that's huge!) which significantly increases the energy savings throughout the life of the building. Building with plants has inspired a profound search for a connection to nature within the city landscapes where I’ve spent most of my life.