Besides wanting the construction of EarthSong to be a community project created in a loving and joyful attitude by individuals who felt called to participate in its creation, we also wanted the peace chamber to be made of natural materials of local origin. Although the blue clay was trucked in from about forty miles away, the lumber for the posts, beams and roof and the straw bales came from the neighborhood. The sand came from the excavation of the site.

Earth is the most common building material in the world. Mixed with sand (for hardness) and straw (to hold it together), it is an ideal, inexpensive and healthy building material. When it is formed as blocks, it is called adobe and is widely used in the American southwest. Used free form, it is called ‘cob’ – a word that comes from an old English root which means ‘a lump or rounded mass’. Because cob is easy to learn to use and it lends itself well to a community building project we chose to build the peace chamber of straw and cob.

Cob has great resistance to rain and to cold, which makes it ideal for cold climates as well as desert conditions. For millennia, it has been used for comfortable and picturesque homes in the harsh climates of coastal Britain and at the latitude of the Aleutians. Building with cob can be a sensory and aesthetic experience similar to sculpting with clay, and homes or cottages made of this natural building material are comfortable and picturesque. Such homes and cottages have been occupied continuously for many centuries throughout Europe and the British Isles.

When you visit EarthSong, we hope you enjoy the fact that it was built of natural and environmentally safe building materials. This ancient technology doesn’t contribute to deforestation, pollution, and mining nor require manufactured materials or even powered tools. Earth is abundant, inexpensive, nontoxic to inhabitants and the environment and completely recyclable.

One word about the small oak door on the wall to the left as you enter.
This is called a “Truth Window,” and one is typically found in buildings constructed with straw bales. The comfortable thick walls (which have an insulation value at least double that of typical construction) are made of straw bales covered inside and outside with several layers of cob. If you doubt that such a solid structure as this actually has straw for walls, you are encouraged to open the small oak door to find out the truth.

Truth Window

About the Roof Construction

The roof is supported by ten 6”x 6” posts to which the ceiling beams are attached. The wood for the posts, beams and ceiling timbers were made from trees that were cut down at GilChrist Retreat Center in the Fall of 2000 to make way for a new gas pipeline which traversed their land. The trees and the milling to our requirements were a gift of GilChrist. Thus, the posts, and not the straw bales bear all of the weight of the roof.

About the Wall Tiles

The first wall tiles were created in three workshops during the winter of 2000 led by Kalamazoo art therapist Sharon Cipriano Galbreath. Participants were directed to create images which reflected their thoughts about Peace, Joy, or living lightly with Mother Earth. Since then many other friends, visitors and relatives have created tiles which we have also placed on the walls.

About the Fireplace

The unique and beautiful soapstone fireplace that you see here was a gift of Stan Sackett of Sackett Brick Co. in Kalamazoo. It was conceived and constructed by Stan and Doug Hern so that visitors to EarthSong might enjoy the open fire when the weather is cold. Once heated, the soapstone radiates a gentle heat for many hours. The fireplace was conceived as a living sculpture; many of the smaller stones can be moved to create different moods and effects. We are very grateful to Stan and Sackett Brick Co. for this gift.