The Bus: What We Built, What We Learned, and What Comes Next

Once designed to shuttle children into instiutions has been transformed from something that represented a mainstream agenda into a safe haven...

or so we had hoped.

We bought a school bus, did the research, and then we stripped it to its core, and rebuilt it using natural materials less likely to cause inflammation or trigger reactions.

We thought this would provide sanctuary. We stripped it bare and rebuilt, albeit before we knew better of certain materials. Before we had been in as deep as we are now and before we had the real expertise of years of navigating and researching as we now have.

We installed an ERV for ventilation, dehumidifiers, an air filtration system,exhaust fan, screen windows,Havelock wool insulation, AFM Safecoat primer, sealant, and paint. We chose natural cork flooring, organic bedding, and kept anything synthetic out of the space as best we could.

But, the moment we began spending real time inside, Eli got congested. MCAS reactions spiraled. The tin can, as we came to call it, does what enclosed metal spaces do. It traps everything. Moisture, off-gassing, recirculated air.

I also noticed that every time I got on the bus shortly after it had been running, I was hit with a massive headache.

Even with everything we had done to clean up the interior environment, we could not control the diesel fumes from the engine being pushed inside.

Beyond that is our experience with spray foam.

We wanted to build our bus using natural and non-toxic materials, so we did the research and decided on various natural options for our project. One of them being Havelock wool for our insulation, but there were small gaps as we continued to outfit the bus, particularly around the wheels wells, and before we knew better and before we had dug deep enough into the research, the deed was done...

A small amount of spray foam was used in various spots through the bus along the framing around the wheel wells.

It was the smallest amount and yet the impacts are lasting. For, what we learned months later, after the walls and cabinets were constructed, after the wiring was ran, and the bus was nearly put together, was just how desctructive spray foam can be. No matter the quantity used.

The rest of the materials used to construct the bus were all natural options, but despite our best efforts to seal and reduce the consequences of using spray foam, its effects still carry significant weight.

Through so much intensive research, we came to understand that the problem inside the bus is not singular. They are a compounding effect of various components.

The spray foam off-gasses when the space heats up. The lumber contains formaldehyde. We sealed everything exposed with AFM Safecoat primer specifically to block that, but not every surface can be completely sealed, not every nook and cranny, despite our best efforts and therefore not every compound is fully contained. The solar system sits on top of a cabinet inside the bus, atop one of the front wheel wells, generating its own heat. In a small enclosed metal space, heat becomes a catalyst. VOCs that might disperse more easily in a larger or better ventilated space have little to nowhere to go inside the bus. They accumulate along with the moisture and engine fumes inside of a metal structure with limited airflow.

Our build is not perfect and we have learned so much more since we started. It is much more natural than others you may come across, and it is also built from less toxic materials than the average home by a significant margin.

That being said, one small material choice, early on in the build, used in key areas to seal cracks around the wheels wells, was a decision that altered the course of our original plans.

Devastating as it was, it allowed us to see the realities of chemical toxicity in a way we had not been aware of before. It allowed us to explore further, research beyond surface level, and led us to where we ultimately are today.

It is a place less toxic than most, but enclosed in a way that actually speaks volumes for how dangerous and impactful certain materials and compounds can be, even in small quanties, and even when the rest of the materials used are natural and nontoxic.

This experience has allowed Evernorth to grow and expand, to delve into the world of environmental toxicity, and strive for awareness and change, and purity for all of humanity.🖤