It was in 1967 that the first Trombe wall was implemented in France. The system, named after engineer Felix Trombe, combines glass and a dark, heat-absorbing material to conduct heat slowly into the house. The standard Trombe wall places glass approximately 1 to 2 inches from a 4 to 16 inch thick dark masonry wall, … Read more
When Cyclone Amphan tore through Bengal, India, Linus Kendall and Rupsa Nath’s house, built with mud, thatch and bamboo sustained minimal damage. Other houses in the vicinity suffered broken window panes or missing tin sheds, but their unique home stood tall. Fondly christened ‘Kancha-Paka’ (Raw and Ripe), the Swedish-Bengali couple’s home has some conventional elements, … Read more
Welcome to the Jungle House was designed by one of Australia’s champions of sustainable architecture, Clinton Cole. It generates its own electricity, warms and cools itself, provides its own water and food – including fish, vegetables, eggs and honey – powers its own car, is smothered in greenery and is in the middle of inner-city … Read more
The East Wind Community is hidden deep in the Ozarks of southern Missouri and calls itself an “income-sharing, egalitarian community”. They have 1,145 acres of largely undeveloped highland forest. There are 27 buildings and structures, including four large dormitories, nine personal shelters, a kitchen and dining facility, an automobile shop, a nut butter manufacturing plant … Read more
This recent article at insideclimatenews.org titled Inside Clean Energy: 6 Things Michael Moore’s ‘Planet of the Humans’ Gets Wrong, written by Dan Gearino claims that the documentary’s “facts” are deceptive and misleading and way out of date. I wrote a blog post about this documentary where there is a link to watch it at www.naturalbuildingblog.com … Read more
I watched a documentary video that was released for free at www.youtube.com on Earth Day. It is titled Planet of the Humans and is a sobering look at the ecological costs of industries that are touted as “clean energy.” The program was executive produced by Michael Moore. This feature length film (1 hr. 40 min.) … Read more