Keeping Rooted to the Earth through Cob
Friday, November 21st, 2008
First of all you may be asking yourself, “What is cob?” Cob is an adobe-like material made of sand, clay, and straw or other like materials. You mix cob together to form a mud-like substance and you sculpted the cob into shapes by hand to form items, such as a couch against the wall, etc.
The best way to feel rooted to the earth is through cob. A while back Natural and Sustainable did a post on Earthen Plaster. The post talked about how the plaster can be mixed with manure, mud, horse hair or cattle hair and be formed to anything from door frames to a fire place.
The same concept is about the same for sculpting with cob. Cob, like earthen plaster is an ancient building material that is centuries old and has been used for decades. The medium is nontoxic, affordable and the best aspect of cob is that it is a sustainable material.
In Patagonia the buildings are made with cod for kindergartens and other places of retreat and refuge of the people of the area. In Thailand, orphanages are built with the same material mainly because the area is torn apart by tsunamis and it is cheaper to replace the building with cob. The material can withstand weather conditions better than other building materials as well.
In Oregon we are blessed to have a company called Cob Cottage Company that gives workshops to anyone interested in using cob and educating themselves more on the earth-friendly medium. They will teach you how to sculpt just about any type of earth-based imagery and encourage you to slow down and stay rooted to the earth through the material.
*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Bring your own shopping bags to the grocery store or super market. Mesh or hemp fabric bags work best, because when they begin to tear or rip, they can be recycled.
