Biotecture Training Concerns Update
I enjoyed having Mark Kirkwood of BioTecture Training on the show in episodes 1065 and 1076. A few commenters took issue with him though and made what can only be described as baseless accusations (as no facts accompanied them). One of these people was insulting beyond words and had no first hand knowledge of anything. Another claimed to have worked with Mark, I believe him but his concerns were not directly relevant to the claims being made.
These people felt I didn’t listen to them but I most certainly did. I also evaluated their delivery. To put it plainly IT SUCKED and it came off as bitter and baseless. Mark and his partner have told me they did indeed complete one full build and are about to begin another, I have no reason to not believe them, however, I do have concerns about how they presented themselves.
Yesterday I received an email that was fact based about some other concerns with Biotecture Training. This time as it relates to Mark’s aquaponics systems and from multiple sites. This person was able to give me facts and present a few issues that are also concerning in relation to anyone who might work with Mark and his team at least at this time.
In the end here is what I see having occurred. Mark and his folks are decent people, they are working hard for a better world but they are lean on full build experience. I believe they have a solid system but I also believe they have a track record of incomplete builds and flat our failures. Additionally I absolutely do believe that they did complete one full build and understand why details can’t be given about it.
Yesterday I sent an email to the senior partner that stated this in regard to a recent exchange where more information was provided about these issues…
“I believe you but I am going to say this as reasonably as I can, until you guys have a fricken completed project that you can show to the public at large, NONE of you will be back on TSP.”
On that note I recommend the following in regard to this organization….
- I would not dedicate 6 weeks of my life to live on site during one of their courses
- If they can actually deliver the “iron butterfly” I would buy one if I was going to attempt an earthship build
- I would not contribute to them in any way until they either completely and publicly clear the air on these issues OR gain enough experience to build a track record of success.
I will happily welcome back Mark and any of his team when these situations are rectified. I do not believe that these people are frauds or crooks as one commenter (who never met them, spoke to them or spent time with them) claimed them to be.
Folks, if you have concerns about a guest bring me facts, I will look into them and make a fair ruling on the matter considering all evidence and information. If you insist on attacking them, insulting them, calling them names, etc. in a comment section DO NOT expect to be taken seriously.
The reality here is in this situation both Biotecture and the accusers are wrong, in more ways then either wants to admit. One commenter insists that the complete build never happened because he was involved with it. He was not, this is not the location of the project and he simply will not accept that. On the other hand Mark’s people have more incomplete projects then seems reasonable for the way they are presenting themselves and were not fully honest with me about that.
I now consider the matter closed. I wish the folks at Biotecture Training the best, I hope they get their stuff together and prove out their concepts. I cannot however, assist them or recommend that this audience do so in any way until they flatly redeem themselves and prove out their concepts, their abilities and their methods. Oh that along with an apology for what can only be called misrepresentation to the audience as well.
Jack, the way things sync up in your call-in shows happens in reverse too, brother. Just last night I was talking to my wife about these buildings, and telling her it is something I want to look into some more for the land we’re purchasing within the year. As if by magic, I wake up this morning and see your note.
Thanks for always looking out for us and providing us with the fairest assessment you can muster on the matters we discuss.
Good follow up Jack. “Trust, but verify”
Thanks, Jack. Mark was a fascinating guest. It’s too bad. I hope he takes the steps needed to remedy whatever issues are going on so he can come back to the show with a finished product. Sheesh, you’d think he’d at least create a Youtube video of the Iron Butterfly. How hard would that be for him?
I’m still waiting to see one of Paul Wheaton’s Wofati buildings he carried on about so many years ago. Theories are great, but it’s sure nice to see a finished product be put to the test… eg. Mike Reynolds Earthships.
That is one thing that really rubs me wrong with Paul for sure. He says he is very close to getting a hundred acres though so we will see soon I hope his theory in practice.
wofati like
http://www.gizmag.com/edgeland-residence/26226/
I’m hoping Mark will come through. I thought he was a good guest and it seemed like his heart was in the right place.
“If you insist on attacking them, insulting them, calling them names, etc. in a comment section, DO NOT expect to be taken seriously.”
Good point. I 100% agree.
When this happens, it is because they don’t have something of substance to say. So, they resort to bluster and ad hominem attacks instead.
I agree. Insulting and calling names is not very respectable. They said things like:
“What a wonderful person you must be to live around.”
“…you are being an asshole!”
“Now stop being a fricken dick!”
“…I am calling you a dick…”
“Well your wrong and you are just being an asshole.”
“Listen asshole!”
“Angus the Ass”
Oh wait a second. That was Jack… Sorry, Jack. I gotta call you out on this one.
Those were responses and accurate ones at that. There is a difference between responding to people who are being insulting and kicking a dead horse and just being a dick to be a dick. Kind of like you are doing here.
So the rules of the comment section are that we can call each other names as long as it is accurate?
No the rules are if you go calling people names and acting like a fricken dickhead you may get the same treatment in return, you may get deleted, you may get banned or your might get ignored. It all depends on how much you piss me off. You will note when I do call people assholes, etc. it is always in response to similar initial behavior on their part.
