What are people saying about the SPEA project?

First off, we'd like to take this opportunity to thank all you volunteers who have helped out on the project in any way: from digging the foundation trench and mixing cob many hours a week, to helping us find contacts for donated materials, to simply lending us your support and good ideas, each one of you has made a contribution that has helped the project get off the ground. The SPEA project is literally built by volunteers, and we are so grateful that you have taken time out of your lives to turn this dream into a reality!

Below, you'll find selected quotes from volunteers like yourself, that illustrate just how this project has touched people's lives. To contribute feedback of your own, please sign the guestbook located off the homepage; Email, or phone us at 604-257-6908.

"It's been great meeting and getting to know people from such diverse ages and backgrounds and yet with similar interests. One of the great things about cob is how it brings people together. There's nothing like a bunch of people stomping around in the mud to get people to step outside of their "role" as an anonymous member of the public and stop to talk to us and ask questions. This project has definitely created a sense of community; a place where we share our ideas, share our food, share each others company, and share good times." - Jeremy Braacx

"The most appealing thing about building with cob is the necessity of building it with people. It refuses to be an isolating experience. There is room for music, conversation, bare feet, and imagination. And at the end of the day you can see your progress, however slow, measured by the mud under your fingernails and between your toes. There is little that is quite so satisfying as being covered in dirt." - Surya Govender

"Working out on the site has been a tremendous experience for a variety of reasons. Certainly the people I've met has been the best part of the whole project. Secondly it has been a great way for me to counterbalance my typical day of working at a desk in front of a computer. It has allowed me to be outside getting good exercise while at the same time providing a rewarding social environment. The basic low-tech aspects of the work have also enabled me to do a variety of tasks. I've also found it very rewarding to talk with the experienced cobbers and slowly learn the subtleties of cob mixing." - Neil Bruder

"My experience on the cob site was fantastic. Everyone was helpful and supportive. It is such a pleasure to be surrounded by completely positive energy! I see this as the urban equivalent of a barn raising. And the fact that it is situated at the Children's Zoo area, where it can have a major impact to our most precious natural resource: children." - Paulla Maxey

"I know that years down the road I can look at this wonderful earthy building and tell people that I helped to build this building with friends. In a larger city like Vancouver it is nice to get together with like-minded people to contribute something to the community." - Christine Crosby

"I find cob so appealing [due to] its timelessness. It can be from now or many centuries ago and it looks very much the same, neither old nor new. It just is." - Prenka Cole