Happy New Years from Ecojima !!

We would like to thank all of you out there for supporting us in our adventures in the last four months.  With hard work and a very welcoming community we have made great progress with a not so easy job site .  Despite many obstacles this 80 year old house is starting to shape up!  Our goal is to educate ourselves and others to a more sustainable lifestyle and build to support this lifestyle.  Happy New Years!!!

This is the house four months ago

This is how it looks now still lots of work to do but a lot has changed

Wooden doors from scratch

The doors and bottle windows give an idea of the image naturally created from the recycled materials used to rebuild this home.  The bottle windows will be finished with cob on the interior.

リサイクル木材のドアとボトルレンガの窓が出来上がりました。ゴミから出来たアートです😊ボトルレンガの目尻は土で仕上げます。

Inspired by the garbage warrior

Inspired by the garbage warrior Micheal Reynolds we are using bottles bricks to fill in some of the window openings in this house。Although the process is slow and painstaking the outcome is a funky and beautiful piece of art, rather than a purchased factory manufactured window .  We are using anything and everything we have on hand to rebuild this home, inevitability the finished product is completely original.  The incredibly low material cost is just a bonus!!

Starting our bottle infill windows

A very attractive feature we have seen in Earthships are the beautiful bottle walls. Bottles can be used as partition walls or any non load bearing walls. In our case we have some irregular voids in the timberframe structure to fill and we decided that bottles would be a nice way to fill those openings. Pros are cheap cost (as bottles are free), and a very customized original finish. Cons are obviously the time consumtion and tedious work involved. In the case of mass production for large areas occupied with bottles electric tile cutters are used, but in our case we are using a slightly different method that involves stressing the glass with heat exactly where we want the bottle to break and dunking it in cold water which results in the bottle cracking perfectly in half. Although this takes more time with a good system the same result can be achieved.

This last image is from the internet of a beautiful bottle wall in an Earthship, this is general image we will try to achieve in our windows!

Ecojima shuffle

Building with recycled lumber

As we have mentioned before on this project we have vowed to use only recycled lumber. This means only using what would have thrown out and also using what has been produced during the demolition phases of this project. This obviously means more time consumed. On a regular job site lumber is ordered according to what the plans require, on this site we are building what we can with what we have. The last few days have been spent "milling" irregular sized and shaped wood into the pieces we need to build our floor and wall structures... Although this takes more time and patience it is all worth it when we know we are doing the right thing for our enviroment! Please stay tuned to see what can be made with garbage!!!

Plumbing for grey water absorbing botanical cell.

Sand and gravel day #2

Sand and gravel

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to write a little today about our community around the house. Let us start with our neighbors, our neighbors are AMAZING!!!  Just with the amount of noise we make (even though we try our hardest not to make any) we are still always greeted with a hello and a warm smile. Even when we ask or apologize for the amount of noise we are making, our neighbors say "We don`t hear a thing."
In the first week that we were starting tear outs on the home we had numerous visits. Some to say hello and some to bring gifts. We have never seen such kindness and warmth from total strangers. The generosity and sincerity is overwhelming. WE LOVE THIS PLACE!!
We could not have found a better place to start this transformation. We met a new neighbor
just last night. We decided to go for a drive in a direction we had not gone yet, not only did we come across an enormous lake but a beautiful big fox jumped the fence and strolled across the road right in front of us. When he finally reached the other side he just stood there gazing at us, we were in shock at this and I (Suzi) was over the moon with excitement because I have never seen a wild fox before.


 The picture below is a just one of the many yummy gifts that were given to us by our neighbors. This is puffed rice and I am hooked:) Other sorts of gifts were kabocha squash, potatoes and onions (all fresh from the garden), full delicious meals of rice, fish and assorted vegetables, last but not least a winter stew called ODEN. So delicious we forgot to take a picture of it before we ate it all.

Before I go I just want to say Thank you to our community for making us feel so welcome.

