• Navajo Project: In July, 2000 BWB organized a pilot project in association with the National Indian Youth Leadership Project (NIYLP). We coordinated a diverse group of volunteers at Sacred Mountain Camp, near Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico, to build a straw-bale hogan (a traditional Navajo home) in a week-long workshop.
• Mongolian Tour: In September of 2000, BWB welcomed a Mongolian United Nations Development Program delegation on their Strawbale Research Tour of the U.S. Southwest. BWB coordinated the itinerary, provided logistical support, and supported the Mongolian team in making personal and professional connections, thus helping to advance work that may become a model project of global significance. All in all, the team toured 37 sites in four states.
• Tierra Madre: In 2001 BWB was asked to facilitate a strawbale wall raising at Tierra Madre, a “self-build” community in Sunland Park, New Mexico, is sponsored by the Sisters of Charity. This example of sustainable and affordable housing will include an eventual 47 strawbale homes, which will incorporate permaculture design, passive and active solar energy, water harvesting, and greywater reclamation.
• Annunciation House: In Ciudad Juarez, in the colonia of Anapra, BWB members consulted with the non-profit organization Annunciation House to plaster the interior of a strawbale community center. BWB led a successful workshop including volunteers from both sides of the border.
• Jose Luis House: The successful collaboration on the Annunciation house has led to BWB committing to work with the lead builder of the community center to build an affordable strawbale home for him and his family.
• Casas de la Cruz: BWB members led a workshop with volunteers and locals to build a prototype strawbale house in Ciudad Juarez, in 2001. Due to the success of this project, three additional houses are planned during 2003.
• Flor y Canto: BWB members have consulted with the Sisters of the Assumption to create a model home for low-income residents of Chaparral in southern New Mexico.
• Educational Initiative: Through our Educational Initiative, BWB has created an Educational Resources Fund that has donated video, books and other resources to projects in China, Ethiopia, Chile, Belarus, Israel, Afghanistan and several Native American communities. Materials donated to the Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA) has led to over 600 strawbale houses to date that have been constructed in China.
• BWB Facilitator Training: Sustainable Construction in Cross-cultural Contexts course in 2001, had over 25 participants from around the world, including Uruguay, Honduras, Canada, France, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan and all over the U.S.
• Afghanistan Housing Proposal: We recently submitted a proposal to the U.S. Afghanistan Reconstruction Council (US-ARC) to train Afghan builders in the use of natural building materials. BWB would draw upon its international network of building professionals to create a training program that “teaches the teachers”, enabling Afghans to house themselves.
• Gallup Housing Initiative: BWB has been instrumental in developing a coalition of housing organizations in Gallup, New Mexico to address the housing shortage on the Navajo Reservation.
• Bustan L’Shalom Project: A strawbale medical clinic in Wadi Na’am, Israel was recently completed through a collaboration with BWB and about 30 other organizations. The clinic will be used to provide medical care to the indigenous Bedouin population and also help promote sustainable initiatives throughout the region.