We finally finished our yurt building manual, and it is for sale!!! This is a big milestone, as we’ve been working on it for the last 3 years.  Thanks to Becky Kemery. who suggested we write the manual, we now offer a comprehensive DIY Build a Yurt Manual! It’s the only one we know of, and we hope it empowers people all over the world to make their yurts.

Hal travelled to Hawaii to the yurt makers conference, and developped strong connections with other yurtmakers and collaborators in the yurt industry.  NAYA, the North American Yurt Alliance was formed.  Many companies have joined and our conference calls are a great opportunity for us to come together to create a yurt industry standard.  Our collaborative effort is to explore better fabrics, methods and ultimately have the yurt added to the International Building Code as an approved residential structure.

Back Home Magazine featured our company on the cover of their magazine, and wrote a nice story about our company and it’s mission.  We’re working with other publications that like our “DIY” approach, and would like to see our small company grown and serve more people.

In November, we moved our yurt manufacturing studio to our land, and moved from one warehouse into several yurts and structures.  Instead of the 4,000 sq ft. warehouse, we have a 24’ diameter sewing studio, 18’ yurt woodshop, a 15’ window making station yurt, and a 15’ liner making station yurt, as well as long cutting tables in our school bus.  It’s been fun walking to work and having the office hallways be trails in the woods.

From a personal side, I accomplished some lifelong goals I’ve had for a long time.  I completed kundalini yoga teacher training and did a Radiant Child yoga training with Shakta Kaur Khalsa.  I’m certified now to teach all ages, and we will be hosting various workshops in 2012, from an 8 week series Chakra Workshop, to yurt building workshops, to meditation retreats.

Lucky Hal  traveled again, this time to Santa Cruz CA to teach a yurt building workshop.  Hopefully this will be the first of many trips Laurel Nest Yurts makes to teach people all over how to build yurts.  We are considering doing a workshop in Costa Rica… hope to see you there!

Looking forward, we will solidify our yurt engineering specifications with Steven Kicinski, of Ellisport Engineering.  We will help NAYA fulfill it’s mission to make yurts a viable and affordable residential option anywhere.  Imagine… a yurt downtown Asheville (or anywhere), and a primary residence for someone who purchased an empty lot… I see visions of urban permaculture and community building… and more and more people choosing this route.  We will continue to assist people to find the most affordable and sustainable solution to modern living, the yurt, and one that built.  We’ve really got the whole world in our hands…

As the new year moves forward, I have so much gratitude to our customers and to our extend Laurel Nest Yurts family.  It wouldn’t be possible without you.  Those of you who are still in the dream phase, let’s make 2012 a fruitful year.  According to the Mayan calendar, it’s the end of the Piscean Age.  To us yogis, it’s the start of a new age, an age of awareness and simplicity.  Let’s make it the time of realising our dreams to live, love, yurt!

Moving home, walking the walk of sustainable business and living...

Over the last year, we’ve been making some major changes at Laurel Nest Yurts that have improved our excitement and love of making yurts for all of you!!  We are making strides towards living our personal dream of sustainability.  Over the last year and a half we were building a home studio that we can work from and this November we moved in!!

It was a crazy month- packing up our 4,000 square foot manufacturing facility and moving everything to our home-based workshop.  From the home front, we prepared 3 yurts and built a beautiful 26′ diameter sewing studio, with a 30′ yurt as a second floor.  We relocated our 18′ demo yurt and turned it into a wood shop on our land.  Now our home office/studio is pretty unique and makes me think of how nice it must have been to be Smurfette!

So, just for fun, I thought I would share some pictures from our move, to share a slice of our life with you.  We worked around the clock for several weeks with help from a couple of friends and Hal’s dad Al, his tractor, and a bunch of trailers…

Packing up the wood shop into the yurt truck...

We packed our bus full of fabric and cutting tables, jumped it off and parked it at home...

Who would have thought Hal is such a good tetris player? (Moving shelves...)

Moving sewing machines...

Our new yurt manufacturing studio....

Panaroma of sewing studio...

Panorama of yurt making studio... (and still a work in progress...)

Panorama of yurt making studio...

Window making station down the hill...

Our 12' materials storage yurt...

Our 15' window making yurt... built 7 years ago...

Our crafting yurt, home of liner making!

