Ernie and Erica heading out east in August and September.

Yep we are going to be in the North East in August and September We would like to get as many stoves and speaking engagements lined up as we can. We dont often get to go east so we want to make our trip count. We will post more details later as to where we will be however at this time we have Hampshire collage, New Forest Institute and Yestermorrow. We will try to get a spot at Common Ground Fair as well.
I would say that we will try to take as many invites as we can in the North East and East coast in general. Since we will probably have to drive Folks in the mid west should Also get a hold of us and we might be able to set up a few along the way.

My introduction to this forum came about when I followed a link from one of Ernie's rocket stove videos on YouTube. Thanks Ernie and Erica.

I would be very interested in attending one of your classes. How close do you think you might get to Virginia?

Sasha

Sasha
I dont know. we need to have folks set up workshops or talks for us to hit on our way back to make the loop down south. on the other hand Virginia is not to far away from Vermont. we have some work shops coming up in vermont and Main in september We will be putting out the dates a bit later.

Hi, any chance you could make Vermont's solar fest and do a workshop at Green Mountain college that has an environmental science school? You could use our house as a demo, either for a hybrid or pure rocket stove. Also, I contacted you on youtube and still have not found much on the hybrids as I think my house with a basement and a floor and a half is not a good candidate for a pure rocket mass stove unless we somehow can run the mass up through a floor or so? Dk, I stunk at all math like things in school. Cool stuff guys.

We would love to Colleen but i believe we need to be invited. we dont know when all this stuff is going on but the more gigs we get out east the better. hmm you tube I dont recall getting a notification but then i dont pay much attention to that as i probably should. A hybrid system might work but i would need to see the layout. A full RMH will heat a surprising amount of space if done correctly. but it sounds like the upper floors may not be rated for the weight. hmm well we can see about it and the collage. you might float the idea to both the solar folks and the collage and see if they want to contact us. my email is easy to find as is our phone number.

Hello again, I will check with both and see abou invites. We would all be lucky to have you. Thanks

Do you have an idea when you might be in the Michigan area? I would like to try and set-up a clinic but it all hinges on timing (my niece is getting married during August) and costs. Will you PM me some details?

yep we will get you the dates in fact i should publish the dates her so everyone knows. we will be driving so should be able to make some or several stops.

hello,

can someone please post links to the seminars so i can sign up?

thanks,

-steve

steve berthiaume wrote:hello,

can someone please post links to the seminars so i can sign up?

thanks,

-steve

Here are the dates and links: ... proposed ** Confirmed

Western states:
... between March 15-30 - Nevada fire-science intro (Reno/Tahoe City area)
** April 28: Tonasket - Rocket Mass Heaters intro, 1-day hands-on demo with lunch.
... June 22-24: Reno workshop

Midwest / Great Lakes:
... passing through the Midwest in late August, anybody want to host an evening or weekend in Minnesota, Michegan, or upstate New York?

East Coast:
... Pittsburgh - discussing dates in late August or early September with Nancy and Isaac.
... Massachusetts / Connecticut - no dates confirmed yet, but I want to visit my people there. Pioneer Valley or North Shore, anyone?
(if we get too close to Mystic Seaport, Ernie may get sucked in for an imprompetu colloquium...)

** Sept. 14-16 Vermont - Yestermorrow: http://www.yestermorrow.org/workshops/detail/rocket-stove-design-build?StartDate=&SortColumn=&SortDir=&Search=rocket

** Sep. 21-23 Maine - Common Ground Faire (probably at the NewForest Institute booth as a promo)

** ... Sept. 28-30 Maine - NewForest Institute (registration opens soon pending final confirmation, their website is at: http://newforestinstitute.org/permaculture/index.php)
(Oct. 1-2 - Ernie gets distracted by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute ...)

Other locations without confirmed dates:
... Prince Edward Island (1/2 hour from airport) dates not yet confirmed.
... tentative option in Sand Point, Idaho - Art of Mentoring Oct 7-13
... Missoula, Montana - hide at Paul's house and burn things, at our mutual convenience
... Virginia / North Carolina: RMH installation or presentation? no dates yet nailed down.

