Having participated in this event last weekend (Jan 28-29th) I was very happy, and encouraged to see that the spirit of the Kootenays is alive and well when it comes to matters of sustainability and energy efficiency, and I must congratulate Wildsight, and in particular Erna Jensen-Shill, for their excellent commitment for a second year.
There were many very informative workshops covering a wide range of topics from Tang Lee's Healthy Homes through to Permaculture Design for the Land, and just about anything else in between.
It was good to see other building techniques and materials being promoted and discussed other than "mainstream products". Straw bale building, in particular, has a strong following in this area and I met our local 'straw bale man' The Big Bad Wolf. Another friend, who also presented workshops, was Paula Kiss, who runs the excellent Building Tree in Nelson, a source of all things green. I was also lucky enough to have time to chat with the much respected Murray Frank about the upcoming BC Building Code changes, changes long overdue in my opinion.
Greenman Sustainable Building were also exhibiting their range of Solar panels and the Brac Greywater Recycling Systems and, as Greenman are in both Nelson and Invermere, they have the area covered well.
Also from Invermere were Quiniscoe Homes who have some excellent sustainable construction credentials. So, all in all, a great weekend and I'm already looking forward to next year.
