The final straw for Ecology Building Society
Monday 25 April 2005
Green Lender's AGM sees construction of straw bale extension
Ecology Building Society members came in droves to the AGM on Saturday 23 April, to celebrate another successful year for the Yorkshire-based Society in 2004, and to try their hand at straw bale construction on the Society's pioneering extension. The meeting took place on at the Methodist Church Hall and the Society's ecologically built Headquarters in Silsden, West Yorkshire. Due to a healthy growth in green mortgage lending, the Society celebrated total assets in excess of £55 million, an increase of over 9% on 2003's results, and a new net record lending figure of over £5.7 million.
The Ecology is proud of the close relationship it has with its members, which is shown by the large number that attend their Annual General Meetings, and this year was no exception with attendance up by 50% compared to last year's meeting. The added attraction at this year's AGM was the circular straw bale meeting room extension, which is being built with the help of local expert, Barbara Jones of Amazon Nails. The meeting room is the first building in the UK with shallow foundations to be granted building regulations. No buildings in the last century have been built in such a way, even though it is how many old buildings, which have stood the test of time, were made. It is expected that the meeting room will be around for at least 400 years!
Following a hearty organic lunch, members were treated to a demonstration by Barbara on the fundamentals of building with straw bales, including how to customise a bale to make two halves. The demonstration was concluded with the ceremonial laying of the first bale containing a time capsule, with assistance from the Society's Chief Executive Paul Ellis and Director Pam Parkinson. A special course for Society members is being run by Amazon Nails from 24-29 April, which will complete the construction of the meeting room's straw bale walls. The meeting room is the final phase of the Society's low-impact, energy-efficient Headquarters and will provide staff and members with a meeting area and green reference library. As the meeting room is detached from the main building it will also be open to local community groups and schools.
Ecology's Chief Executive, Paul Ellis, comments:
"The EBS meeting room will be a landmark building, and a practical demonstration of the potential for natural building technologies - one way in which we can counter the effects of climate change. And what better demonstration of mutuality than to have your members build their own HQ!"
Please contact the Society on 0845 674 5566 or visit their website at www.ecology.co.uk for further details on their range or savings accounts and mortgages.