The 'tour' format saves costs, but remember we can also come out on a separate engagement if you cover the cost of travel.
If you are really on a budget, consider offering us a homestay date to hide out and recover between workshops, and we might have some very interesting conversations after we sleep for a couple of days.

Yours,
Erica and Ernie

i'd be up for something in massachusetts/ southern NH. what are your requirements? should i contact a local transition group?

-steve

steve berthiaume wrote:i'd be up for something in massachusetts/ southern NH. what are your requirements? should i contact a local transition group?

-steve

Hi Steve!
We have connections in Amherst, Lowell, and Boston, but most of my experience in New Hampshire was as a visiting college student. I'd love to see that area again.

Requirements:
Time, space, and money

Have you been around natural building events before, as an organizer or participant? I'm not sure how much detail to go into as far as logistics.
The transition group sounds like a great fit for what we do with wood heat and solid-state thermal design. Yes, please contact them!

Space:
We have a few shorter presentations we can do in a lecture hall or classroom (1-2 hours), but our best work is hands-on demonstrations with dirt and live fire. That means you want a place with a good-sized outdoor firepit, dry woodpile, seating (logs or folding chairs), and any materials or props for the demonstrations. (Bricks, scrap metal, cob ingredients, insulation, pipe, cardboard, newspaper, etc.)

As far as homestay space, we fit in a double bed, as long as it has no foot-rest (Ernie is 6'6" tall). Some dietary limitations, but otherwise omnivores.

Money:
For a one-day event (like a site consultation, slide lecture, or evening Fire Science Theater), we take home $300 or so. These events typically sell tickets at around $25 per person, or are sponsored by a host who may invite others to meet us for free/donations. We especially like it when we can also sell books.

For a 3-day weekend build, including off-stage time for design, logistics, etc, we take an initial deposit of $300 for the consultation, and aim to take home another $1200 from the workshop itself. The host usually sells tickets for $200-300 per person, depending on local price points, and how much hospitality they offer. Some hosts charge extra for food, others include it, or host a couple of main dishes for a pot-luck lunch. Some people allow on-site camping, or homestay; others list local hotels. We rely on the hosts pretty heavily to source the materials, know the local grapevine and economy, and recruit enough people for the workshop. Their main incentive is to share their passion with a lot of people, and keep the cool things we build together.

A transition group would be a great co-host or sponsor. We love working with groups like transition planners, permies, or nature awareness schools; not only does it make recruitment and events easier, but there also tends to be a really productive social dynamic that boosts the workshop into a deeper level of learning.
It's also worth looking into educational institutions that have a budget for guest presenters. Colleges, libraries, and even alternative high-school academies sometimes want to host a seminar on natural building or alternative technology. With these institutional hosts, we play it relatively mainstream with a general presentation on Oregon cob, energy-efficient design, and community projects like earthen art and cob ovens. It's a rare institution that wants to jump right in and advertise rockety burny fire events, but it does occasionally happen. Alternative culture venues may revel in the radical.

There are more details on our website http://www.ErnieAndErica.info, under "Arrange a Workshop." Possibly too much detail, but it does give a good sense of what's involved.

Time:
If you go for a weekday event, it would be convenient to fit something in around the Yestermorrow class: early Sept. (up to the 12th) before their event, or between Sept. 18 and 21 on our way from Vermont to Maine.
If you want to go for a full-scale building project, we'd want a bigger gap to help plan and set up your build. We could do a smaller project like a cob oven the weekend of Sept. 7-9, or come back in early October on our way from Maine for a full RMH.

Those are our thoughts. Would love to hear yours,
- Erica and Ernie Wisner
eawisner@gmail.com

Sasha Goldberg wrote:I would be very interested in attending one of your classes. How close do you think you might get to Virginia?

Sasha

Hi Sasha,
How does Pittsburgh sound as 'close to Virginia?' We are looking at late August or early September there.

I've done the drive before and realize it's a long one. (My late, great, great-uncle lived in Charlottesville, and took my sister and a friend to see Monticello and the Jeffersonian architecture at the UVa. Wonderful reference material for talking about cob and solid-state design. My aunt now divides her time between there and her childrens' homes.)

We have had some interest from both Virginia and North Carolina, but nobody has spoken up to host an event yet.
It would be a long trip to add to our tour unless we get an event or two scheduled in your area.

