Invitation
Update:  DAWN SouthWest was created with the help of many hands from 2000 to 2008 on the site of the first permitted straw bale studio in Pima County, located in Tucson, AZ.  With kind hearts & good people, two small straw bale casitas were built, along with ramadas and a bread oven, shade structures and water harvesting systems used to grow food, and gardens, which included a southwest native foods garden.  It made for wonderful changes  and all those memories, and it was hard to leave, but the time to be closer to family had come.  So last year the property was sold, and travels started.  We lived in a tiny travel trailer from May until December, exploring the wilds and not so wild and meeting new people and very different kinds of places in the Pacific Northwest. 

Finally in late November a little house in Sweet Home, OR became our new home.  It will take many years, but starting over isn't all bad!  The goal now is to show that most anyone (even an older, single woman with two dogs like me) can start with a conventional house that is found to be "affordable" without a mortgage and has enough peace and quiet to settle into my "retirement" days. Although it has barely begun, the hope is to renovate this very conventional but very old little house into a very energy efficient and also beautiful space of my own,  to share  this experience with others, like my family, but also other women in particular, as well as young people looking for alternatives.  It is hoped that this will help someone else, when the world seems too daunting and building a home may not be possible, but making an existing one liveable is indeed possible. And the small steps and sense of accomplishment in making it a joy to inhabit can and should be shared.

So this site too will be a developing "urban homestead"/permaculture site. All the elements will serve many functions, and each is a part of the design of the “whole site”. As owner and instructor using permaculture strategies,  Joelee Joyce seeks to teach a way to live on the Earth that takes care of the Earth, and people, and can produce a surplus to share. A conscious effort is made to introduce ways of thinking about the design of an entire site, while building and gardening and conserving water and other resources in any climate.  We will offer consultations on whole site design, & sustainable living techniques, which includes building with natural materials, as well as rain water harvesting, food forests and gardens, land and building restoration & more. Workshops and training will be offered, as well as general "how-to do-it-yourself" information and links to valuable local resources, and materials for building a real home, creating a continuing and known source of healthy, organically grown food for your table and to share with others.

We will offer classes (one day and weekend workshops) on a variety of sustainable living topics.  Classes will be offered also through the Linn Benton Community College branch in the area.  Special workshops can be organized in advance for groups or upon request (minimum group sizes may apply).  Check with us for work exchange and internships, see how to make and use natural paints, recycled building materials and other resources for building beautiful, creative, natural, low-cost extensions of the Earth. One of the things we have found is that it is a great way to learn about history and ancient techniques with materials that exist almost anywhere. Since some of these techniques are being lost over generations, it's really rewarding to be able to bring these ideas back to life.

WOOFERs and others interested in living sustainably are welcome to come and stay, as a quiet retreat space or as part of a work exchange/internship program that is ongoing here, a little off the beaten path in the beautiful foothills of the central Cascade Range. To keep up with on-site as well as other local events, join our email list. Send full name and address & private email. (If you have a spam blocker or a corporate or institutional email, these announcements will likely not come through). Many thanks for your interest and support.

DAWN NorthWest: Designing Alliances with Nature
Sustainable Living for a Better World

Contact:  Joelee Joyce at dawnvoyager@gmail.com for how to register or participate.

Visit the new blog at http://www.dawnnorthwest.blogspot.com

New website under construction will be linked as soon as it is ready for viewing. This web site is possible through the generosity and talents of Athena Steen and The Canelo Project see www.caneloproject.com