Long-time reader Gail forwarded the latest newsletter from Square One Villages that has some updated information about the 100 mile home at Emerald Village Eugene. This house was featured in a previous post a couple of years ago and a video about Square One Villages is shown on this post.Raymond Stone has lived at Emerald … Read more
I have been familiar with biochar as mainly an agricultural soil amendment that helps provide habitat for beneficial microbes and sequesters carbon in the ground. It hadn’t occurred to me that it could also be used as a building material, until a reader suggested that I check out this article at www.biochar-journal.org Biochar is a … Read more
Wind can play havoc on many things around your home. Planting a windbreak can provide some relief from a relentless gale and it may also help you with home temperature regulation, while providing habitat for wildlife. Windbreaks can also reduce soil erosion, increase landscape beauty, provide privacy and screening, and provide some protection from fires. … Read more
Recently, Joe Trumpey and a group of students put the finishing touches on the first straw bale building on the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus. Besides the straw, many recycled materials were used for the structure. The wood used in the building was sourced from campus trees that were dead or dying. “It’s very … Read more
Bonnie’s new floating tiny house is a vision of extreme minimalism. It was designed for people who want to experience living with the bare necessities for a short period of time, and who want to enjoy the peacefulness of a quiet retreat on the water. Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBza3byXEt0
This 120-year-old farmhouse is so energy efficient it puts some new-builds to shame. Hill House in Blacklion, Ireland, was restored with sustainability at its core.The restoration took nearly two years. Inside, the floor and internal walls were replaced. Designed so that it could be heated through passive solar means, the center of the house was … Read more