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Sustainable Building: Earthen Plasters

This three-week hands-on workshop series introduces participants to natural building finishes. Designed for homeowners, builders, designers, and sustainability enthusiasts, the course blends practical demonstrations with foundational building science principles. Participants will learn how to identify and prepare clay soils, mix earthen plaster, and apply a traditional three-coat plaster system (scratch, brown, and finish coats).

10/10/26-10/24/26

Vibrant purple flowers blooming in abundance.

Vegetative (Green) Roof Systems

In this one-day class, participants will explore components of vegetative (green) roof systems, and observe a live demonstration of roof edge detailing, including parapet construction for soil retention. Topics include: Vegetative roof assembly layers, Lightweight growing media options, Plant selection for extensive roof systems, Basic structural and moisture considerations.

5/30/26

Herb Club

Join herbalist Drew Seymour and SolFed Farms for a hands-on monthly Herb Club. Learn to identify local herbs, make herbal medicine, food, and topicals with friends, and take home your herbal remedy each month.

This Month: Stinging Nettles

5/14/26

Explore Kalamazoo's Green Future

Discover sustainable living and hands-on learning in off-grid tranquility at SolFed Farms (a 501c3 nonprofit organization) where nature and community thrive together. Join us to explore community building through farming and our natural building workshops in Kalamazoo.

SolFed Farms Nonprofit offers natural building workshops, farm education, fresh produce, and community garden spaces in southwest Michigan. We inspire and empower youth and adults to produce their own food, medicine, energy and shelter through education and collaboration.

Check out what's happening on Instagram:

Our Vegetative Roof Systems Class with KVCC was a blast!

This is the spring for green roofs. Our 3rd roof completed this Spring and by far the best one yet.

We were super excited to welcome participants from the community through the KVCC Sustainable Building Classes we have been offering.

Participants gained a thorough understanding of Commercial vs residential green roof systems, details in designing a green roof for load bearing capacity and edge detailing, materials overview and plant choice. We toured our large circular straw bale green roof of 2000+ sq feet viewing species comparison and the intricate design.

Participants then constructed and completed a small green roof, it was planted with over 20 different succulent species and native wildflowers/herbs.

Stay tuned for fall offerings involving DIY off grid systems.

A little peak at what Ondrej does as a building research engineer for WMU, last Saturday Cody Ley with Hemp for Humanity and Ihemp MI came to the Bronco Construction Research lab to construct and test a pre-fab Hempcrete Wall.

They put it through destructive testing to evaluate the shear capacity under Seismic load protocol.

The results are positively promising. It withstood 8,000 pounds of shear force, thus performing 2x better than traditional stick frame.

Hemp is an incredible resource that not only is structurally sound, fireproof, mold proof, insulative AND sequesters carbon while being grown as well as post construction. Hemp also remediates the soil from PFA's and other forever chemicals!

Cody Ley with @h4h.earth is making great progress in the Hemp industry and affordable housing movement.

Things got a little wild at Herb Club Last Night.

If you can't quite tell, yes we are getting intimate with Stinging Nettles. The tiny point hairs in stinging Nettles Help with inflammation and joint pain. Or in Tophers case whole body awakening!

Special thanks to Herbalist Dru for guiding us through this amazing time together getting closer to our beloved Nettle.

We learned so much more about Stinging Nettles. (it can help with diabetes and prostate health!!)
We made a lot of Pesto and had a whole lot of fun doing it together as a community.

Next month we will visit our herbal companion Yarrow. Hope you and join us.

solfedfarms

Our Program Offerings:

Natural Building

SolFed’s Natural Building programs teach simple, sustainable ways to build and insulate structures. Through hands-on workshops, participants learn practical skills and work together on real projects. Our goal is to make natural building easy, affordable, and empowering for everyone.

SolFed Kids Farm School

Weekly classes during sumer months. Families join our hands-on workshops to learn sustainable farming practices. Our instructors guide you through the basics of learning to grow your own food and living an off-grid lifestyle.

Community Tours

Join us for guided tours that connect you with sustainable living practices right in Kalamazoo. Discover how we nurture growth and foster community ties within our off-grid environment.

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"The Natural Building workshop at Earthcraft Skillshare was real, hands-on learning in the best way. We mixed mud, shredded straw, and worked side by side, figuring things out together. It felt good to use simple, natural materials and see how accessible this kind of building really is. I left feeling capable and connected."

