Emergency Shelter

Emergency Earthbag Shelters for Pakistan

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Pakistan Relief: 40 earthbag emergency shelters for 400 people
Pakistan Relief: 40 earthbag emergency shelters for 400 people

Two clever examples out of many possible solutions.

“We ended 2005 with a project in the earthquake-stricken district of Bagh, Pakistan to provide Improvised All Weather Rapid Shelters (IRAS). Your strong funding of dZi this year has allow us to jump on this project with oversight from dear friends on the ground in Pakistan. Dr Neena Jain and her husband Bill Rohs are strong supporters of the dZi Foundation and were instrumental in helping us open our girl’s safe house in Sikkim, India. They are now volunteering for Austrian Aid International in Bagh for the next six months.

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Desert Dome Shelter

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The Desert Dome Shelter is designed for simplicity of construction using sand and sand bags as the main building materials. (click to enlarge)
The Desert Dome Shelter is designed for simplicity of construction using sand and sand bags as the main building materials. (click to enlarge)

This is the first of several installments on ultra low cost desert shelters. The idea came from reading Phillip Garlington’s website at Rancho Costa Nada (“the cost nothing ranch”), where he tells his story of chucking a regular 9-5 job and creating a new life in the desert. Economic woes are driving millions of people out of the economy, many of whom become economic refugees with no place else to go except the cheapest land available – the desert. As a result, desert communities are springing up throughout the southwest US deserts.

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Straw Bale Shelter Video

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The blog post the other day about Temporary Shelters made with straw bales was a big hit and so I located this old instructional video and got it uploaded to my YouTube channel. I’ve already received more positive comments than most any of my other videos. This video has an incredible story. It was almost … Read more

Temporary Shelter

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So, you’ve bought a piece of land in a remote, rural area with few or no building codes and more jackrabbits than people. Where do you live while you’re building your sustainable home? Pay rent? Nah, that’s so twentieth century. You want free accommodation so you can put your money toward your new home, and … Read more

Eco Friendly Shelters: Earth Lodge 2.0

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Today’s post is from Eco Friendly Shelters, builders of earthbag shelters. I love the look and the concept. This project is a response to ever-increasing housing costs and regulations that prohibit ordinary Americans from being prepared for any disaster or emergency. The absence of a permanent foundation truly attracted us in a first place. All … Read more

Barrels of Hope Plastering and Fundraising Event

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It’s time to plaster!!! Isn’t it great! All the bags and roof are up. Now it’s just the finishing touch – plaster! Weather permitting, we will be plastering on Saturday December 4th. This is the easy part so come join us and have some fun! To learn more about the Barrels of Hope for Haiti … Read more