When Alan Graham refers to the residents of Community First! Village as “neighbors,” he’s speaking about the community created in this enclave of tiny homes, micro-homes, and RVs soon to expand beyond its 51-acre plot in East Austin, Texas. Graham was a former real estate developer who launched the faith-based social outreach ministry Mobile Loaves & … Read more
Sustainability Professor, Steven Moore, wants Queen’s University in Ontario Canada to be a moral and sustainable leader through their actions. Moore said Queen’s should create more gardens on campus. He believes lawns are “ecological deserts” despite being important places to run and play. The University piloted an Employee Community Garden by planting two large communal … Read more
Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in construction. It’s flexible, strong and cheaper than metal alternatives that are now more commonly used around the world. In Hong Kong, skilled armies of scaffolders can erect enough bamboo to engulf a building in a … Read more
Adobe is the humblest of building materials, for which earth, straw, and water are formed into bricks and then dried in the sun. It appears in arid places where dirt is the cheapest and most abundant natural resource. Adobe buildings have thick walls for structural integrity, and the earthen bricks can keep the interior cool. … 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
Miguel Elliott has been on a journey to develop a building technique that is super affordable, quick to build, well insulated, and natural. What he has come up with is the “Palletable Cobin.” Back in 2010 Miguel was living at a retreat center in northern California and someone had built a shed framed entirely with … Read more