I just received this rather urgent email from a family in Maryland. They need a licensed contractor immediately. Please email me from our About Us page if you are able to help and I will put you in contact. “My family is in a fix. We have sixty days to move out of our current … Read more
Gayle Fleming at EcoGayle’s Blog recommended an article in the New York Times that addresses the effectiveness of passive homes: Can We Build in a Brighter Shade of Green? The New York Times article chronicles the experiences of Barbara and Steven Landau, who are building a 2,000 sq. ft. house to the passive-house standard in … Read more
While Owen and I often point out the problems associated with dealing with codes and the officials who administer them, the flip side of this is that establishing a good relationship with the building authorities can make projects possible that would otherwise be denied. Building codes do generally allow alternatives to the common methods of … Read more
Bit by bit, word of earthbag building is spreading. Even though no large industry or organization has thrown their might behind the effort, earthbag continues its grassroots growth. Occasionally we stop and ponder, in a focused way, what can be done to facilitate this growth. With that in mind, here’s a partial list of needs … Read more
I have been consulting with Mike Parker who started www.childrenofthedump.org in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico about how to build inexpensive, ecological housing for poor families who subsist off recycling materials from the city dump. They typically live in shacks and shanties that are often not adequate for their needs, nor do they provide proper housing for … Read more
We believe the combination of new developments in earthbag building is a game-changer, a breakthrough that is gradually pushing earthbag into the mainstream. Long term readers have been following these developments, but I will briefly recap some key developments for new readers since there’s a recent surge in traffic. – Engineered plans are now available … Read more