Mindfulness Project Insulated Earthbag Domes

Description: 20′ interior diameter earthbag dome = 314 sq. ft., plus 14.5’ diameter loft = 110 sq. ft., total = 424 sq. ft. interior, Footprint: 23’ DIA plus benches/planters These domes are a larger version of my Peace Domes. The bottom half is typical earthbag construction. The top half is lightweight insulation to speed construction … Read more

Alejandrina’s Earthbag House

Pisco Sin Fronteras has been at it again, helping people in Peru build homes with earthabgs. This time they have assisted a dirt-poor family with a bed-ridden grandmother move up in the world from living under a tarp to living in a solid earthbag home, complete with doors and windows.You can read about the details … Read more

Cut Housing Costs with Communal Structures

Let’s say you have a group of friends who want to build sustainable homes near each other. Maybe you want to build an ecovillage or something similar. Communal structures with shared facilities for toilets, showers, cooking, laundry, Internet access and group meetings are a great way to cut housing costs. For example, everyone doesn’t need … Read more

Earthbag Building Facebook Page

I got the following email a few minutes ago. Luke just won himself a free copy of my upcoming Earthbag Building Video. Thanks, Luke! “With great pleasure, I just wanted to let you know a Facebook page has been created for fans of your blog. The name of the page is, “Earthbag Building Blog Fan … Read more

Where Would You Rather Live?

Acmeville Tract Homes: 2,500 sq. ft., 4 bedroom, 3 bath, $250,000 ($2,000/month for 30 years, 20% down, plus insurance, title and closing fees, taxes, cookie cutter fee, and homeowner association fee). Your choice of three shades of beige and pastel vinyl siding. Hitherwood Hills Ecovillage: your choice of 100 homes (30 unique designs by Owen … Read more

Designing Sustainable Communities

In addition to my house design work (which is really taking off, by the way), I’ve had several requests to design sustainable communities. So far these large projects haven’t fully materialized, but the opportunities I’ve been presented with have given me a chance to think through some possibilities. The ideas outlined below are somewhat unconventional, … Read more