Living Off-Grid on a Mountain Top

This man built a beautiful off-grid cabin with the help of friends for $65,000 CAD including the cost of the land. There was no road access to his lot so he had to bring in all of the building materials using a 4-wheeler with a small trailer, and then load them on a material elevator … Read more

Living Underground in Australia

It is summer in Australia and the temperatures are soaring. The struggle for energy efficiency in a changing climate and keeping homes comfortable is a common topic of conversation. Deep in the South Australian outback is a town that has been dealing with this problem successfully for years. Coober Pedy , a town of 2,000 … Read more

New Straw Bale Home Helps Educate People About Climate Issues

Kathleen Draper, a climate change activist has constructed a 1,500-square-foot, three-bedroom straw bale home that she said will help reduce global warming and keep her comfortable in the harshest New York winter. “I call it my ‘dwelling on drawdown’ project,” she said, referring to the future point at which the atmosphere’s greenhouse gas levels stop … Read more

New Hempcrete Home Sequesters Carbon

This new home of 29-year-old Shelby Howland, owner of Village Carpentry and Landscaping in Goshen, Indiana, is being built with hempcrete. The house is not only a place to live, but is a pilot project for the future of his family business. The 1,600-square-foot, two-story home has been in the works for the past nine … Read more

Cold Climate Bamboo Architecture

Tanjun Associates trains people in the field of construction of structures using bamboo and ferrocement. “The use of bamboo construction intrigued me, and I was also impressed by the fact that it could be installed in a short duration. The construction of the homestay began in May 2014, and by the end of September, I … Read more

Building a Straw Bale House in Thailand

This video shows how a straw bale house in Thailand might be built. There are a number of unique aspects that are different from the standard approach in the Western world, so things can be learned that might be useful. I didn’t notice anything that would raise a red flag in my mind. You can … Read more