Tyler Baumann, Workshop Participant at 2025 Earthcraft Skillshare

I’ve been visiting SolFed Farms for a decade, and it remains one of my favorite places to learn and connect. Their kids’ programs, sustainable building projects, and community workshops are hands-on, welcoming, and inspiring. Larissa and Ondrej are a true wealth of wisdom — Larissa’s creativity and vision shine through in every program, and Ondrej’s craftsmanship as a builder is exceptional. SolFed is a place where community, sustainability, and generosity come to life

Jaron Siegel

The SolFed heart and soul is deeply felt at every point of interaction. Whether you’re at the work of art straw bale home, in the forest at the kid’s farm school program or out immersed in the community classes, Larissa’s wisdom, vision, and creativity is palpable.

Cassie Ballard, Farm School Family

"The Natural Building workshop at Earthcraft Skillshare was real, hands-on learning in the best way. We mixed mud, shredded straw, and worked side by side, figuring things out together. It felt good to use simple, natural materials and see how accessible this kind of building really is. I left feeling capable and connected."

Tyler Baumann, Workshop Participant at 2025 Earthcraft Skillshare

I’ve been visiting SolFed Farms for a decade, and it remains one of my favorite places to learn and connect. Their kids’ programs, sustainable building projects, and community workshops are hands-on, welcoming, and inspiring. Larissa and Ondrej are a true wealth of wisdom — Larissa’s creativity and vision shine through in every program, and Ondrej’s craftsmanship as a builder is exceptional. SolFed is a place where community, sustainability, and generosity come to life

Jaron Siegel

The SolFed heart and soul is deeply felt at every point of interaction. Whether you’re at the work of art straw bale home, in the forest at the kid’s farm school program or out immersed in the community classes, Larissa’s wisdom, vision, and creativity is palpable.

Cassie Ballard, Farm School Family

"The Natural Building workshop at Earthcraft Skillshare was real, hands-on learning in the best way. We mixed mud, shredded straw, and worked side by side, figuring things out together. It felt good to use simple, natural materials and see how accessible this kind of building really is. I left feeling capable and connected."

Tyler Baumann, Workshop Participant at 2025 Earthcraft Skillshare

I’ve been visiting SolFed Farms for a decade, and it remains one of my favorite places to learn and connect. Their kids’ programs, sustainable building projects, and community workshops are hands-on, welcoming, and inspiring. Larissa and Ondrej are a true wealth of wisdom — Larissa’s creativity and vision shine through in every program, and Ondrej’s craftsmanship as a builder is exceptional. SolFed is a place where community, sustainability, and generosity come to life

Jaron Siegel

The SolFed heart and soul is deeply felt at every point of interaction. Whether you’re at the work of art straw bale home, in the forest at the kid’s farm school program or out immersed in the community classes, Larissa’s wisdom, vision, and creativity is palpable.

Cassie Ballard, Farm School Family

Our Mission

Our mission is to cultivate resilient communities and restore the health of our planet by advancing regenerative agriculture and natural building practices. Through education, innovation, and collaboration, we empower individuals to embrace sustainable living, rebuild ecosystems, and foster harmony between humanity and nature. We are committed to co creating a learning environment for youth and adults to grow and process their own food, medicine and shelter. This involves natural building and farming workshops, youth education programs, running and operating community gardens to support regenerative agriculture. Other projects include land restoration, invasive species management, hosting events for the public, and a community solar array installation for community and Solfed members to have access to sustainable energy

Your Questions, Answered

What services does SolFed Farms offer?

SolFed Farms offers community tours, Farm School Program and natural builidng classes in Kalamazoo to educate and empower our community.

How can I participate in the workshops at SolFed Farms?

Click here to visit our Natural Building page to learn more and register for the courses that you are interested in.

Does SolFed Farms provide tours of the farm?

Yes, we offer guided tours showcasing our off-grid systems, straw bale house and sustainable farming practices. Contact us for more info and to schedule a tour!

I have more questions about Natural Building and Off-grid living, can you help?

We love hearing your ideas, meeting new folk and brainstorming ideas about creating a sustainable future. Contact us!

Can I host my event at SolFed Farms?

We love events! We would love to hear more about your event and explore how we can work together.

Reach Out to Our Team

Contact SolFed Farms for inquiries about our off-grid community and educational programs in Kalamazoo.