TEG 2020 Honorary Lifetime Member – Jim Hallock

For those who are reading this and do not know Jim, there are some things that you indeed should know. First, know that Jim is both a role model and, using the appropriate word, a hero to many in the earthen industry. He has worked tirelessly over decades to bring life and energy to the earthen construction industry and has mentored and guided countless aspiring earthen devotees both in the United States and around the world. His passion and vision have been an inspiration to earthen practitioners to both young and old, newbie and experienced.
As Michael Neuman put it “I know of no one who has done more to improve our understanding and use of earthen construction, to make earthen construction accessible to the communities that need it most, and to educate and inspire the younger tradespeople and professionals who will be carrying this work forward for generations to come. It is perhaps Jim’s compassion and kindness for others, especially, the disenfranchised and marginalized, though, which inspires me the most. He has invested countless hours and resources creating opportunities for earthen construction in Indigenous and other resource poor communities from the U.S. and Mexico to the Caribbean and Africa. He understands the power of an accessible technology like earthen construction to create a more just and equitable world. In Haiti, one of the poorest countries on earth, he is helping to raise building standards, while working to advance SCEB as an affordable, safe, and healthy building solution in communities there. I am aware of SCEB projects completed or in various stages of planning and implementation in nine communities across three departments in Haiti. Before Jim arrived in Haiti, there were none.”
Jim is indeed worthy of this award, TEG’s highest recognition of contribution to the earthen arts. We are humbled by his actions and his integrity and look forward to many more years of his contributions to TEG, to the earthen industry, and to the world.Jim’s company is Earth Block International.