Alternative Building to Address Homelessness

The four houses shown above are completely different in size and style, but they are all environmentally friendly, cheap, and fast to construct because they are made with earthbags. The four earthbag dwellings above are, clockwise from top left, in Veracruz, Mexico, Capetown, South Africa, Ahwaz, Iran and Durban, South Africa. Many countries with urgent … Read more

How to Build an Earthquake-Resistant Home: An Earthbag Construction Manual

The folks at Good Earth Global prepared a guide titled How to Build an Earthquake-Resistant Home: An Earthbag Construction Manual for Engineering for Change’s members and readers and it was published at engineeringforchange.org It starts out with this introduction: Earthbag technology has emerged as the building method best suited to rebuild rural Nepal after its … Read more

Bonita Earthbag Domes in Joshua Tree is For Sale

We have been chronicling the development of the Bonita Domes project in Joshua Tree, California for a little over a decade. You can read about the original building at earthbagbuilding.com. This was a project led by United Earth Builders, as shown here and updated here. Then later this video became available that showcases how it all … Read more

Alternative Building in Cochise County

Cochise County in Arizona allows people to build their own homes at a reduced cost of building permits with fewer inspections as long as the property’s zoning designation is at a minimum RU-4, one home per four acres. Program participants must comply with all Cochise County Building Safety Code and zoning requirements. It is intended … Read more