We might want to make it a separate trip or tour, and allow a little more time for the interested folks to connect.
We've had requests from the Midwest, upstate NY, and New England for about 4 years now, but this year is the first I've heard such interest from the southeast coast areas.

If you're really motivated, I'd say contact any local groups that might be interested in making it happen this year. Like 'Transition Town,' the universities, permaculture guilds, community event co-ops, or even historic societies. We do a nice mini-workshop on the evolution of fire, that includes Native American camp- and tea- stoves, and some apocryphal history about Count Rumford and the Revolution.

I would be happy to send you some printable flyers you could use to show people, and drum up more interest.
I will put up some free downloadable flyers in our online shop. Give us a couple hours and then check http://www.ErnieAndErica.info/shop.

Yours,
Erica W

p.s. Feel free to PM me with your email if you haven't gotten an answer on the forums.

Erica Wisner wrote:

Midwest / Great Lakes:
... passing through the Midwest in late August, anybody want to host an evening or weekend in Minnesota, Michegan, or upstate New York?

I would be interested in hosting or attending in MI. I live in SE MI inbetween Flint and Detroit. PM me with details.

Brad

Erica Wisner wrote:

Sasha Goldberg wrote:I would be very interested in attending one of your classes. How close do you think you might get to Virginia?

Sasha

Hi Sasha,
How does Pittsburgh sound as 'close to Virginia?' We are looking at late August or early September there.

Hi,

Yeah, I was looking at that. I have a friend who lives in Cleveland so it could be very doable. I also know some folks who live at Twin Oaks near Charlottesville and I am going to ask if they might be interested in hosting you.

Sasha

http://www.twinoaks.org/

Sasha Goldberg wrote:

Erica Wisner wrote:

Sasha Goldberg wrote:I would be very interested in attending one of your classes. How close do you think you might get to Virginia?

Sasha

Hi Sasha,
How does Pittsburgh sound as 'close to Virginia?' We are looking at late August or early September there.

... I also know some folks who live at Twin Oaks near Charlottesville and I am going to ask if they might be interested in hosting you.

Sasha

http://www.twinoaks.org/

That would be awesome - I would love to see my great-aunt in Charlottesville. We can drive or fly, whichever is cheaper, if there's enough local interest to fill a workshop and make it worth our hosts' time and effort. Hope to hear more from you or the Twin Oaks folks after you get a chance to talk.

-Erica

so i contacted a couple of transition groups and emailed some others like mass. climate action network; hopefully we'll get some traction!

-steve

Hi,

I was able to arrange anything in Charlottesville. I will try for the Pittsburgh stop, if I can make it work.

Sasha

Sasha Goldberg wrote:Hi,

I was able to arrange anything in Charlottesville. I will try for the Pittsburgh stop, if I can make it work.

Sasha

Thanks for trying, and we'll get the Pittsburgh dates firmed up ASAP.

Maybe we can set up another tour through the southern US in the next few years - either a road trip, or just fly in.
It looks like Charlottesville would make a pretty good jumping-off point next time we get work in Costa Rica or Haiti, or other international destinations that fly from that hub.
And there are hubs near other interested folks, too.

-Erica

steve berthiaume wrote:so i contacted a couple of transition groups and emailed some others like mass. climate action network; hopefully we'll get some traction!

-steve

Thanks Steve!
That reminds me, I need to look up my inland MA contacts too, and see if anyone wants to help arrange something.

-Erica

Looks like we have a bidding war going on for the midwest. More desire than dates! How cool is that!
I attached a map showing where I've offered to host. The workshop location is across the street from a city park where the August swimming in Lake Superior is mighty fine.
No matter where we end up with visits from Ernie and Erica, it will be a great time.
If you want to come to Marquette for a weekend seminar, I'd appreciate hearing that.

Where is the best place to subscribe to keep informed about the PEI dates, this thread or will something be appearing on your blog?

Has there been any progress on a Cleveland Date?
Thanks,
Glen

Andy

The potential hosts for PEI have put things on hold till they figure out the finances. We would love to find other hosts for PEI along with students.

Glen I dont know about Cleavland I will have Erica look at all this when she gets home.

Here's the latest for everyone:
Cleveland - I think your best bets are going to be Detroit or Pittsburgh, but please let us know if you'd like us to squeeze in a visit in between.