A few words to share about our new studio, for those of you who are trying to build sustainably and with recycled materials.  All the beautiful large bay windows we purchased from a local man that finds building materials and resells them, for $20/piece.  The beautiful wooden walls are 5/4″ boards that we used to use for rafters, then changed our design, and now have a new use We recycled leftover refletix insulation for the ceiling and used scraps and recycled materials purchased from habitat for the rest of the project.  Our total materials for the downstairs was under $1,000.  The yurt upstairs we built with seconds parts and used scrap fabric for the walls, as well as windows that were purchased used.  At some point we will paint the entire canvas with moss green Earthpaint.

So the layout now– a 12′ office yurt (still need to unpack, trying to figure out how to get internet in our corner of the woods), a 15′ window making station with neighboring 12′ yurt for storage of materials (zipper tape, fabric, window making supplies, thread, needles, etc…), 15′ “crafting” yurt, that houses our serger and is home to liner making, 18′ yurt wood shop, 26′ multi-sided studio space that is home to sewing of roofs, assembling walls and sewing bands and webbing on roof and walls, school bus with cutting tables for measuring and cutting roof and window panels, and finally 30′ yurt for cutting roof frustom.

Whew… now you see why I feel like a modern day yurtette?

Yurt Retreat in Santa Cruz area...

We are offering a “Complete Yurt Building Experience” and a DIY Yurt Building Workshop.

Our yurt building workshops give you all the skills you need to:

• Build the platform

• Plan, design and build your walls, roof and tono.

• Install framed and mesh windows and skylight

• Sew your yurt cover out of Canvas

• Erect the yurt

Learn to make all yurt components at the workshop!

Participants leave with

• Yurt building manual

• List of vendors for all raw materials

• Knowledge on how to use all the necessary tools

• Strong foundation for building your own yurt

The cost for the workshop is $125 to help cover costs incurred by workshop (snacks, materials, instructors, printing of the manual, etc.)  We will have a limit of 10 people at our workshop, snacks and camping available.

“I loved the hands-on options. Thanks for the background, so that personal modifications [to the yurts] can be made… I would recommend this workshop to others!”

“The workshop was awesome! People had a great time and learned a lot…There were people who already knew a lot, and people like me who were total beginners, and everyone was comfortable and got a chance to learn.  Thanks Hal, Charlie, Asia, and everyone for a great weekend!”

Join us at the DIY Yurt Building Workshop December 8-11!

If you would like to participate in deck building and other parts of the yurt process, we will be hosting a “Complete Yurt Experience” for the week prior the the workshop.  Work trade opportunities may be available.

For more information or registration contact:
Adrian
831-338-8300
adriantepperman@gmail.com

Vendor yurts are a great place to share information at festivals...

The conference was a special opportunity to take time out of our regular life  to soak in some wisdom and knowledge that has been lost as we move towards modern medicine and institutional living.  The weekend provides a deep cellular call towards the folkways that were passed on between generations since time out of mind: simple living, local plants and deep nourishment.
Thank you to all the women for the beautiful experience… can’t wait till next year… 

We are the 99 percent. We are getting kicked out of our homes. We are forced to choose between groceries and rent. We are denied quality medical care. We are suffering from environmental pollution. We are working long hours for little pay and no rights, if we’re working at all. We are getting nothing while the other 1 percent is getting everything. We are the 99 percent.

The other 99% represents almost all of us, and most likely if you are reading this blog, it represents you.  These are hard times, crazy times, and it fills me with hope that people are coming together to say that the system we are living in does not work.

What are people doing?

They are uniting in the streets, joining internet sites, sending support to people in the streets, and ultimately showing that the disparity of resources is unacceptable and they want to see change. People are switching from big banks to smaller, local credit unions.  People are spending cash and trading, supporting their local community.  I’ve always thought we vote with our money.  This is so true.

Wall Street peaceful protestors letting everyone know we need change.

I feel pretty strongly that our larger “Laurel Nest Yurts family” (our customers, facebook fans, our crew…) is a conscious group of people that care about our earth, our community, and want a more equal, fair, and sustainable world.  We’re tired of all the news about the pollution and destruction to our world, and we are trying to get out of the “system”, out of the 9-5 grind and the imprisonment that expensive mortgages and the “dream lifestyle” costs.  The costs bear as toll on our souls.  I’m grateful for the work that people are doing as we come together and say we don’t accept this trap that the American dream has become.