Thanks everyone for following us and there will be another video soon, we will be pouring concrete in the beginning of October.
Bye for now,
EcoJima

A moonlit Haga night

The new foundation

The new foundation that we add to the house, which originally sat on rocks, will serve several different purposes.  The main purpose is to tie the bottoms of the post together to add strength to the structure.  The foundation will  divide the floor  into different sections.  The southern half of the house will consist of a dark stone or slab type of material which will absorb and retain the winter sun warmth.  Other areas of the floor will be insulated wood flooring.

A birds eye view of the footings so far

These are ventilation gaps in the concrete footing.

Concrete formwork with recycled lumber

We have started to form our concrete footings using the wood that was removed from the house in the demolition stages.

Fixing posts and reinforcing the structure.

knee brace crazy!

Knee braces are most commonly seen in western timber framing.  They add rigidity to a structure by preventing "racking".  Racking is the lateral movement that occurs when a rectangle is not braced diagonally.  These knee braces are not seen much in Japanese joinery, as it is argued that too much rigidity can cause more damage in the case of any seismic activity.  Therefore Japanese homes are built to let a little "give" when the ground starts to shake.  In this particular scenario that we have encountered the option for a little "give" will more likely result in the house collapsing during renovation.  These knee braces have been added to the most crucial parts of the frame only and provide strength as well as peace of mind.  Anyways keep on checking in with us to see what the next stage is!!

Still repairing rotten posts and knocking out walls!

So here we are still demolishing and dealing with 75 years of decay of some of the posts in the house.  Things are a little more civilized around here now that we have power and a good friend of ours temporarily hooked up our living areas with  light switches and power outlets.  Its amazing what electricity does for moral:)  So here are a few pics of the last week of work and another video to come!

Suzi undoing the old bamboo work

Tao`s joinery

Our electrician Ken making our living spaces more civilized

We are adding "knee braces" for additional support

Hyogo demolition #2 Check out our first full week of work!

Our friends from Soushien came to lend a hand!

EcoJima Hyogo house dismantle part 1

A friend in Japan building an "Earthing room"

What is Earthing?

We will incorporate this concept in with our building project.

The phillipines windship by Japanthropologist

Hi everyone this is a write up by Japanthropologist, on the build my father and I (Tao) assisted in after the super typhoon Yolanda destroyed the village of Batug on Leyte island.
http://japanthropologist.com/tacloban-earthship/

Hello everyone,


Let me start off with a huge thank you to everyone following and watching us. This is so exciting for us and we are so happy everyone is enjoying it. Please don`t be shy if you want more videos or written posts instead please let us know.


Yesterday was a big day for us, we started at 430am and didn`t stop till 830pm. We had a blast, it started out with us driving the low roads through the countryside (instead of toll highways) this took us 4hours. We took great video and pictures of this drive, you will get a sneak peek of these today.  Upon arrival we were told that we had forgotten to give a gift to one of our neighbors. The village we are in is still very traditional, it has a chief (selecting a new one yearly) and a tradition of new comers bringing gifts to neighbors. This is called Aisatsu. Aisatsu is a greeting, and greet is what we did. I was very nervous in the beginning since I have very little Japanese but every person we met was very warm and welcoming. All smiling faces and excited to see what we had to say.

                                 
In the picture I am holding one of the gifts, they are Japanese crackers with our names written on the wrapper. We handed 25 out in total. We couldn`t have done this without Tao's mama Sanae. Sanae took time out of her very busy schedule to have these gifts made up for us, Thank you Sanae.


Our plan yesterday was just to get the upstairs room ready for us to stay in during renovations. We prepared that room as well as ripped up the downstairs flooring and even took out doors, window, and a mud wall.

We swept out the whole room, walls every crack and cranny (remember bug free zone only). Tao put the plastic down to block dust and dirt from coming through.

This is our extra protection, an insect prevention tent. I love nature and all of its gifts (when outside of where I sleep) but the 8 legged ones and others make me scream, run and some times even cry. Japans insects are all super sized too.

                                                        Minmin zemi

This one was in the window of the room when we were cleaning it, he\she is just one of the many different types of cicada.  Each different type has its own song it sings and sometimes they can be deafening when a large group chants together.

Here is your final sneak peek of what we accomplished yesterday.
There will be a video posted next week of our first weeks work. We will explain what the concrete bin thing is too so stay tuned, very exciting.

