is a virtual gathering
for contemporary natural building,
made by women, for women.

is a virtual gathering
for
contemporary natural building, made by women, for women

SUMMIT

Welcome to BUILDING THE CHANGE, an online event on home building that introduces women to high-impact ideas, materials and design for building resilient homes.

BUILDING THE CHANGE delves deeper than décor, and questions the fundamentals of shelter making.

We know there is a lot of noise out there and, like most women, you are probably short on time. That's why we aggressively research and curate the best in advanced natural building – so you don't have to.

BUILDING THE CHANGE theme is RESILIENCY

2020's

Is your home resilient?

Are you interested in natural shielding and defensive materials?

Do you want to learn more about passive design that works with the elements and climate change, rather than against them?

Want to retrofit organic food production into your architecture?

How about a deep dive into urban planning for empathy?

BUILDING THE CHANGE theme is
RESILIENCY

Building so you can thrive!

How to harvest water from the air.

Don't get caught with your pantry down (the new Nordic root cellar).

Urban planning for empathetic communities.

Rocket stoves, done right.

Hortitecture: combining architecture with plants.

As both a contractor and founder of Brooklyn Grange Farm, Gwen deep dives into roof top urban food production and what it takes.

You'll discover:

How can roofs be designed for edibles?

SESSION 1:

Gwen Schanz

Co-Founder
Brookyln Grange Urban Farm

What kind of yields can cities produce?

What style of intensive gardening has worked the best for Brooklyn Grange?

The Rooftop Oasis

10 AM CDT

Judith is an interior gardening phenom, and she's sharing #allthethings she's learned from her community at Urban Jungle Bloggers.

You'll discover:

What are the most common mistakes beginner indoor gardeners make?

SESSION 2:

Judith de Graaff

Co-Founder
Urban Jungle Bloggers

What are her top tips for thriving plants?

How can budget-sensitive indoor gardeners make the most of their resources?

The Interior Jungle

10 AM CDT

Jerome shares expert insights into food forest gardening in cold climates with green houses.

You'll discover:

Why forests hold the key to food production in the future

SESSION 3:

Jerome Osentowski

Founder and Author
Central Rocky Mountain
Permaculture Institute

How tropical edibles and exotic medicines are possible to produce, even in cold climates

What special management techniques are required by forest gardening in a greenhouse?

The Miracle of Indoor Food Forests

10 AM CDT

Sine is co-creator of the Growroom Project and shares with us her insights about residential food production through open source growing pavilions.

You'll discover:

Why open source designs can revolutionize homegrown food production

SESSION 4:

Sine Lindholm

Architect and Project Lead
The Growroom Project

How growing area is maximized by new spacial arrangements and design

How you can 'create abundance in your basement'

Food Pavilions

10 AM CDT

Emily draws on her 20 years in horticulture (pre-PHYTOSTONE) to share insights on the macrocosm of urban farming to the microcosm of container production.

You'll discover:

What it takes to start an urban "pocket farm"

SESSION 5:

Emily Majewski

Founder, PHYTOSTONE

Vertical gardening considerations in a cold v. hot climate

What special management techniques are required by successful container gardening for veggies.

Urban Gardening for the Rest of Us

10 AM CDT

Innovator and founder of Groundfridge, a modernized prefab root cellar from the Netherlands, Floris shares his vision for storing abundance.

You'll discover:

How can root cellars lessen dependency on the grid?

SESSION 1:

Floris Schoonderbeek

Inventor and Founder
The Groundfridge

What are the novel improvements to classic root cellars available today?

What does managing a surplus of food entail?

The Modern Root Cellar

10 AM CDT

Flip has dedicated her life to improving stove technology, empowering women around the world to cook with smokeless kitchens and minimize wood fuel usage. Flip will be sharing her deep insights on the rocket stove space.

You'll discover:

Why rocket stove technology is superior to traditional cob ovens

SESSION 2:

Flip Anderson

Rocket Stove Technology
Developer,
RechoRocket.com

How to craft your own wood burning stoves and ovens

How rocket stove technology minimizes the amount of fuel wood needed around the world

Hand Made Stoves and Ovens

10 AM CDT

Considered the kickstarter of the Fermentation Renaissance, Sandor shares with us his tips on how best to design for living food storage.

