I am in a deeply committed relationship with mud. Like most relationships, it caught me unexpectedly. One day, I was working on a farm, learning about whole-systems and planting some kohlrabi, when bam! It happened. Mud came into my life and somehow I am now specializing in mud building at Chava v’ Adam Ecologit. But that is how love works: I was walking down a path when a detour arrived and took me down another whirlwind course.
It was a warm day in late September and my group was learning how to plaster the outdoor shower walls. The outdoor shower is scared space, enclosed by two large mud benches and multiple trees, which are kept healthy via the excess shower water. First, we sifted and sifted clay and then sand into a large wheelbarrow, then poured water into the entire mess. Then we were the mess. Imagine the joy of a five year old making mud cakes. That was the joy I felt in that moment. Oh, to be dirty and creative, with no adult to stare on disapprovingly.
Next on a field trip in the north of Israel, at Kibbutz Tzvion, we were shown how to make mud–or cobb–in order to insulate a communal building. There are various ways to create cobb; this method included clay, sand, straw and water. We mixed all the ingredients on a large tarp and stomped on them until they were mixed. It reminded me of wine making and was just as intoxicating. From the mud, I created a mud goddess in between two beams. It was an immensely satisfying moment for me. I had created something, from nothing, with my hands.
In Hebrew, the words Man and Earth are connected. Adam is man and with one more letter we arrive at Adama, and we have soil. In the words of my permaculture mentor, Yigal Deutscher, “We are crafted from the earth, and then we use our internal makeup on the external world. We become shape-shifters.â€
Mud building is a large part of sustainable building in Israel and for me it is the epitome. It embraces all the concepts of permaculture. Waste products are happily used in mud buildings. Insulation can range from straw bales to stuffed plastic bottles and tires. The ingredients themselves are local and often free if one has the right contacts, such as construction site waste products.
These buildings projects definitely have limitations. They require both a dry bottom or feet and a roof. All permaculture or agriculture is local, meaning mud building is not for everyone, everyplace. Over time rain will deteriorate the structures and they do require yearly upkeep.
On the farm, there are a myriad of buildings constructed out of various forms of cobb: guardshack, distillery, workshops, the salon, two gan (kindergarden) spaces and compost toilets. Our group recently created a mud oven, which has been amazing to use for breads, pizzas and cakes.
At Kibbutz Lotan in the South, where excess rainfall is not their concern, there is an entire muddy ecological community, including their geodesic domes. The Kibbutz also collects its own trash and has used it to make a playground, complete with many magical animals, a slide and a checkerboard table. The list of possibilities is potentially endless.
I am unsure of of yet, how to apply this love in my former home of Boston, where it is too wet and too cold. Until then, I will keep my hands and feet dirty with the soil of Israel.
Danielle Barmash is a Masa participant participating in Eco Israel, one of Masa Israel‘s 160 programs.