Thanks again for joining us,
 EcoJima signing out till next week........

エコ島日本語バージョン

Nihongo

Today we have sourced out FREE lumber! YAY! The lumber was originally going to be burned in an onsen (which is a traditional Japanese bath house). Instead of just turning it all in to ashes, we can use it to extend the front framing to accommodate our "Jungle Room". We are so excited and thankful for this. Now our next task is to find a truck. Possibly a rental or loaner or purchase, we will see what next week has to offer us.

 

 

 

We want to save as many trees as possible. 200~500 years of existence can not just be replanted.

Stay tuned everyone and thank you for joining us.

EcoJima finished video final

Timeline

                                                                                     February 2014~

 Tao goes to the Philippines to assist in the Windship build. Click on link to see videos and pics.

 http://earthship.com/philippines

May 1 2014 ~ We made the decision that we would be happier with LESS

 June 1 2014~

We start downsizing in order to save money and lighten our load.

January 21 2015~ We leave Victoria, British Columbia,

Ishigakijima bound!

January 23 2015~ Kabira Bay Ishigakijima Okinawa

We ARE finally here!

Everything we had worked so hard for was finally in our hands.

January 28 2015~ We found our own place! Haha just kidding.

Do we take it? Yes or No

Choices were very limited so, YES we will take it! (we moved in that day.)

 
We met some of the locals.

And also made new friends!

                                                                             

                                    It is amazing and wonderful how quickly kids can adjust.

                                        Mid February we found a small island attached to our own.      

                                                                "CAT ISLAND"  (Southern Gate)

We soon brought one home:)

 We named her Lotus, Lotus was ill. She slept for two days. We realized how desperate the island was for volunteers and foster homes. So we signed ourselves up and became a part of  

Shippo No Kai

translated it means The Organization Of Tails

Since Lotus we had three dogs and another cat.
All of which found permanent homes, the kitty moved with us to Kansai and his name is Simba!



 

A change in course

July 3rd 2015-
             My father told me the other day, "a plan is a plan because it never goes exactly the way it was planned"..   He is absolutely correct in my opinion.  After ten years in the construction industry I have seen this theory materialize in front of my very eyes many many times. The best you can do is get the closest to the image projected in the minds eye prior to commencement of any project.  Sometimes this requires a roundabout route or alternate approach all together.
              Shortly after we arrived in Ishigaki Island the inevitable reality of having to get a job materialized according  to plan.   Well almost.  I landed myself a job at a very busy scaffolding company .  This job as predicted has consumed 90 percent of my time with a grueling schedule of a 7am start and 6 pm wrap up on site.  On a day when we are lucky enough to not go into overtime I get home at about 7 pm.... Six days a week as I refused to work Sundays.  As for the work it is intense physical labor in a steady temperature of about 33-40 degrees with 90-93 percent humidity.  The pay??? Bout 85 bucks a day.  But all is relative.  To our readers anywhere in the west this seems ridiculous compared to the 8 hour days with time and a half pay for overtime at anywhere from 15$-40$ an hour for trades workers.
                So where are we finding the time to plan an Earthship build, get permission, source land, and pay for it?? The way things are going rent and bills are just barely covered and time is unfortunately a commodity that must be BOUGHT.  A few weeks ago I got a call from my father asking us to take care of the house in Hyogo prefecture near Kobe, while he is away at work and my mother is in Canada.. TIME BOUGHT!  Well a month anyways..  Two weeks into this month we happen to stumble across an old dilapidated house waaaay up in the mountains of Hyogo.  The price of the house, which is literally falling apart but has a sturdy traditional Japanese timber frame was an astonishing 180 0000Yen.  Thats 18 grand for a house with property attached.
Is this our chance? Is this where we can start? My wife and I talked it over. Think of the possibilities, think of the chance to design and build something new and unique to Japanese society.  We could introduce a new but old style house, a HYBRID home. We are now researching and designing our own earth friendly hybrid home. We will reuse and recycle materials to rebuild this home and will incorporate systems from Earthship Biotecture earthship.com. to achieve this.
Our goal is to do this in a very cost effective manner while leaving as little a carbon foot print as possible. The outcome will be a hybrid, low carbon emission home. We will record and videotape our journey along the way and do our best to keep you all up to date.
Here`s to another exciting adventure!
            