You'll discover:

How can beneficial microbes be supported by the right environment?

SESSION 3:

Sandor Katz

Founder and Author
Wild Fermentation

How do different climates effect Best Practices in food storage?

How can multiple categories of fermented products, like cheese and kraut, be accommodated by the same space?

Fermentation-Friendly Architecture

10 AM CDT

As the sales manager and advocate for Vallage Farm Austin, a farm-centered tiny home community, Rebecca is going to explore the transformation of suburbia.

You'll discover:

Why is agriculture a community-building axis?

SESSION 4:

Rebecca Powers

Customer Care Manager
Village Farm Austin

How can tiny homes capacitate new types of communities?

What are the New Priorities developers need to be aware of?

The Tiny House Agrihood

10 AM CDT

Anastasia is 1 of 3 female founders at Majik Water Co. A tech firm in Kenya, Majik develops a "regenerative water" technology that collects water from the air. Offgrid communities rejoice!

You'll discover:

How can water-scarce communities benefit from atmospheric water collection?

SESSION 5:

Anastasia Kaschenko

Co-Founder
Majik Water

How can this type of water harvesting be applied to cities?

What are the ideal climates for this style of water capture?

Drinking the Air

10 AM CDT

Based in Estonia, Simone built her own house with her own two hands. We can't wait to learn how and why.

You'll discover:

What were the biggest spiritual, emotional and physical impacts of unassisted building?

SESSION 1:

Simone Schulze

DIY Natural Home Builder

What were the most important skills learned along the way?

How did the building project effect personal growth?

Built-It-Herself

10 AM CDT

Living her best life as a full time craft-van converter and van liver, Tessa has taught herself a range of skills in how to convert vans into homes-on-wheels. Homes come in all shapes and sizes – and Tessa is going to share her insights on the craft van life style.

You'll discover:

Tools every van chopper can't do without

SESSION 2:

Tessa de Burijn van Schalkwyk

Full Time #Vanlifer

What skills are most important to learn for van conversions?

How can van living shift life from a focus on stuff-collecting to experience-collecting?

Adventures in Van Living

10 AM CDT

Aya is a design and software whiz who is ushering in next gen home building with Cover accessory dwelling units in LA. The merger of prefab, tech-enabled and eco-conscious Shelter is something we look forward to learning more about from Aya.

You'll discover:

How is eco-building most being transformed by tech?

SESSION 3:

Aya Gerpheide

Software and Design,
Cover Build Homes

What is the Accessory Dwelling Unit revolution that is underway?

How is tech helping women co-create a new construction paradigm?

The Technology of Natural Building

10 AM CDT

Corinne is founder of Tiny Homes of Maine and she knows a thing or two about tiny home living. Corinne will share her personal and professional insights on a growing trend that is by no means 'tiny'.

You'll discover:

Why is downsizing taking the world by storm?

SESSION 4:

Corinne Watson

Founder
Tiny Homes of Maine

What dimensions is the tiny home movement shifting towards?

What does every woman considering tiny home living need to know?

Maximizing the Mini

10 AM CDT

Paula's healthy home ideals are embodied by her design/build company, EcoNest Homes. An author, architect and visionary, Paula's expertise encompasses EMF shielding, Building Biology, natural materials AND design. A Change-Builder after our hearts.

You'll discover:

What's the scoop on Building Biology?

SESSION 5:

Paula Baker Laporte

Co-Founder
EcoNest Homes

What are the prime elements of home design that impact occupant health?

How does one get their home audited for healthiness?

Building Biology and You

10 AM CDT

Thursday Oct 15
SMART:
The Paradigm Shifters

All 5 sessions released simultaneously for 24 hours

Rachel is president of WELL certified buildings, an institute dedicated to transparency and healthiness in the built environment. Sick Building Syndrome beware! Because Rachel's on a mission to raise the bar for building.

