ABOUT US
Bill Loftus: My background and a building system that can use kenaf:
A little of my background and why an inventor of a building system got involved in kenaf - I have a calling to help make housing affordable and especially in developing countries. Back in 1996 I researched kenaf as I was looking for a material other than recycled materials that could be used to make houses and came across kenaf. It worked real well in my concrete to make the components for building a house strong and light so that women and children could build it. When I first came out of the garage in 1995 I filmed kids building a prototype house that you can see at www.environmentalhouse.com
I found in my pursuit of helping solve the global housing shortage that housing is really not the entire answer to solve the problem – it’s jobs. Since kenaf has many uses, Dr. Webber and Bob Bledsoe have done the studies on making cattle feed, etc. So I along with Kenaf USA and RCN Environmentals have been looking at ways to enter a developing country and set up an agricultural infrastructure where rural families can have a kenaf agricultural product for export. We see no reason for starvation when you grow kenaf because you can feed chickens kenaf. The chickens produce eggs and meat and chicken manure is essential to soil improvement. We have made a tea from the kenaf flowers, the kenaf leaves are high in protein and are good in a salad. You can even make a kenaf flour for baking. It is very high in protein, per Dr. Chuck Webber’s findings (USDA).
Back in 1994, I abandoned being a contractor and became an inventor – the midlife crisis thing and what am I doing with my life – I wanted to make a difference. I think my calling is more of a teacher than an inventor because I think people should improve their own condition by getting educated and trained at something. Building their own house and how to grow food are basic things to learn when you don’t have a home and are hungry. So I came up with a simple building system that is easily taught.
I wanted to make a difference for the United States family, too. The cost of houses is not affordable for the average family. I wanted to make housing affordable again and the only way is by building it yourself because you save a good 50%. We have lost a lot in our country with our children because so many of our moms have to go to work to make ends meet. A young couple finds it next to impossible to afford a home. The divorce rate is high because the American Dream is out of reach for the average income dad. They can’t afford to have a mom stay home and take care of the children. I came up with a simple building system that is easily taught so a United States family could build a house by themselves.
It has not taken off mainly because I did not have it right the first time. I was trying to deliver to the developing country but my models were too expensive. I think inventing is a series of failures and what you have left over is the good stuff. You have to do 99 to get to 100. I believe anything is possible and don't believe there is any such thing as failure – you can only quit. I think any inventor can say they never get it right the first time. However, I am a persistent Irishman and have worked out the bugs and am looking for ways and financing to get into production.
A lot of my attention and resources was on the developing country models and not the US market. Now I have a menu of systems that fit the developing country market and the US marketplace.
My vision for the developing countries is quite simple. Grow kenaf. Make houses from it. Grow kenaf. Make chicken feed. Grow chickens. Enhance the soils organically from chicken manure. Eat well. Put up solar panels for lights and refrigerators, live like everyone else. Use our self contained, single house sewerage treatment system that makes methane for cooking fuel. (It is in the design stage but the designs have been properly critiqued by the best PhD I could find, Dr. Jose Sifontes.) Considering 2.6 billion people don’t have a toilet I have made one using my cementitious mixture.
Houses that are built Green leave no carbon footprint.
Visit my website www.environmentalhouse.com; click on the article Green Building and I think you'll be surprised at the technologies I have combined and how I am addressing the US market.
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June Littler, President of Stop Global Warming, Inc., has taken on several activities in her retirement that reflect her interest in people and the world.
She was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1932, and has lived at various times in California, Washington, Nevada, Illinois and Ohio before moving to Gainesville, Florida in August 1956.
She holds a BAE and a MEd. degree from the University of Florida and a MSLS from Florida State University. She worked for a year at the Gainesville Public Library and in various capacities at the Santa Fe Community College Library for 34 years including a seven-year stint as director.
Her first activity with community organizations began in 1963. Her interests include the environment, education and civil rights. She feels that the most important thing the world needs to preserve is its water, because without it nothing else happens. The second most important thing is education for all, for without that civilization cannot progress to a point where war and poverty are eliminated and people are civil to each other.
Her interest in Bill Loftus’ efforts to produce affordable housing began in 1994 when she saw the potential of his work. She was impressed with his stick-to-it-iveness. He had a good run with a lot of backers and investors but the business faltered for various reasons. However, he always got back up. She has volunteered to help with his vision to see what can be done to address the problem of housing those in the world who need it most. If their most basic need of housing is taken care of then maybe it will be easier to feed their children, and then go to school and find a way to make a living without having to be sidetracked by ill will toward and from others. Then we can have a civil and peaceful world. It boils down to, “what have you done lately to take care of the world” so that it is a better place and not in danger of blowing civilization to the wind. So in order to get housing more efficiently and cost effectively to third world countries kenaf is a key ingredient. It is a movement we hope, with the help of others, we can start and keep moving. Hence, our theme: Grow Kenaf.
Please join us.