<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><div>Dear all,</div><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">From Sept 15-18th GSBN member and CASBA's volunteer director <b>David Arkin will bicycle his <u>sixth</u> fundraising Climate Ride</b>! Each time David has raised funds for CASBA (California Straw Building Association) as well as other organizations with environmental causes such as the Solar Living Institute, the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Architecture 2030. This year his fundraising will go exclusively to CASBA.</div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In 2015, a rare year that David rested, I was privileged to do the 300+ mile bike ride for CASBA. A fabulous ride with inspired support from friends of straw bale and sustainable building.</div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">David and I will not ask you to pedal the challenging but immensely satisfying ride (though for future rides you're welcome to do that!). We instead encourage your support with donations, especially if you believe in or benefit from CASBA's work, including:</div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br></div><ul><li><font face="Arial">Currently quantifying the carbon-sequestration of straw-based wall systems. In conjunction with David chairing the <b>Embodied Carbon Network's</b> Renewable Materials Task Force, to promote plant-based, rapidly-renewable materials, and make our buildings carbon sinks instead of carbon-emitting!</font></li></ul><ul><li><font face="Arial">The many-years team effort to produce <b>CASBA’s </b></font><font face="Arial,sans-serif"><b><i>Straw Bale Building Details</i></b> book, recently completed and now in the publisher’s hands (!).</font></li></ul><ul><li><b>Structural testing </b>of straw bale walls at Santa Clara University in cooperation with SCU engineering students and faculty.</li></ul><ul><li>The straw bale code effort I have led the past 14 years and that some of you have helped author, culminating in <b>Appendix S - Strawbale Construction</b> in the 2015 International Residential Code (IRC). Appendix S also influenced the approval of a similar code on <b>Light Straw-Clay Construction</b>, and is being used as the basis for the EBANZ proposed Straw Bale Guidelines in New Zealand.</li></ul><ul><li>Adoption of Appendix S & R in a number of US states with CASBA supported advocacy. (Note of thanks here to recent fundraising for the code work by the Colorado Straw Bale Association and its director Ian Smith.)</li></ul><ul><li>Offering Appendix S and its highly informative Commentary for free download on CASBA’s website: <a href="https://www.strawbuilding.org/news/3587353">https://www.strawbuilding.org/news/3587353</a></li></ul><ul><li>Revision of the IRC Strawbale and Light Straw-Clay codes every three years.</li></ul><ul><li>Saving the <b>Adobe</b> section from removal from the International Building Code.</li></ul><ul><li>With input from others and based on historical experience and recent testing, I will soon begin writing a proposed IRC appendix on <b>Cob Construction</b>, which CASBA will also help support.</li></ul><ul><li>Dialogue with and <b>education of Insurance and Lending industries</b>, about the safety and high performance of straw bale buildings. Assisting straw bale homeowners to find Insurance Companies and Lenders.</li></ul><ul><li>Documentation of the <b>performance of straw bale buildings in California’s catastrophic wildfires</b> over recent years. Offering to fire victims information and services regarding straw bale and all sustainable and safe ways of building.</li></ul><ul><li>Support of <b>sustainable post-earthquake rebuilding</b> in Pakistan, Haiti and Nepal, in collaboration with Pakistan Straw Bale and Appropriate Building (PAKSBAB) and Builders Without Borders.</li></ul><ul><li>Annual <b>Plastering and Straw Bale Workshops</b> </li></ul><ul><li>Annual <b>CASBA Conferences, </b>now called the <span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: medium;">West Coast Natural Building Conference</span></li></ul><div><b><br></b></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><u>CASBA does a lot!</u> And Climate Ride fundraising has helped support all of its work over the past 7 years, and will continue to into the future.</div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Consider supporting CASBA. All donations small and large make a difference. And this year David has personally matched all donations up to Climate Ride's required minimum, which means every dollar donated goes to CASBA. As a special thank you for donations of $150 or more, you will receive a copy of the <b>CASBA’s <i>Straw Bale Building Details</i></b>, due out April 2019. </div><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">To donate to David’s ride, please go to: <a href="https://support.climateride.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.participant&participantID=6387" class="">https://support.climateride.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.participant&participantID=6387</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Thank you . . .</div></div></div></span><div><br></div><div>Sustainably yours,</div><div><br></div><div>Martin Hammer</div><div><br></div><div>On behalf CASBA</div><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><div class=""><br></div></div></div></span><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div style="text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br class=""></div></div></div></span></div></span></body></html>