What can we do and what do want to do to make the world better?  I can’t make it out NYC to Wall Street join the protestors, even though I personally support what they are fighting for.  I already bank with a local bank; I backed out of Bank of America years ago because I don’t like the way they treat people or conduct their business.  I try to encourage trade and enjoy energetic exchange.  I live in a yurt and am grateful that my life has not tied me up to a mortgage.  Through our company, Laurel Nest Yurts, I try to help others get out of the box and live a lighter life that is less dependent on the grid and grind.  But, still we can always do more…

700+ people arrested so far... why?

As far as the Wall Street Protests, I think it’s important that even if you can’t go march, that you still show support by making sure others know it’s going on, and sending letters or making phone calls to “the powers that be” and our government.  They must know that we do not support the growing gaps and polarities in our society and that we will not accept them.  We can use our voice and our dollar to let them know this (and also our lack of dollar- not spending money has a profound effect on this whole situation…).
As our world shows more polarities (the rich and the poor, the peaceful and those at war, the  1% and the other 99%) I see that we are in a time of change and shifting of values is occurring.  Of course, change is always seen in the extremities, and so this is reflected in our world today.

What's wrong with this picture?

Some attribute the polarities around us as evidence of the astrological shift from the Piscean age to the Aquarian age.  Many astrologers believe that the Age of Aquarius has arrived recently or will arrive in the near future.   In the Piscean Age that we are leaving behind, it was a central and even sacred task to find and gain access to the right information. The motto of the age was “to be or not to be.” Learn, grow, and become something. The Piscean Age was dominated by machines and hierarchies (think Industrial Revolution and class wars, slavery, etc…).  The new Aquarian Age is ruled by awareness, information, and energy. In the Aquarian Age there are no secrets! Information is available. Finding it is not the central task any longer. In this Age, the motto is “be to be.” Real value will come from truth embodied in practical actions and in the internal caliber and qualities of your mind and heart. The greatest power will be your Word – your consciously projected words.  Whatever your faith or spiritual path, “The time has come of self-value. And the question is not: ‘To be or not to be;’ the statement is: ‘To be to be. I am, I am.” ~Yogi Bhajan

Meditations on Occupy Wall Street

People unite on Occupy Wall Street through meditation.

So here we are, back to Occupy Wall Street and the reality of the other 99%, of struggle and excessive wealth.  We are coming together to support each other, to show the “filthy rich” that we do not accept such class disparity.  So, in addition to our daily life, our daily interactions, our protests and actions geared towards equality and justice, I think that incorporating a moment of mindfulness and meditation keeps us in our most aware and abundant state.  Millions of people are joining together for various meditations as we step into this shift. To some traditions,   11/11/11 marks the beginning of the Aquarian age.  What better way to brave these times than through uniting the world in meditation?

Some helpful links:

http://occupywallst.org/

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/02/business/wall-street-protests/index.html?hpt=hp_t2Hey

http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/

http://www.opednews.com/articles/2/11-Things-You-Can-Do-to-Su-by-Chaz-Valenza-110919-830.html

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20111003/NEWS/310030020/Anti-greed-group-plans-prolonged-effort-Asheville?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage Occupy Asheville

http://obrag.org/?p=46512

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_age

http://www.3ho.org/kundalini-yoga/aquarian-age/

The Yurtle ladies on their finished yurt!

This summer we built an 18′ Yurtle for a high school senior.  Her plans are to live in the yurt over the next few years on her parent’s land and then take it to college to save money on housing!

It was a great project, and Hanna, her mom, and sister came to stay with us for a week and help with the building of the yurt and trailer.  They worked hard all week! 

Some of the things that kept them busy:

They helped with sewing the cover.  Hanna chose her fabric, and assisted us in the sewing studio.  She was a part of all the calculations (sigh), cutting, and assembling of the fabric cover.  Her mom, Shelley, did some sewing of the roof and wall canvas.

The ladies all worked together on the finishing options of the yurt, all the sanding and staining… this kept them busy for a few days and allowed them to give their personal touch to the yurt.  They also did the painting, staining, and finishing of the decking for the trailer. 

