Hemp Voices: Shifting Paradigms Through Education

By Paul River Richardson

It was during a natural building workshop halfway around the world that I came to realize how close we are, yet how far we’ve strayed from building our own homes. It was at this workshop that I saw people from all walks of life, transform with a minimal amount of training into avid wanna-be builders and empowered beings. It was contagious, to say the least, and led me on a quest to bring more training and education for those dreaming of building their own healthy home. I am not saying you can become a master builder with one training, but it definitely holds the potential to demystify the process and empower people to become a well-educated homeowners and take on their own projects with confidence.

Since 2018, Haven Earth has been running hands-on training and workshops internationally and has inspired many builders to pivot into the up-and-coming Bio-based Hemp industry. That said, there are only so many hands-on builds you can manage per year - and only a relative handful of people can take the time out of their busy lives to travel across the country and spend a couple of weeks immersed in a training. This is why we decided to take on the epic challenge of documenting and curating content from our past two Hemp builds that are included in our comprehensive online training program.  

The Online Hemp Builder Course is the first of its kind, packed full of content with over 60+ video lessons of both classroom time and live footage from the builds. The course takes students through the entire process of building from foundation to final finish with the predominant focus on the specifics of building with Hemp. Our holistic approach to teaching encompasses not only the physical building aspects of hempcrete, but also the basics of reading blueprints and understanding the specific construction details which are a crucial part of undertaking a Hemp build project. 

The course is for anyone with a good understanding of construction, or contractors with solid building experience. Students have lifetime access and can start at any time and go at their own pace. It includes two sets of blueprint builds, monthly live Q & A group sessions, Hemp resources as well as ongoing content from other build projects that will contnually be added. Our hope with the course is that more builders and aspiring designers will feel confident to step into the healthy hemp home building space and take this nature-based system into the mainstream. The Haven Earth Online Hemp Builder Course is now live and accepting students. Learn more here: https://www.havenearthtradeschool.net/hemp-building-course/lfsh6