PEI - We would absolutely love to get there, our first host may not be ready by this year; the next closest we are likely to get is New Brunswick. Again, let us know if your preference would be to join an existing workshop, or try to put together something more local; we are saving some dates for PEI until we hear otherwise.

And one last piece of excitement: We're finishing it off with a stop in Missoula to do a series of projects with Paul that we have been looking forward to for years.

This is a draft of the current schedule - for updates, you can always check back on our website: http://www.ErnieAndErica.info/upcoming_workshops.

Ernie and Erica's 2012 Green Fire Tour:

Western States
(May 24-27 - Private site near Lake Tahoe)
June 8-10: Reno, NV - Rocket Mass Heater (full installation in existing workshop/garage; lovely integrated design with passive solar and permaculture site features.)
- Neil Bertrando & Loping Coyote - "Neil Bertrando" <neilbertrando@gmail.com>, "sarah rosenbloom" <rosenbloom.sm@gmail.com>, )
July 6-8: Riverside, WA - Rocket Mass Heater (full installation in existing cabin; primitive camping by a lovely mountain lake - Chris West, coyotespath@hotmail.com)
July 14-15: Skagit Valley WA -- Earthen Oven (hand-building over sand mold, on a lovely herb farm - Jessica @ Harmony Fields Farm, hfproduce@gmail.com)
(July 21-22: Seattle, WA - Homebuilt Boats Festival - Center for Wooden Boats, www.cwb.org)

Rockies to Great Lakes
(August 4: Missoula, MT - Local site planning and Missoula Farmer's Market)
August 7: Private site visit, northern Minnesota
August 9-12: Ely, Minnesota - Semi-private Rocket Mass Heater installation (with canoe-camping options; contact Ron if interested - <filterdrum@yahoo.com>)
August 17-19: Sleepy Hollow, Michigan - Rocket Mass Heater (multiple demonstration projects using farm/junkyard technology - Susana Villareal-Quintela segareiner@mutualdata.com)
August 25-26: Detroit, Michigan - Pocket Rockets and Emergency Heat (Deanne Bednar and the Straw Bale Studio crew - ecoartDB@gmail.com )
(August 29-30: Possible private site in Detroit area)

Mid-Atlantic to New England
September 7-9: Pittsburgh, PA - Rocket Mass Heaters (backyard prototype build, possible installation) - Nancy Martin-Silber <nancym@ccicenter.org> and Isaac Hill (BCC'd)
September 14-16: Yestermorrow, Vermont - (prototyping and demonstration) - Dan Eckstein - www.yestermorrow.org, search on "Rocket"
(September 22-23: Maine Country Faire (Common Ground Faire))
September 28-30: NewForest Institute - Rocket Mass Heater (full installation at a lovely green educational site) - Lisa Packard lisa@newforestinstitute.org


um... what's further east than New England? Eastern Canada!
October 4-8: Fredericton NB, Canada (semi-private intensive) - thebeemidwife@gmail.com
(October 14-15: Possible private visit in PEI)

And the Grand Finale:
October 26-28: Missoula, MT: Clean Heat Retrofits: the Wheaton Portable Rocket Mass Heater, Rumford's Radiant Fireplace, and Rocket Turkey Fryer. Because anything that dangerous should definitely have the word 'Rocket' in it. (Can also be a general outdoor kitchen workhorse - canning, mulling, soups, etc.) Paul Wheaton, paul@richsoil.com

Please help us spread the word!
We have been getting so many inquiries from these regions, and I know there are going to be people who hear about this next winter and wish they had known earlier. I want a great lump of local expertise in each area, friends who met at a workshop, built a great working example together, and can help each other when we're not there.

We are happy to do interviews or articles for local publications - heck, I'll help your kid get an A on their high-school journalism project if it will let a few more people know.

Yours with thanks,
Erica and Ernie Wisner
503 758 1093
http://www.ErnieAndErica.info

Please give more details on the potential Sandpoint, ID visit.

Would like to see ya'll down here in the SE if possible. Never "hosted" an event like this would be interested in assiting.

Any chance of ever coming even close to the southeast?

I have a question for the experts in rocket stove design

when your trying to heat a long straight structure like a green house
or a hoop house green house.... or a Barn....

what is the minimum and maximum Pitch for the straight section of flu for it to draft correctly?

