The United Nations has written a set of “principles for sustainable and inclusive urban design and architecture” for architects to sign up to called the San Marino Declaration, which architect Norman Foster is set to launch. Set to be ratified in the republic of San Marino, the declaration outlines a set of standards that architects … Read more
The work of Patrick O’Brien and his Salamander Group has spanned decades, with curiosity playing a role in leading him from conventional home building in urban Detroit to exploring alternative building in Taos, New Mexico. In 1995, he and his wife bought land near Taos and built the first of many straw bale homes that … Read more
Bamboo Living co-founder and chief architect David Sands is at the forefront of modern sustainable bamboo construction. His Hawaiian-based company specializes in creating bamboo homes. The giant bamboos are the fastest-growing woody plant on the planet. If you go to the Guinness Book of World Records, it was nearly three feet a day that they … Read more
Yesterday I had a wonderful and rewarding experience of touring a nearby Sufi Community along with other members of our local Permaculture Group. We were invited there by Sequoia and Sunny to immerse ourselves for a few hours in their nearly self-sufficient life. I was quite impressed by the extent of their accomplishments during the … Read more
In 2010, climatologists said Pakistan’s floods that year were “the worst natural disaster to date attributable to climate change”. Despite having less than 1% share in carbon emission, the country is ranked 8th in terms of exposure to climate hazards. Let’s stop sleepwalking towards the destruction of our planet by climate change. Private homes are … Read more
I joined this panel to explore the idea of providing comfortable shelter for all animal and human life on Earth. The 90-minute plenary invited leaders in the field of ancient & earth wisdom, natural building and community building with Ousmane Aly Pame, Kelly Hart & Mark Lakeman to respond to the following questions: What would … Read more