Fulfill your dream of building a natural home with training from these schools.

CAL-EARTH INSTITUTE
HESPERIA, CALIFORNIA
Week-long retreats on superadobe (sandbags filled with earth and stacked in coils) and ceramic techniques developed by architect Nader Khalili. (760) 244-0614; CalEarth.org.

EARTHWOOD
BUILDING SCHOOL
WEST CHAZY, NEW YORK
One- to five-day workshops on cordwood masonry (short log-ends laid widthwise within a mortar matrix), earth-sheltered housing, and stone circles. (518) 493-7744; CordwoodMasonry.com.

FOX MAPLE SCHOOL OF TRADITIONAL BUILDING
WEST BROWNFIELD, MAINE
Explore joined timber frame, thatch, straw/clay, wood chip/clay, wattle and daub, cob, straw bales, and earth plasters. (207) 935-3720; FoxMaple.com.

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE
FOR BAU-BIOLOGIE & ECOLOGY
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA
Workshops and home-study courses explore “building biology:” nontoxic materials, energy conservation, indoor air quality, and electromagnetic radiation. (727) 461-4371; BuildingBiology.net.

SOUTHWEST SOLAR
ADOBE SCHOOL
BOSQUE, NEW MEXICO
In weekend courses, learn to build with adobe, pressed block, and rammed earth, from site preparation to passive solar design. (505) 861-1255; AdobeBuilder.com.

YESTERMORROW
DESIGN/BUILD SCHOOL
WARREN, VERMONT
More than 100 courses, including timber framing, furniture making, salvage, feng shui, woodworking, cohousing, and landscape and solar design. (888) 496-5541; Yestermorrow.org.

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