Ten years ago Liz Johndrow took her natural building skills to Central America and taught in several rural communities. Returning over the next several years Liz developed a corps of committed natural building teachers, both from the U.S. and indigenous Central America, and started the non-profit organization, TERRA Collaborative, to support their work. TERRA Collective focuses on teaching women and youth, building community spaces, and teaching home improvements such as plastering, seismic sound adobe practices, healthy cookstoves, improved outhouses, and more. They support growth in confidence to create and dream, and care for communities and the environment.

Covid has brought this work closer to home and this season TERRA Collective has had the opportunity to co-teach timber framing. They have passed skills to 50 women, youth, and non-binary folx. Let’s talk about what drives and motivates us to share what we know and how to successfully do so!