For 15 years, Evelyn Hess and her husband lived in a tent a trailer, without electricity or running water, on 20 acres of wild land in the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range. When they decided to build a “real” house at long last, they knew it would have to respect the lessons of simple living that they learned while living their camping life. “We also knew we could not do it alone,” says Hess. Her book, ">Building a Better Nest, chronicles the experience of seeking a model for sustainable living as they constructed a tiny house of their own.

September 2, 2015 • 6:00 p.m.
Downtown Bend Library

September 3, 2015 • 12:00 p.m.
La Pine Library

Hess will discuss sustainable living, living off the grid and her own adventures in “building a better nest” when she speaks at the Downtown Bend and La Pine Libraries in September. Both events are free and open to the public; no registration is required.

“Green building” and “sustainable design” are popular buzzwords, but to Hess, sustainable building is not a simple matter of buying and installing the latest recycled flooring products. “It’s also about cooperative work,” she says: working together in employment, in research and in life. As Hess and her husband age, she finds that the questions of how to live responsibly arise with greater frequency and urgency. Her experience will be of interest to anyone with a curiosity about sustainable building, off-the-grid living or alternative communities.

Evelyn Hess still lives in the foothills of Oregon’s Coast Range. At various times a teacher, greenhouse manager, gardener and garden designer, she also writes. Hess’s 2010 book, To the Woods (OSU Press), won the 2011 WILLA Literary Award for Best Creative Nonfiction.

For more information about this or other library programs, please visit the library website at www.deschuteslibrary.org. People with disabilities needing accommodations (alternative formats, seating or auxiliary aides) should contact Tina at 541-312-1034.