Sometimes in order to be good to the earth, you have to become one with the earth.

That explained all the muddy feet and hands at the new "Good Project" in West Sacramento, where development company LJ Urban is building 35 environmentally friendly homes.

The vertical single-family units on the 1.62-acre plot are known for using sustainable products such as wood trim harvested from trees on the site and kitchen countertops made from recycled paper. The list goes on.

So when it came time to build two benches in the public area of the property, it was a safe bet they wouldn't be normal benches.

The stylish, curved benches came together Saturday with the most basic materials taken from the job site – dirt, sand and stone. It's similar to the cob-style earthen structures built in England and elsewhere that have stood against the elements for hundreds of years.

"We wanted to figure out a creative way to build something that was sustainable," said Levi Benkert, a partner in LJ Urban, a company that has built a large "eco-urban" following through its popular blog, www.ljurban.com.

The benches started with a foundation of gravel packed into bags weighing about 100 pounds each and lined up end to end. On top of that were bags of dirt mixed with sand.

Then there's what's known as "cob" – water, dirt, sand and a bit of straw, mixed together by people stomping with their bare feet, not unlike an old-fashioned grape crush.

Originally, LJ Urban had planned to build somewhat traditional benches under a 100-year-old valley oak tree. Then the company's partners ran into Brian Baker, a classically trained sculptor who is fast becoming a guru of earth building applications.

His company, Urban Earth Solutions, hosts public workshops and builds a variety of earthen structures for clients, including outdoor bread and pizza ovens.

Baker isn't using cutting-edge techniques. He's part of a growing movement that is reviving centuries-old methods and spreading word of their eco-friendly place in the modern world.

Noting there are cob homes in England still standing after five centuries, Baker said, "This method has been used for 10,000 years. People all around the world have been building their houses like this."

In addition to building benches, the outing Saturday served as a workshop for earthen structures and involving the community. About 25 eager people signed up for Saturday's dirty work.

"I think it's great," said Carla Dhillon as she mixed mud and straw by stomping and kneading with her bare feet. "It's labor-intensive, but that's not always a bad thing."

Indeed, there are no shortcuts to building with earth – and it's a workout. It's also dirty – but that's not always a bad thing either.

Michah Baginski, an LJ Urban partner, helped fashion together the benches while keeping an eye on his 3-year-old son Noah, who was so covered in mud that he seemed to be his own kind of animated/earthen structure, talking and giggling as he worked.

Once the cob, or mud mix, is laid over the bags of sand and gravel, the benches will be finished with a protective layer that repels rain. When it's finished, the only maintenance required is an annual coating of oil to ensure that the surface continues to shed water, according to Baker.

Call The Bee's Blair Anthony Robertson, (916) 321-1099.