FREE FEBRUARY

Building with nature

In partnership with Usal

FREE FEBRUARY

Building with nature

In partnership with Usal

Last month we partnered with our friends and fellow outdoor enthusiasts, Usal, to do something special for the LA community. As a part of Usal’s LA Community Restoration Initiative—their response to the recent wildfires—we joined them in offering all of their February events for free. Because it’s not just homes and the land that were devastated by the fires—the people and their relationship with and access to nature have been affected, too.

We recently joined Sage Stoneman's 4-hour, very hands-on natural building workshop—hailed by some as “the best Usal workshop ever.” His passion for the artform probably has a lot to do with that. This one-of-a-kind experience went beyond offering technical learning. Participants had to work together with an awareness of their collaborative vision and a sense of play. Sage takes great care to create a supportive space for people to share ideas, engage with one another, and cultivate connections. With clay, sand, straw, and water, they not only built something beautifully sculptural, they built community.

Last month we partnered with our friends and fellow outdoor enthusiasts, Usal, to do something special for the LA community. As a part of Usal’s LA Community Restoration Initiative—their response to the recent wildfires—we joined them in offering all of their February events for free. Because it’s not just homes and the land that were devastated by the fires—the people and their relationship with and access to nature have been affected, too.

We recently joined Sage Stoneman's 4-hour, very hands-on natural building workshop—hailed by some as “the best Usal workshop ever.” His passion for the artform probably has a lot to do with that. This one-of-a-kind experience went beyond offering technical learning. Participants had to work together with an awareness of their collaborative vision and a sense of play. Sage takes great care to create a supportive space for people to share ideas, engage with one another, and cultivate connections. With clay, sand, straw, and water, they not only built something beautifully sculptural, they built community.

Sage doesn’t just find it practical to know how to use what’s around you as a means of subsistence, but an act of stewardship; of relationship-building with your environment. That exchange wouldn’t be complete without intentional moments taken to express gratitude to the land for all it offers this practice—and us in our daily lives. Meditation is a mainstay in his workshops—as is laughter, feelings of accomplishment, and very dirty hands (actually, very dirty everything).  

Sage doesn’t just find it practical to know how to use what’s around you as a means of subsistence, but an act of stewardship; of relationship-building with your environment. That exchange wouldn’t be complete without intentional moments taken to express gratitude to the land for all it offers this practice—and us in our daily lives. Meditation is a mainstay in his workshops—as is laughter, feelings of accomplishment, and very dirty hands (actually, very dirty everything).  

Check out Sage’s incredible builds and future workshop opportunities here, and follow @usal.project for more Free February recaps. Thanks to @haley.comstock for capturing every moment of this experience.

Check out Sage’s incredible builds and future workshop opportunities here, and follow @usal.project for more Free February recaps. Thanks to @haley.comstock for capturing every moment of this experience.