You'll discover:

How COVID has changed our prioritization of health in buildings

SESSION 1:

Rachel Gutter

President
International WELL Building Institute

How healthiness can be quantified and certified

Why tomorrow's cities will be subject to new human-centric standards

WELL Done Healthy Buildings

10 AM CDT

Jamiee is one of the masterminds behind the Urban Village Project. This is a conceptual framework behind building communities that are ecological, modular, adaptable, equitable and affordable. Jamiee will share an actionable synthesis between 3 often divergent areas: the community, ecology and economy.

You'll discover:

How can communties share expenses to ease financial burdens?

SESSION 2:

Jamiee Williams

Original Architectural Lead
Urban Village Project

How can public and private needs be harmonized?

How can ecological development be steered towards affordability?

New Concepts Behind Community

10 AM CDT

Anjeanette is Director of Fun over at GirlsBuild.org. She is going to share with us why teaching girls to build is helping them build an alternative future for themselves – while having fun along the way!

You'll discover:

Why girls need building skills

SESSION 3:

Anjeanette Brown

Executive Director of Fun
GirlsBuild

How today's girls can be tomorrow's Change-Builders

How mentorship can change the next gen Built Environment

Teaching Girls the Joy of Building

10 AM CDT

Rochelle is a Sustainability Process Engineer at one of the world's largest building product companies and she is going to shed light on industry's new role in healthy buildings – from fabrication to installation and occupant satisfaction.

You'll discover:

What her company is doing to mitigate production impacts?

SESSION 4:

Rochelle Samuel

Process Engineer
Saint - Gobain

How user 'multi-comfort' is influencing product design?

How industry is expanding it's bottom line to consider social and environmental costs?

The Transformation of Production

10 AM CDT

Zarith is founder of Territorial Empathy, an NYC firm dedicated to capacitating empathy in the built environment and social thriving. Imagine architecture that truly embodies social values and women's priorities. Zarith can.

You'll discover:

How do social values infuse architecture for better or worse?

SESSION 5:

Zarith Pineda

Founder
Territorial Empathy

Why is empathy the most significant ethic we should focus on?

How can the invisible priorities embedded in architecture make the world a more equitable place?

Urban Planning for Empathy

10 AM CDT

Innovator and founder of Groundfridge, a modernized prefab root cellar from the Netherlands, Floris shares his vision for storing abundance.

You'll discover:

How can root cellars lessen dependency on the grid?

SESSION 1:

Floris Schoonderbeek

Inventor and Founder
The Groundfridge

What are the novel improvements to classic root cellars available today?

What does managing a surplus of food entail?

The Modern Root Cellar

10 AM CDT

Flip has dedicated her life to improving stove technology, empowering women around the world to cook with smokeless kitchens and minimize wood fuel usage. Flip will be sharing her deep insights on the rocket stove space.

You'll discover:

Why rocket stove technology is superior to traditional cob ovens

SESSION 2:

Flip Anderson

Rocket Stove Technology
Developer,
RechoRocket.com

How to craft your own wood burning stoves and ovens

How rocket stove technology minimizes the amount of fuel wood needed around the world

Hand Made Stoves and Ovens

10 AM CDT

Considered the kickstarter of the Fermentation Renaissance, Sandor shares with us his tips on how best to design for living food storage.

You'll discover:

How can beneficial microbes be supported by the right environment?

SESSION 3:

Sandor Katz

Founder and Author
Wild Fermentation

How do different climates effect Best Practices in food storage?

How can multiple categories of fermented products, like cheese and kraut, be accommodated by the same space?

Fermentation-Friendly Architecture

10 AM CDT

As the sales manager and advocate for Vallage Farm Austin, a farm-centered tiny home community, Rebecca is going to explore the transformation of suburbia.

You'll discover:

Why is agriculture a community-building axis?

SESSION 4:

Rebecca Powers

Customer Care Manager
Village Farm Austin

How can tiny homes capacitate new types of communities?

What are the New Priorities developers need to be aware of?

The Tiny House Agrihood