Passive Solar Greenhouses Transform Pakistan

In a remote village of Pakistan Mustaqeem Khan has cultivated a success story that transcends his rugged surroundings. Using a passive solar greenhouse, he has turned the unforgiving winters into a season of plenty. “This greenhouse is more than just a structure; it’s a lifeline,” Mustaqeem says as he tends to rows of spinach, tomatoes, … Read more

Companies Cooperate to Make Carbon Capture Building Materials

Swiss based Neustark is working with Aggregate Industries on its first UK site to capture CO2 from biomass sites, liquefy it, and then inject it into existing mineral waste streams such as demolished materials to be recycled and used in construction. This stores the CO2 in the aggregate, permanently removing it from the atmosphere and … Read more

A Car-Free Neighborhood inTempe, Arizona

Just outside sprawling Phoenix, a car-free neighborhood built from scratch has gone up, the first one of its kind in the US. Modeled after walkable villages of yesteryear, Culdesac Tempe sits next to a light rail stop and has its own grocery store, restaurant, coffee shop, used clothing store, gym, and plenty of gathering spaces. … Read more

Benefits of Earth Sheltered Homes

Pete Bissonette has one of the about 650 homes Earth Sheltered Technology has built since it began in 1981. The company has houses in Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as in California and Alaska. “I loved every bit of building it,” Bissonette said. “I’m glad I made the decision to build it. I have no … Read more

Building the Future From the Ground Up

A new book, Building the Future; From the Ground Up, follows rammed earth specialist Paul Geraets’ journey as he masters this sustainable construction method on more than 100 projects across New Zealand, while on a mission to show how more rammed earth houses could change the building industry for the better. “Not only are these … Read more

Off-Grid New Mexico Conservation Ranch

JJ and Fred Milder were looking for their dream home- they’d spent most of their married life in Boston-, but now with their daughters in college, they were looking to relocate. They stumbled on a former cattle ranch in the high desert outside Sante Fe that was being sold as part of a conservation trust. … Read more