The makers of El Silencio brand of mezcal near Oaxaca, Mexico are opening an eco-minded resort by their distillery. The property evokes both the area’s natural aesthetic and the production of the native agave spirit with six guest suites. Casa Silencio’s design evokes both ancient mythology and the creation and consumption of mezcal. The owners … Read more
I was just notified by Alosha of the Bio-Veda Institute of Arcology about this workshop in Brazil: We are inviting you to Brazil for a natural building workshop, starting on November 5th 2021. We will be building a Wautillarium, which is a self heating and cooling Earthship hybrid infused with Sacred Geometry and Biomimicry. You … Read more
www.ecowatch.com has published a Guide to Solar Water Heater Systems that is quite informative. Solar hot water heaters are split into two broad categories: passive and active. Active systems require circulating pumps and passive systems rely on gravity to move water. So active systems require electricity and may use antifreeze to exchange the heat to … Read more
New approaches to home-building are emerging in response to the multiple crises of climate change, unaffordable housing, deprivation and exclusion. Models for housing vary enormously, from self-build, to socially provided housing and speculative, private markets. But the failure of rent-based models to provide homes that people can afford, especially in big cities and larger towns, … Read more
Governments are expanding financial incentives to reduce emissions. The US government is offering some homeowners an energy-efficient mortgage option, which can help you finance efficiency improvements, save on utility bills and even increase how much home you can afford. An EEM expands the amount you can borrow when you invest in efficiency upgrades. If you qualify, … Read more
John Root is a longtime solar pioneer and this is his journey to powering an off-grid hot tub at 6,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada mountains: “I’ve been living on- and off-grid for 40 years. I started out building hot-air solar collectors and designing root cellars with sunspaces on top. For those designs, I fed … Read more