We are designing a prototype “resiliency neighborhood” with beautiful, non-toxic, fireproof, carbon-negative houses on district utilities. While this prototype neighborhood will be built on our Education Campus, our goal is to build more of these on a local Community Land Trust (CLT) in Grant County, NM.
This “pilot project” will become the teaching facility to train cohorts of visionary builders in the skills needed for building next-era infrastructure, using New Mexico’s unique 2021 Earthen Building Code.
Phase one–In 2024, we acquired 52 acres of land. In 2025, we built one privately-funded prototype– our 130 sq ft Thrival Cabin, and in 2026, we will build our 600 sq ft house– on private land nearby. This campus will host a prototype “resiliency neighborhood” with ten small 400 sq ft adobe homes and eventually our school building and greenhouses.
Phase two of our project is to create a compressed earth block (CEB) and adobe brick manufacturing operation as a co-operative. We will create a resource for local earth-builders that can be stockpiled during the non-building season so that building projects can unfold efficiently once building starts.
In Phase three, our education campus will be become operational with a vocational training program. Crooked Forest will be working with partners in Grant County, NM to create a nearby Community Land Trust, where our vocational training graduates can do their practicum by building out the infrastructure for our affordable housing development.
For our 6 page project overview
We focus on the Hard Skills of building— Making compressed earth blocks (CEBs), adobe and cob, mortar, plaster, windows/doors, arches, roofing, plumbing, electrical, solar, water catchment, biome management, building food-security gardens, growing food, processing food and entrepreneurial business development.
But we also focus on the Soft Skills that make a neighborhood function well– Economic opportunity for all, financial counseling, co-creating a counter-oppressive culture, conscious communication (NVC), conflict resolution, mediation, self-awareness, personal growth and developing and honoring each person’s unique service.
Inspo
- Living Communities Challenge
- New Mexico Foundation– Sustaining New Mexico Grant
- USDA– Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grant
Crooked Forest Institute 