Stewardship Center

Visit "Stewardship Stew," our new blog, for project updates and to contribute your thoughts and creative suggestions!

The Basics

• The Stewardship Center is a gathering place for any citizen wishing to take action for our local environment. It will be a much needed home for Nature Center volunteers and the equipment they need to help restore biodiversity in the Shaker Parklands and our backyards. It'll help create a slice of nature that's healthier for people, plants and animals in our community.
• The Stewardship Center aims to be a net-zero energy building, constructed of natural building materials, such as strawbales, clay-cob, recycled material etc. while using energy efficiency and solar panels.
• The Stewardship Center aims to be a true barn-raising event, with community ideas at the beginning and community brawn when actual building takes place.
  

What's Natural Construction?

• A building made of earth and straw. This is the original "green building" that has been used by cultures all over the world, from ancient times to today. The methods for working with these materials are thousands of years old but are on the cutting edge for solving the critical need for housing in many parts of the world. This type of "natural construction" is capturing the attention of the environmental community as a sustainable and creative method for building.

More Details

• It's modestly sized (24'x26'): large enough to provide space for volunteers while serving as an exhibit, educational site, visitor gathering spot, and focal point for an outdoor sustainability area. It's a small enough footprint to minimize the impact on the local environment.
• It will demonstrate alternative green building methods, which can be copied and used elsewhere right here in Northeast Ohio or in many locales around the world.
• It will provide hands-on opportunities for individuals and organizations to participate in its planning and construction.
• The building's straw bale and cob construction will be finished with a natural clay/lime plaster.
• It will be located in our existing sustainability area on the east side of the Friends Pavilion.

What is Truth? What is Art?

• A wonderful opportunity exists for the building itself to be an exhibit, with truth windows, relief carved murals, paintings, sculpture and signage. All creative ideas are welcome! Rain barrels will provide water, landscaping will demonstrate native plant and permaculture gardening and solar panels will provide electricity. The project will provide exciting educational opportunities in the form of Nature Center classes, workshops, and events related to natural construction, recycling, sustainable gardening and habitat stewardship.

Going Forward! Proposed Timeline (all dates are tentative):

• Early July 2007 - Begin Community Construction of building
  
• October 2007 - Open House Celebration
• Ongoing:  YOU can contribute your ideas, designs and volunteer opportunities to the Stewardship Stew Blog.

Looking Back!

• June 2005 - Nancy King Smith Tribute designated to the Stewardship Center
• Fall 2005 - Gund Grant to support Stewardship Center
  
• August 2006 - Environmental Town Hall on Natural Construction
• December 2006 - Natural Building designer, Susan Clellan, provides design concept
  
• March 2007 - Meeting with City of Shaker Building Department
  
• March 2007 - Meeting with City of Shaker Heights Architectural Review Board.
• April 21, 2007 - Kids Learn Cob House Construction at Celebrate the Earth
• April 21, 2007 - First Stewardship Center Rendering Completed by local artist, Steve Manka
• May 4, 2007 - Hummer Construction makes the first materials donation and the fly-ash flooring is poured

Visit "Stewardship Stew," our new blog, for project updates and to contribute your thoughts and creative suggestions!