Andrew
Morrison is a true leader in the world of straw bale home building. His
workshops and informational websites are among the best offered for
people interested in building homes that are made from a fully
sustainable product, are super-insulated, have some of the best indoor
air quality of any construction method, and are truly beautiful. Here,
Andrew tells how he started in the burgeoning green building industry,
and how he built his unique green business.
About thirteen years ago, I started building houses.
Actually, I started renovating old houses while always attempting to
salvage whatever I could along the way. I was tired of seeing
all the waste and debris on construction sites. I was tired
of the usable materials that builders were calling waste and throwing
out. In general, I was ready to make a shift into responsible
construction. It has taken a while for that shift to sink in
and I believe it is currently settling into the construction market as
a whole. I hope the shift is successful.
|
|
Over the years, during my own personal construction shift, I moved from
renovating houses to building new ones. Mine would be
different. Mine would be green. Really
green. There was some whisper out there about the green
construction field, but very few builders in my area were doing
anything about it. I jumped in fully and started building
straw bale homes with energy efficient details like radiant floor heat,
solar systems, natural flooring, and more. I worked
hard to shift my clients from standard construction to my vision of
green, which wasn't always easy. Many would rather spend
their money on the fancy kitchen appliances than on a more efficient
heating system. They wanted to "see their money" not reap the
rewards of the efficiency. As frustrating as this immediate
gratification mentality can be, I did manage to find some clients with
an open mind and a clear dedication to the greater good.
Although successful as a builder, I found that I was only able to reach
about 6 families a year with any great success. This was the
number of houses I could build in a year without losing track of my
focus and quality. To me, this was not enough. I
became aware that I could not impact the world as positively as I
wanted to at that rate of connection. While I was building
houses, I was also selling instructional DVDs on how to build with
bales to people all over the world through my website (
StrawBale.com).
A big inner shift took place when people started recognizing me in
public. I have been met with smiles and "hey, you're that
straw bale guy" many times all over the country, often in random places
like airports and grocery markets. I saw something in those
random meetings that would change how I approach my business
relationship to the world.
I recognized that for me to truly impact the world of construction, I
had to reach more people, convince them of the idea of building with
bales, and do it quickly. A new company was born.
Today, my focus is entirely on teaching and mentoring others.
I no longer build custom homes. Instead, I teach people how
to build their own custom home. Through my DVDs, blog, web
releases, radio shows, interviews, lectures and more I reach thousands
of people every year and turn them on to this great building
technique. I also teach, hands on, in my seven day intensive
straw bale construction workshops (
StrawBaleWorkshops.com).
In the workshops I reach roughly 150 people face to face each year and
teach them how to build their own straw bale house. In
addition, I reach another thousand or more via my electronic data and
work closely with about 20 as a consultant on their personal
projects. I believe this larger outreach and connection will
accelerate the turn away from the "dark side" and to the "green side."
I hope this reach and influence grows and brings more people into the
light of straw bale construction. Improving the health of our
planet starts with small steps and transitions into the larger scene or
bigger picture. You've heard the phrase think globally, act
locally? Well I hope that I am a part of that transition from
local to global and that I inspire people all over the world to join me
in making healthier more natural homes. I used to say that my
work would change the construction industry one person at a
time. I have moved that expectation up to 1000 people at a
time. I hope you join me too.
