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The Straw House leads by example —
showcasing the future of sustainable living!
Designed by a Laguna Beach native, the one-of-a-kind fairytale structure is made out of reclaimed materials, locally sourced clay, and the love and laughter of building participants from all over the world.
THE STRAW HOUSE
This storybook sustainable building in the Laguna Canyon is …
+ A place to engage with the arts, nature & wellness
+ A proposed location for Pacific Wildlife Project’s animal rescue
+ About 50% complete ALREADY!
THE GROUNDS
Set on almost an acre, the grounds will be home to…
+ Community food gardens
+ Animal & native plant habitats
+ A butterfly pavilion
+ Workshop space for art & wellness experiences
+ Affordable artist housing
+ A monumental addition to the charm of Laguna Beach architecture
PROGRAMMING
Workshops will be open to all ages to enhance connection with:
Creativity

Painting, ceramics, sculpture, music, dance, drawing, sustainable building, & zero-waste circular design
Nature

Fire-resistant & native landscaping, composting, beekeeping, permaculture, animal care & food forests
Wellness

Healing movement, herbalism, mindfulness & meditation, toxin-free living & nourishing super foods
GREETINGS
Add a warm message to welcome visitors
Kris Spitaleri
Straw House designer,
architect & team leader
Kris’ animal rescue efforts began with saving goldfish from an elementary school fair. This branched out into a Laguna Beach animal sanctuary that sheltered abandoned animals in need.
After graduating CalPoly SLO's architecture program, Kris traveled the world to deepen his knowledge of the natural world. He mentored with the Birtles family in Australia (the same people who trained the "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin.)
His backpacking excursions across Europe, India & Asia brought him face to face with the Dalai Lama, and into service with Mother Theresa. Inspired, he additionally helped create homes for orphans and refugees of war.
Returning home to Laguna, he continued to provide ongoing care to animals. In the early 2010s, he teamed up with Pacific Wildlife Project (PWP)
Now, the eco-wonderland home he has been building in the Laguna Canyon is set to become and outlet to expand PWP's efforts into a sustaible future.
Kris Spitaleri
Straw House designer,
architect & team leader
Kris’ animal rescue efforts began with saving goldfish from an elementary school fair. This branched out into a Laguna Beach animal sanctuary that sheltered abandoned animals in need.
After graduating CalPoly SLO's architecture program, Kris traveled the world to deepen his knowledge of the natural world. He mentored with the Birtles family in Australia (the same people who trained the "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin.)
His backpacking excursions across Europe, India & Asia brought him face to face with the Dalai Lama, and into service with Mother Theresa. Inspired, he additionally helped create homes for orphans and refugees of war.
Returning home to Laguna, he continued to provide ongoing care to animals. In the early 2010s, he teamed up with Pacific Wildlife Project (PWP)
Now, the eco-wonderland home he has been building in the Laguna Canyon is set to become and outlet to expand PWP's efforts into a sustaible future.
LINDA MCLEOD
Pacific wildlife project
Founder & Director
In 1986 she and her veterinarian/biologist husband, Richard, set up the Pacific Wildlife Project. A volunteer group that rescues wild birds (mostly brown pelicans) from Los Angeles to San Diego County. Their garage became a clinic, their backyard a pelican habitat aviary.
McLeod-Evans' love of birds goes back to her childhood in rural northern Florida. "My mother was always rescuing something.....baby birds, baby squirrels, cats," she says. "I grew up with that ethic."
In I982 Linda began working as a veterinary assistant-and devoting more and more personal time to her passion. She met Richard when she was referred to him for a problem with an ailing mockingbird. They married a year and a half later.
Richard, was an accomplished Author and Wildlife veterinarian who donated his time to many animal care groups. The project has no outside financing; donations come from fellow bird and animal lovers.
The reward, for McLeod-Evans, is being around birds and watching them grow healthy and fly free again.
LINDA MCLEOD
Pacific wildlife project
Founder & Director
In 1986 she and her veterinarian/biologist husband, Richard, set up the Pacific Wildlife Project. A volunteer group that rescues wild birds (mostly brown pelicans) from Los Angeles to San Diego County. Their garage became a clinic, their backyard a pelican habitat aviary.
McLeod-Evans' love of birds goes back to her childhood in rural northern Florida. "My mother was always rescuing something.....baby birds, baby squirrels, cats," she says. "I grew up with that ethic."
In I982 Linda began working as a veterinary assistant-and devoting more and more personal time to her passion. She met Richard when she was referred to him for a problem with an ailing mockingbird. They married a year and a half later.
Richard, was an accomplished Author and Wildlife veterinarian who donated his time to many animal care groups. The project has no outside financing; donations come from fellow bird and animal lovers.
The reward, for McLeod-Evans, is being around birds and watching them grow healthy and fly free again.
Joness Jones
operations manager
Joness was born into the lineage of historic American painter & legislator who fought against the expansion of slavery, George Caleb Bingham.
She began cultivating artist communities in Phoenix, AZ in 2009, eventually moving to New York to assist in the development of Alex Grey's Chapel of Sacred Mirrors.
There, she studied painting while helping to foster the global arts community through their media and events department for 4 radical years.
After that, she continued developing artistic networks as the media & marketing director for Subtle Energy Sciences, writing an Amazon best-selling book on the topic featuring the company's co-founder, Eric W. Thompson.
During this time, she I was worked within Los Angeles' art scene, eventually finding my way to Laguna Beach to join in the town's art and eco-activism.
Joness has painted live more than 100 times at venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado, The Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon, and has had her work featured with Dead & Company ( the most recent iteration of the Grateful Dead )