Oh PLEASE, oh please, tag me when you nail down workshop dates for Virginia/Carolinas so i can put in for time off!!! Yippee!!! (from Tennessee)

Hey,

I saw that you are going to be in Minnesota, great! We have here in the Twin Cities the Permaculture Research Institute Cold Climate, perhaps a possible session with them? Would it be easier, if it fits, to have one of you two or myself contact them? It would be great to share Rocket Mass Heaters with more Permaculture folks here.

-Kirk

August 9-12: Ely, Minnesota - Semi-private Rocket Mass Heater installation (with canoe-camping options; contact Ron if interested) - AKA Don Splitter

That's Mr. Don Splitters cabin. This workshop will be a one day workshop on Aug Sat 11th. I've offered up my cabin for Ernie and Erica to chill out and relax that Sunday if they choose, so checkout of casa del' splitter is Sunday morning. I wanted to give Ernie and Ericka a day to chill by themselves...especially, after doing such a fine job on coming out east. I'm offering the workshop for a 100$ a person which will be a core build only, but I'm hoping to build and tear down the core many times to give everyone some hands. After all the best experience is doing, eh! This 100$ will cover a fire bbq'd vegetarian mongo burrito and a spot to camp on my property.

It will also give agricultural permies an idea of what's possible in a colder zone such as my cabin. There are lots of challenges, but my hugels are off to a good start.

There are lots of options in town, or at a local outfitters for a bunk house camping. canoetrip.com tell Lori, or Karl that Ron from up the hill sent ya. They have a great pancake and bacon breakfast for about 7$. Or Ely has some great options as well. Bring a comfy chair and your choice of libation, for an evening BS on my deck overlooking the land of "awesome"! I do have running water, but bring a bucket for washing up. Bring drinking water because the well water is right at the cusp of Arsenic levels, but safe. There is an outhouse, so bring TP. My cabin is rustic, so prepare your vehicle for car camping if that's your option.

This is a pay in advance event which is coming up soon.

PM me, or email at filterdrum@yahoo.com

Where will you guys be in Pittsburgh? And when will you be speaking? I live here in South West Pa and would love to be able to hear you while you are in the Burg.

It was very nice chatting with you on line. I do hope that you can make the connection with the woman who lives between The Burgh and Cleveland for the demonstation. I hope that I will be able to come, but the distance could be a problem for me. Let me know where she is actually located so that I can make a better decission about the travel times involved. Thanks again, and I did enjoy the emails. Mike,

I really like the whole concept of RMHs and have ever since I read Ianto Evans book right after it came out. But I've got a few questions/concerns I haven't seen addressed.

I have a fairly small house (20' x 20'), two floors, open floor plan downstairs and loft upstairs. So, pretty easy to heat. Most years I only use about 3 face cords of wood to heat it. Now most people I know who heat with wood love it because they can keep their houses at about 80 degrees F all winter and think it's just great. On the other hand I would really like to have my place at about 65 with a max temp of 70. And the problem I've always had with a wood stove is that it heats me right out of this place.

So my questions are - Is it possible to keep a wood fire of any kind (including RMHs) at a temperature that I would be comfortable with, i.e. 65 degrees? What is the kind of temperature range that you see with this type of appliance? And, how do you control the heat?

I know the mass is going to provide some dampening of the temp swings but there still has to be some and I really hate having it get so warm in my house that I end up opening doors and windows to cool it off.

We have a great place to stay in Luck Wisconsin, 60 minutes from the Twin Cities. It is on a little lake, quiet, and we might be able to get some people together for a workshop. You could let us know if this area sparks curiosity. BTW we live here and are remodeling, so it is not the Hilton, but it is truly lovable, and we are truly mellow and easy! This morning there were loons, beaver, a trumpeter swan just out the front window and it was splendid. Dawn and Manuel.

I hope it's not to late to sign up to catch you guys in sleepy hollow on aug. 17-19. This would be my best chance to catch you on your tour.

Interested in the Pittsburgh event, as it is the closest to me. Is there some additional info on that event? (See no mention of the event on ccicenter.org).

I am slam dunk between both Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Considering building a rocket stove or two for our buildings prior to winter.