Approximately 40% of global carbon emissions are associated with the built environment, with half from building operations such as heating and cooling, and the other half from the manufacture, construction, and demolition of buildings. Adobe, a natural building material that can be locally sourced and infinitely recycled, offers a sustainable solution to address these challenges in Tucson. Buffelgrass, an invasive species that outcompetes native plants and accelerates wildfire risk, poses an environmental threat across the region. The Buffelgrass Adobe project purposes buffelgrass as a reinforcing material for adobe blocks, reframing an ecological threat into a resource.
The Buffelgrass Adobe project will construct a buffelgrass adobe children’s play structure at Tucson Village Farm through a series of hands-on workshops for the U of A community. Participants will learn how to identify and remove buffelgrass, create adobe blocks, and contribute to sustainable building practices. Block-making workshops will be hosted at Mission Garden. These free workshops will increase sustainability literacy related to energy-efficient building methods and landscape stewardship and empower participants to contribute to community resilience and environmental sustainability.
