We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lisa Morey. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lisa below.

Lisa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Colorado has a history of earthen construction that dates back to the 1800’s. In regions that offered little lumber, settlers built with local sand, clay and water. From Bent’s Old Fort built in the 1830’s to the Territorial Adobe buildings common in Southern Colorado to the Pueblo revival building in Jefferson County known as The Fort built in 1962, adobe is not just a computer software program to Coloradans! The need for a vast quantity of new buildings in Colorado to address the increase in population and quality of living standards is at times in conflict with the need for tackling climate change and curtailing energy demands. One way to address these disparate priorities is to move toward a more circular economy by using low-carbon construction materials, alternative technologies and practices.
Inspired by the growing need for efficiency in construction materials, Colorado Earth LLC was incorporated with the State of Colorado in April 2017 and launched EcoBlox, an unfired earthen masonry block. EcoBlox are structural and do not require any other wall framing components. They are produced using a waste product, or overburden material, from a local quarry in Golden. Colorado Earth manufactures, designs and builds with these fireproof, soundproof, bugproof, bulletproof, breathable, biodegradable, mold-resistant, and non-toxic building blocks.
In the same way that the energy grid is looking to decentralize and create facilities closer to the site of energy consumption, our team is looking to create micro-manufacturing sites to expand the use of locally produced building materials, predominantly taken from waste streams in the mining industry.
The innovation involved takes a ten-thousand-year-old approach and makes it relevant once again in our modern building world. We do this by using advanced processes to create unique, low-carbon mix designs for each new facility we establish. Our trade secrets and developed IP around construction processes have led Colorado Earth to being a leader in the earthen masonry industry.
Sustainably produced thermal mass masonry blocks, or EcoBlox, address the need to diversify our use of cement-based products. We are currently working with NREL to create a novel admixture that would eliminate the use of lime in our mix. With the combination of thermal mass and alternative passive systems, we can reduce the energy demand for buildings. In addition, EcoBlox are fireproof, creating an important layer of protection against of wildfires.

Lisa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

The business was incorporated in April 2017 and by June 2017 the manufacturing plant in Golden, CO was established. Our first project was built in Castle Rock, CO in July 2018. Lisa became the sole owner of Colorado Earth in September 2019. In 2022, Lisa was interviewed by Sam Brasch with Colorado Public Radio and Scripps News which aired a story on Colorado Earth to various news channels. The interest emerged as the non-combustible EcoBlox came into focus after the Marshall Fire devastation. In July 2023, Lisa was selected as a West Gate Innovator with NREL. The next phase of our advanced technical work will begin in March 2024. We will build a mathematical model to determine the effectiveness of thermal mass and phase change materials in the building envelope in different climate zones.

To date we have supported over 60 paid clients resulting in over $1M in sales and revenue. Lisa Morey has been working in the earthen masonry business since the year 2000. She was a partner in a design/build company in New Zealand for 4 years that constructed over 50 earthen structures. From this experience she published a book called “Adobe Homes for all Climates”. Upon returning to the USA in 2004, Lisa provided adobe bricks and workshops to various entities of the US government for testing.
Colorado Earth has been featured in Colorado Public Radio, Bloomberg, Grist, MSN, ABC, Colorado Builder magazine, BixWest, Medium, the Build Show, and more recently Voice of America for a global broadcast – all for the work done to support resilient construction. Due to the fire resistance construction techniques, Colorado Earth has been a voice for how to build with resiliency and durability in mind. We currently have 13 active clients in some phase of design or construction.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

In April 2017, Colorado Earth LLC was incorporated with the State of Colorado. By June 2017 we had erected a block manufacturing facility in Golden, CO. In July 2018 our first EcoBlox home was built in Castle Rock, CO. In September 2019 Lisa became the sole owner of Colorado Earth LLC. In December 2020, we were awarded by Energize Colorado a $10,000 grant, with $5,000 being awarded in June 2022, followed by a loan of $40,000 in May 2023. In March 2022, we acquired a commercial bank loan of $100,000 to obtain new block making equipment.

With sustained growth of Colorado Earth since 2017, Lisa Morey has been developing the company while also working fulltime at an engineering firm in Denver. This allowed the company to establish a presence and slowly grow EcoBlox awareness in Colorado. Since the West Gate award, Lisa has been able to step away from her engineering position and focus solely on business development.

In May 2024 Colorado Earth was awarded a $250k OEDIT grant through the State of Colorado which will allow the company to further expand.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

EcoBlox are structural and do not require any other wall framing components. They are produced using a waste product, or overburden material, from a local quarry in Golden. Colorado Earth manufactures, designs and builds with these fireproof, soundproof, bugproof, bulletproof, breathable, biodegradable, mold resistant, and non-toxic building blocks. While Lisa was practicing earthen construction in New Zealand in the early 2000’s, it was estimated that 1% of new residential construction was being built out of earth. New Zealand is a country that has developed some of the most robust building codes for earthen construction in the world, and people are choosing to build with earth despite being a seismic and wet climate.
Lisa Morey has been working in the earthen masonry business since the year 2000. She was a partner in a design/build company in New Zealand for 4 years that constructed over 50 earthen structures. From this experience she published a book called “Adobe Homes for all Climates”. Upon returning to the USA in 2004, Lisa provided adobe bricks and workshops to various entities of the US government for testing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.coloradoearth.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coloradoearth/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CEBandADOBE/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/colorado-earth-llc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@coloradoearth7982
• Other: SUBSTACK.COM/PROFILE/168724102-LISA-MOREY

Image Credits
Elizabeth Hurtado for “4- Rebeschini under construction”