...Our Story...
Brennan Bird at the Portland State University Peace on Earthbench
The Peace On Earthbench Movement (POEM) was founded by Brennan Blazer Bird, a 25 year old ecological educator who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Brennan has always been fascinated with the issue of "waste" in our society and believes that waste is truly an illusion - a resource in the wrong place. Brennan has influenced thousands of people around the world to reconsider their relationship with waste, inspiring them to transform it into a resource for building a community place.
Below is Brennan's story of how the Peace On Earthbench Movement (POEM) has come to be:
- Check out Brennan's TEDx Talk at UC Davis here.
- Check out Brennan's Interview on Changemakers here.
Below is Brennan's story of how the Peace On Earthbench Movement (POEM) has come to be:
- Check out Brennan's TEDx Talk at UC Davis here.
- Check out Brennan's Interview on Changemakers here.
...From Colombia to California...
I first learned about Portable Landfill Devices - or bottle bricks - at the 2009 Harmony Festival Ecovillage in Santa Rosa, CA. Felipe is from Colombia, where he has spent nearly the past decade experimenting with the bottle brick technology, building everything from benches to water tanks to houses and school buildings. His company, Erecicleje, is working to expand and innovate this technology throughout Colombia and the Americas. Read Felipe's story here. Check out a slideshow of Erecicleje and Ecotec's work in Central and South America here.
...from California to Ghana...
One month after I met Felipe and learned about bottle bricks, I went to Ghana where I was honored to serve as the first artist in residence at our family friend's non-profit - the International School of Art, Business, and Technology. The original intention was to do a solar cooking project with a school where I.S.A.B.T. was continuing a literacy program. The weather intervened - there was a 40-year flood! Instead we decided to test out the bottle brick technology and build a bench at the school. It was an incredibly successful project - the bench was completed in less than two weeks and its had a lasting impact. see pictures of the bench here and watch a video of the project here.
...Operation Zero Waste 2010 - Less We Can!...
When I returned to the states and to the University of California, Davis, I wanted to continue and expand upon this project. I decided to save all my non-biodegradable trash material - and keep it in my room! I would compost everything biodegradable, and wash, dry, compact, and store what I could not. After an entire year I produced a little over 200 lbs. of non-biodegradable waste material and had it sealed off in a coffee table. It now serves as an educational resource at the A Place for Sustainable Living. To learn more about my trash project, check out my TEDx Talk here or read the articles here and here.
...A Bottle Brick Bench in the States...
In winter 2011 I decided to lead the building of a bottle brick earthen bench for my "Planning of Green Civil Systems" class at the UC Davis Baggins Ends Innovative Housing - an intentional student community commonly known as the Domes. The Domes were built 40 years ago, in 1972, and they were starting to fall apart. we wanted to prove that natural and alternative building techniques could one day be used to rebuild the domes for a fraction of the cost the University had estimated to repair them. Our big bench building community work party took place on EarthDay 2011 - it was the most transformative day of my life! Over 300 students and community members helped build this bench, which was constructed with 160 bottle bricks and over 80 lbs. of trash. Check out a great news video here and check out pictures here.
...The Birth of a Peace Bench...
Right before we broke ground on the Domes bench, I was surfing on the internet one day and found a bottle brick website developed by Lindsay Hasset, a well-known environmental entrepreneur and activist also known as Betty Biodiesel. Lindsay learned about bottle bricks from world-renown permaculturist Max Meyers, the founder of the Mendocino Ecological Learning Center, who helped bring Felipe to the states. Max also coined the term "Portable Landfill Device." Lindsay and her friend had a grand vision- what if 1000 bottle brick benches were built around the world - for peace? She posted the idea on her website, and when I discovered the vision I had an epiphany. Lindsay and I soon connected and it became clear that the Domes bench would be the first bottle brick bench for peace! Check out Lindsay's story here and Max Meyers here.
...The Movement Begins!...
Since the Domes Peace on Earthbench was built this past spring 2011, it has already inspired the building of benches in Bolivia, the Philippines, East Palo Alto, and Santa Barbara (all this year alone!). Other benches are planned for San Diego, Indiana, Kauai, Minneapolis, Florida, Portland, Utah, British Colombia, and more! The movement has begun! Check out the projects on this site and let us know if you have a potential earthbench in your area!