A house is just a box

       When my wife and I initially made the decision to pack our life up and make a big move across the planet we were renting an entire house.  Prior to our three floor character house that cost 1700$ CDN a month to rent,  we were living in a duplex that cost about the same.  50 percent of all living space was taken up with stuff we never used and we were heating rooms we were never in.  For me the move to a bigger house signified a step up in the world or being more successful.  This delusion that living in a large home or owning one would make me a better man was soon shattered.

I mean... How many people live here???

         In the Philippines I witnessed a phenomenon.  I was surrounded by the smiling faces of people who had just had their entire livelihoods blown to kingdom come by a huge typhoon.  I know for a fact, that if some of the million dollar home owners from my hometown were to have their houses destroyed they would not be quite as chipper as the humble people of the small village Batug.  So what is the reason for this?  Well by my observation a few things.  1-a kick ass attitude 2-low expectations 3-less to begin with!  So in short less is better.



      My entire life I had been tricked into thinking a big house on the hill would make me a successful man, well lets look at how that big house on the hill would effect our planet and myself as a human.  Obviously the first thing is the price, to purchase a home in my hometown cost a regular working dude like me anywhere from 300 000$-1000000$.   The initial down payment is more money than the average dude has and leaves him/her paying for it for the rest of their lives and maybe their children too...  I mean, its just a box that we sleep in right??  Well thats just my opinion, and dont get me wrong I like comfort just as much as the next guy.  So the next issue is how are these heated boxes effecting our sacred planet that we all share?  Well Im no expert, but the obvious was made more obvious after my father introduced the "Earthship" concept to me.  Its not rocket science,  modern day homes have been designed to take from the planet and give nothing back but our watered down excrement and burned fossil fuels.  A conventional home pipes in water from afar while the water that falls on the roof is diverted away from the structure.  A modern home uses electricity and fuel to heat itself while the constant energy of the sun is not only neglected, but blocked out.  Our waste is mixed with water to create a larger mass of toxic fluid to be dealt with on a much larger scale. 

         When you think about it in the last century or so mankind has regressed in our ability to live in harmony with our planet.  For those of you with food in your electric freezer and two feet of snow outside of your doorstep, you may or may not begin to see the obvious truth that has been brought to my attention.  WE DONT NEED ALL THIS!!  Do your planet a favor and make a few changes to your homes and lifestyles!

   My husbands name (Tao Aichi) literally means, "THE WAY TO LOVE" I`m so amused by how perfectly fitting this is because this is what we chose to do with our family.  We chose to drop everything, sell everything and move across the world in order find a way to love ourselves and life even more.  We were exhausted with just existing.  We all wanted so much more.                                                       

This is me deciding which track to take

   

   About one year ago my husband and father in law, embarked on an adventure of a lifetime, to volunteer in assisting a small island community in the Philippines to rebuild after typhoon Yolanda wreaked havoc.  The project was called the "Windship".  A typhoon proof super bunker/community education center built almost completely from recycled material which to most, would be considered garbage.  Master minded by the brilliant architect Micheal Reynolds, "Earthships" are the leading edge in sustainable, and eco friendly homes.     earthship.com

Tao and John Craig in front of the windship

The children of Batug, Leyte Philippines

 The journey my husband had taken had not only assisted those wonderful families, but opened his eyes which in turn led him to open mine.
    A shift occurred within us and  the delusion that material possessions or financial success would make us happy was shattered.  We started to discuss what we TRULY wanted and desired above and beyond what society had led us to believe we NEEDED or MUST have.  This is the beginning of the journey in our adventure to a simpler life! We will start in Japan.

My sons Edan and Daniel in Ishigakijima

   We are here to help, teach and grow with the island.  We are here to find a way to love mother nature and be ONE rather than continue to destroy her and ourselves.  We would like to share with the world our adventure into the HEALING of the planet and ourselves!