Charlie, our wood shop manager also helped them in many aspects of the yurt making.  He guided them in the assembly of the ring, and helped them with making their rafters. They learned so much about each part of the yurt and had an immersion crash course in yurtle building! 

Since it was so hot, they took breaks in the middle of the day to take dips in the river and enjoy some of beautiful mountains.  They stayed in a yurt at our community and used our kitchen for cooking meals and preparing snacks.  We enjoyed their company and wish Hanna the best of luck in her Yurtle! 

Hi Hal and everyone at Laurel Nest Yurts!
We’ve enjoyed our last year and half in our yurt, it has been an amazing
experience living in it year-round! We were so cozy in it this winter
after we had insulated our deck and walls! Thank you so much for such an
amazing structure, we can never live in a square again!
We hope business is going well, and we always have friends ask us about
who made our yurt! 
Persa & Chelsea

The Hoffmans ordered some parts from us and chose to build other parts themselves.  We sent them the ring, the khana, un-assembled, and the yurt cover.  They built their own rafters, door frame, and assembled their khana.  They did all the staining and finishing themselves, and were able to save over $1,000.  For the cover, they picked Starfire fabric and we ordered it in colors of their choice.   The yurt is beautiful, and has their loving labor in each piece!

Kudos to the Hoffmans, and enjoy the slide show of their yurt-story…

The Hoffman

Here are the yurt parts that were ordered from Laurel Nest Yurts...

The Hoffmans assembled their khana.

Setting up the yurt!

Yurt exterior with wood stove panel... no wood stove , yet!

A first night in the yurt!!

Thanks Danielle for sending us the pictures!

Hal and I (in my LNY t-shirt) pose with Bo.

Bo cuts all his stencils out by hand onto a sheet of plastic. He chooses the stencil, then lines it up over a shirt, placing the silk screen over it. He uses water-soluble ink to produce a subtle, flexible image, unlike the hard plastic prints that mass-merchandisers use on their shirts. The first washing softens the black print a tiny bit, giving it a nicely faded look without having to wash it 100x. All shirts are preshrunk and as soft as your last favorite tee was before it fell apart. As you can see, this isn’t a factory line. Bo handles every t-shirt himself. “I’m sure there are more efficient ways to make a shirt, but I like things the way they are,” says Bo.
Thanks Bo, for the shirt! To order one, go to his website, eatmorekale.com

Eric and Anna walk dog food home 2 miles, photo from Tampa Bay paper, http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/a-st-petersburg-couple-learns-no-impact-living-can-have-a-big-impact/1164911

Over the last year they made a decision to create 12 months of change, and last month was Volunteering.  Here is their New Year’s resolution: (go to this website for more…  http://www.codegreencommunity.org/profiles/blogs/12-months-of-change)

January-unprocessed food (no more than 2 steps in the processing, no preservatives)
February-no spending month (no money spent except for housing and utilities)
March-unplug month (only one appliance on the grid and we all vote for the fridge/freezer)
April-alternative transportation (buses and bikes and feet, oh my!)
May-no plastic brought into the house (seriously, think about that…..)
June-alternative income (everything we can come up with to make a buck or barter for our needs besides our jobs)
July-volunteer month  (WWOOF farm?)
August-alternative cooking (solar oven, cook boxes, etc)
September-primitive skills  (gun safety, fire starting, animal harvesting, foraging)
October-local products/shops only (is ABC Liquor really Florida owned??  I need to know!)
November-no garbage (nothing goes in the dumpster)
December-no entertainment except for what we create

Eric and Anna finished the floor and painted it with an Earthpaint. Thanks guys!

When Eric and Anna came, amongst other projects, they finished our floor of our 30′ yurt and we were able to host our 1st yoga class!!  We made the floor with a stain-grade plywood and painted it with some moss green Earthpaint.  It’s amazing how they helped us in so many ways, both by their inspiring work and refreshing and wise outlook on life.  I was so moved by their generosity, and inspired by what they are accomplishing with their year of change.  How amazing that they felt like they benefitted as much as we did, from their weeks of hard work and help.

Yoga in the 30' yurt

The night before Eric and Anna left, we were able to host our first yoga class in the yurt.  Eric said it was the first of more yoga classes to come.  It was exciting to experience a dream coming true, teaching a yoga class out of our 30′ yurt!!  Thank you Eric and Anna Scott for helping make this happen!