Huts on Ekopedia

A hut in the Parc des Pyrénées (France), made of stone, with a vegetal roof (living roof).
A hut in the Parc des Pyrénées (France), made of stone, with a vegetal roof (living roof).

“A hut is a temporary shelter built with materials found nearby. It is generally built manually in a natural environment with local materials : branches, leaves, logs, bushes, etc. … Less commonly, it can also be made of materials such as metal (iron), cloth or plastic (sheeting), and be located in an unnatural area such as a backyard or on the water (stilts).

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Building with Earthbags in Nepal

Earthbag school in Nepal built by First Steps Himalaya volunteers.
Earthbag school in Nepal built by First Steps Himalaya volunteers.

“The small kindergarden built by FSH a few years ago was built in cement, but «in Nepal cement is really of very poor quality. Look at the walls: they are already cracked!» Durga complains. «For the training centre, we have decided that we would choose something different and, after a great deal of research, I found out about the earthbag technique … which seemed to me to be THE solution»

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Bustani Permaculture Project Tanzania

Earthbag dome by Bustani Permaculture Project Tanzania
Earthbag dome by Bustani Permaculture Project Tanzania

“We’re a small NGO on north coast of Tanzania run by a French couple who have decided to help the community in a Permaculture way. We’ve built our first dome a year ago then sand bag water cistern. ….Never followed any workshop since difficult for us but read and watched few videos. All your websites help us a lot, thanks again.

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Natural Home Interiors

Natural homes appeal to the human side of our soul… that side that knows we are part of nature.
Natural homes appeal to the human side of our soul… that side that knows we are part of nature.

“Most of us live in very conventional homes with smooth, plasterboard walls, nice square corners, regulation height ceilings and perfectly symmetrical windows. They’re nice, they’re neat, but if we really, really look at them, most of our houses are very boring. On the other hand, we have ‘natural homes’. Sure there might be lots of dust traps, but they appeal to the human side of our soul… that side that knows we are a part of nature. That’s why most of us find ‘natural homes’ strangely appealing.

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My Plan for an Intentional Community

“No one has to sell us about the pleasures of a small town. We know them well, if not from reality, then from the old Andy Griffith Show, or It’s a Wonderful Life. But the small town we all know best is the one deep in our heart, with its elm-shaded streets, little clapboard houses and picket fences, and gnarled fruit trees and run-amok vegetable gardens, where doors are never locked, and where shopkeepers stand in front of their shops and greet you, and the cop greets you, all by name,

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