Dan Johnson, Green Homes Expert
Name: Dan Johnson
Occupation: Building Contractor, Compressed Earth Block (CEB) Manufacturer and owner of Midwest Earth Builders LLC.
Place of Residence: Soldiers Grove, Wis.
Background:
Dan Johnson is the owner of Midwest Earth Builders LLC, a company specializing in construction that incorporates green building materials, energy efficient design and compressed earth block production and construction. He is often a workshop presenter at renewable energy fairs and conferences in the upper Midwest including the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair, Kickapoo Country Fair and Midwest Green Building Conference.
Dan is also a founder and member of the Kickapoo Green Builders Guild, which is an alliance of designers, builders, contractors, suppliers and consultants dedicated to energy-efficient construction and natural building.
Dan and his wife Jamie maintain a Web site for Midwest Earth Builders that is a leading resource for compressed earth block production and construction.
Personal History:
Dan’s career in construction began indirectly through wildlife conservation and environmental activism. In 1991, he graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology. He worked seasonally for the Colorado Division of Wildlife on a nesting bald eagle project, while also working with environmental groups on wilderness and old growth forest protection. In 1997, after spending two years working on a campaign to protect British Columbia’s temperate rainforest, Dan went to work for a construction company, Earth Block Inc., of Pagosa Springs, Colo. Working in construction was not so much a career change as a move toward creating environmentally sustainable alternatives to conventional construction.
In 2002, while working for Earth Block Inc., Dan met Jamie Lamonde. Together they decided to move to southwestern Wisconsin where they bought a farm to begin living a more sustainable life growing and raising their own food. They also continued their work in the construction business
with the formation of Midwest Earth Builders LLC. Today, their old Victorian farmhouse is remodeled
with CEBs for interior walls and radiant heat.
Current Projects and Other Fun Facts:
Sustainable Industries magazine honored Midwest Earth Builders for having one of the Top 10 Green Building Products of 2008. Current projects include the application of CEBs in existing buildings to provide thermal mass, replace deteriorating plaster and provide sound deadening. Midwest Earth Builders is also experimenting with radiant CEB walls that are heated via solar and wood heat.
Midwest Earth Builders
51420 Johnstown Rd.
Soldiers Grove, WI 54655
608-735-4595
www.midwestearthbuilders.com
midwestearthbuilders@yahoo.com