If you walk past me in the street I won’t just punch you in the face but if you do punch me first don’t be surprised if you get hit back even harder. Make sense?
If you are confused see section four http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/about-tspc/disclaimers-policies-2
If you want to run a site with your own rules, domains are cheap, hosting is cheap and wordpress blogs are free. Getting people to listen to you though does take a lot of work. Once you get it done and have something people pay attention to though don’t be surprised if others who haven’t done the same tell you how you are doing it wrong.
Thanks for the follow up Jack, very much appreciated.
Excellente well thought update Jack. Open, honest and reasoned. thanks
Truely, I was getting uneasy vibes from this organization. Not showing their earth butterflycompactor was a bit strange, (unless their patent is pending) and the fact they only have pics of barely started projects was disappointing.
Also, I tried to contact them through their site and got zero response.
I hope they get their act together though, as I believe in the dream of OtGL, ( Off the Grid Living).
We love your show Jack, Thanks, and keep up the good fight 🙂
There are TSP listeners that live in the Paige/Bastrop areas, myself included. Perhaps Mark could invite some of us out to see their accomplishments once they’re a reality.
Thank you for your due diligence! It gave me pause when Mark didn’t even print my comment telling him about my NEST nonprofit, which is relevant to what he’s doing. Good heavens, NEST’s mission resonates with people who are hundred times more removed from both NEST’s mission and the people it would serve and benefit. It just didn’t feel like anything related to the naked honesty of TSP (not that I’ve listened to more than 5 podcasts due to time constraints). What also continues to give me pause is that when interning for architect Mike Reynolds, creator and refiner of the Earthship model over 40 years, the volunteer-intern pays less than $500 for a private bedroom in an Earthship (one of many that have been completed)–that’s room for a month in the very model of what you’re learning about and helping to manifest. I didn’t see any such opportunity at Mark’s place.
Speaking as a new listener who enjoys listening to many of the older podcasts in non sequential order, you could go one up in covering your ass and just pull those two podcasts from the server to perhaps prevent a random listener from being sucked into a bad deal. I’d appreciate you not having to dedicate any more time to it and move on. Do you ever think that you could ever be exploited by criminals by accepting that this deep level of privacy is normal for some preppers? It gives me the willies.
I attended the BioTecture Training on February 23-24. This is my experience: I did not see a rammed tire home in person, it was not claimed that I would and so I did not expect to. I saw a partially setup aquaponics system that I think is going to be awesome, along with the frame of a geodesic dome around it, with a rocket mass heater inside. I saw the iron butterfly in action, it works. I believe it will have a huge impact on rammed earth tire construction. It’s not my job to defend BioTecture Training, and I don’t know why videos or pictures haven’t been posted of their ongoing progress, including the iron butterfly, but I sincerely don’t believe it is because they are; snake oil salesmen, frauds, criminals, trying to give anyone the willies, or send off bad vibes or whatever unjustified accusations have been mentioned since the original podcast.
I think some fair questions have been posed, and should be addressed if BioTecture would like further support from this community. So do your due diligence, make some calls, ask the questions but those attacks have no place in a community that is supposed to be helping each other. You don’t get to call people names or make big-jump accusations without proof, then say, ‘what I say sticks until they can prove me wrong.’ No one else lives to protect you from your fears of being ripped off again(stop projecting) and once you disrespect someone like some of what has been said- they don’t owe you diddly after that. — My personal take on BioTecture’s setup is that Mark is an action man and super smart.
He learns a lot on the fly and is not afraid to make mistakes. He’s confident and doesn’t think he has to have all the answers before giving something a shot. At the training he acknowledged that he had a lot on his plate and was doing so many projects that he was getting spread thin. I absolutely do not feel this is because he’s some dishonest business man or is trying to rip anyone off, it’s because he is trying to earn a wage so that he can get his ‘examples’ built, and so that he can help people. More than the great info, and great discussion that I was part of with Mark and the other class members, the best lesson I had over the weekend was about community. BioTecture founders Mark and Morgan live on a homestead that was only founded 3 months ago, but they have a better community started than I have with my neighbors in the city after 3 years.
There were 7 others living on the property and they all made me feel at home. I saw them cooperating and sharing and working together. Mark and Morgan organized group-buys so that neighbors as well as them selves could get things like solar panels on the cheap. They were sharing tools and tractors. I was welcomed to any food they had in the home, a place to stay for free, and offered cooked meals. These were all good people working side-by-side with their neighbors so that they could build a community and they were starting with themselves. Most importantly they were STARTING- they were DOING- they weren’t glued to their computers or watching another how-to video, they were getting their hands dirty and their feet wet, all while inviting others to share in the knowledge they were gaining by being the doers, instead of the criticizers or the complainers. Jack says BioTecture misrepresented some things, I’m sorry to hear this, and I think I will ask them some questions. But from what I saw in person over 3days, everything was on the up and up and I would STILL want to be a part of what Mark and Morgan have going on in Bastrop.
This horse is DEAD it shall be beaten no further.