The Lammas Ecovillage is a collective of smallholdings and eco-dwellings in Wales. Residents explore alternative models for living on the land, broadly in line with the Welsh Government’s ‘One Planet Development’ policy. The smallholdings combine traditional farming and building techniques with the latest innovations in environmental design, green technology and permaculture. Construction of “The Hub” … Read more
I found this half hour video both encouraging and inspiring. The incredible story of how degraded gorse-infested farmland has been regenerated back into beautiful New Zealand native forest over the course of 30 years. This documentary is about Hinewai Nature Reserve, on New Zealand’s Banks Peninsula, and its kaitiaki/manager of 30 years, botanist Hugh Wilson. … Read more
Food forests are gaining popularity in many urban areas, including Los Angeles. These are edible gardens made up of many different species, and grown with minimal intervention. A food forest mimics a forest edge that is planted with edible perennial plants. They include tall trees, small trees, shrubs, herbs, and ground cover. Sometimes vines grow … Read more
The listings at Airbnb sometimes reveal some pretty interesting places, and here is one that particularly caught my eye:A whimsical and romantic tower on the Santarella Estate in the Berkshires, Western Massachusetts. This two-story tiny home offers an upstairs bedroom with 35 ft. high conical ceiling and canopied bed with views of sky and trees … Read more
Lumber, glass, big rocks, dirt, and sunshine is all you need for a Deep Winter Greenhouse (DWG), first described in a book by Carol Ford and Chuck Waibel in 2009 titled The Northlands Winter Greenhouse Manual. So, what is a DWG? It is a passive solar greenhouse that captures the sun’s light and heat during … Read more
This video is an extensive description and tour of a walipini, or pit greenhouse, at Red Gate Farm.