
Expand All \| Collapse All Thinking Ecologically Introduction Gardening Appropriate Technology Water Usage Passive Building Design Permaculture Community Gardening Gardening intro Seed Balls Compost Companion Planting Sowing Seeds in garden Sowing Seeds Indoors Sheet Mulch Mulching Liquid Fertilizer Transplanting Vermicomposting Appropriate Technology Appropriate Technology intro Solar Ovens Traditional Mud Mass Ovens Mud Bricks Mud\Tire Benches Straw Bale Construction Cob Building Geodesic Domes Compost Toilets Earthships Water Usage Water Usage Intro Rainwater Collection Grey water Systems Bottles Water Vs. Water bottles Passive Building Design Passive Building Design Intro Good Shoes, Good Hat Solar Heating And Cooling Solar Path Ecological Roofs Ecological Windows Dark Sky Lighting Ceiling Fans Permaculture Permaculture Intro History Of Permaculture Three Ethics Of Permaculture Ten Principles Of Permaculture A Permaculture Garden Community Community Intro Community Ecology Community Living Empowering The Individual Local Economy Ecological Footprint Center For Creative Ecology Center For Creative Ecology The Center The Educational Program The Eco Campus Neighborhood Learn More Get in Touch Contact us Have the experience of your life - come learn hands-on from the source!	The EcoCampus Neighborhood The EcoCampus neighborhood is a prototype model for sustainable living that is a learning experience in itself. It focuses on making a low carbon footprint and utilizing environmentally sound technologies. Kibbutz Lotan's EcoCampus includes 10 geodesic 'dome-atories', communal bathroom, showers living space, outdoor cooking space, and kitchen. The daily challenges of living together as a micro-community in this low-impact environment form an integral part of the educational experience. The living quarters are 10 dome-shaped apartments, made of straw-bale and earth-plaster, built on earthquake resistant geodesic frames by past course participants and eco-volunteers. Our 'dome-atories' use the geodesic domes structure and are made from earth materials. The neighborhood’s infrastructure includes solar ovens, solar hot water collectors, solar photovoltaic panels, waterless sanitation systems, greywater treatment, vermiculture composting of food waste, and LED pathway lighting. Enviro-Design The dome-atories are super insulated (straw bales) with thick interior mass (earth plastered walls and floor) for temperature stability. The buildings are passively heated by sunlight entering the southern windows – the heat is stored in the walls and floors and heats the rooms at night with no need for additional mechanical heating. Inside a Lotan 'dome-atory'. Selective window placement for ventilation cools the buildings in the evenings during the hot seasons. Eco-Materials Straw bales are a renewable agricultural waste product that is readily available. Earth plasters are a local material. Together they produce walls that are energy efficient, fire proof (Israel Standards Institute performed fire testing with the CfCE) and carbon neutral (due to carbon sequestered in the straw). Hands-on Construction The geodesic framework is engineered to hold up to all loads and earthquakes. It was manufactured onsite by students using readily available steel pipe, a press and a drill. The outdoor geodesic 'living room' is open sky during the winter and shaded during the summer. The frame uses significantly less material than conventional building methods and is a low-tech and highly effective method for combining modern engineering with ancient building techniques to produce safe and energy efficient housing. EcoCampus Dome Video Documentary - How to build a geodesic mud dome Contact Lotan Center for Creative Ecology kibbutzlotan@gmail.com Tel: +972 8 6356935; +972 54 9799030 Toll free (while in Israel): 1800 2000 75

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