In 1996, Raghava inherited a coconut plantation from his grandfather. Unlike his ancestors who had practiced agriculture for seven generations, Raghava, then an undergraduate, had no connection with the soil. “I grew up on a healthy diet of inspiring stories of local and international entrepreneurs. This was one of the reasons that motivated me to … Read more
Traditional wood decking brings with it a number of negative environmental effects. Tropical hardwoods can contribute to rain forest deforestation and habitat degradation. Using sustainably sourced fast-growth timber from ethically managed plantations is a step in the right direction, but it can often be difficult to ensure that timber branded as sustainable is actually sourced … Read more
Mudgirls Manifesto is primarily a review of the evolution of the Mudgirls Collective, a radical group of Canadian women whose philosophy is that there should be no limits to their activities based on gender or social expectation. For over a decade they have been building homes for clients using natural materials and conducting workshops on … Read more
Elliston, a tiny town in Newfoundland, Canada’s most eastern province, was traditionally a fishing community. Cod was king, until in 1992, the Canadian government imposed a cod fishing moratorium. Overnight, thousands of livelihoods were wiped out. Many locals left for work in other provinces. Some enterprising residents decided to put some of the legendary Newfoundland … Read more
In 2016, at the peak of his career in the Silicon Valley, San Francisco-based Vivek Shah decided to quit his job and return to India with his wife Brinda. “Living in San Francisco made us a lot more aware of our surroundings. Being full-time professionals ourselves, we started realising how our lifestyle was fluctuating toward … Read more
An article entitled “Typical wildfire recovery is ‘rebuilding to burn’, but there’s another way” makes the point that instead of rebuilding burned houses with the same mainstream concepts that continue to be vulnerable to fires, people should look toward more naturally fire-resistant methods, such as strawbale, cob, adobe, stone, etc. Not only are these methods … Read more