ABSTRACT
The marketability of compressed earth block (CEB) machines is greatly enhanced by their potential to contribute to sustainable development. This may be particularly true with The Mountain Institute (TMI) machine. Armed with the experience in Tibet, John Buffington needed to make decisions regarding the future promotion of the CEB machine. The CEB venture will be headquartered in TMI's Washington DC office, an ideal location for networking with socially motivated nonprofits, government entities and international organizations. Although the use of machines and stabilizers increases costs compared to traditional earth building methods, modern CEB construction still keeps costs low relative to other building techniques and it greatly increases the durability of structures built with earth. In addition to other CEB manufacturers, TMI will be competing against a number of traditional machines and methodologies for production of low-cost, high-quality building material, such as concrete block and oven-fired clay brick.
