“The continent hosts so many pioneers who are looking for other living ways. We are out to meet some of them in Quebec. Starting with the inhabitants of the Bay eco-village, who invented a straw building technique which is heard of in Europe event and beyond, too: the GREB technique. Behind those initials there is the « Bay Ecological Research Group » which, for 25 years now, has been experimenting a post-petrol way of life!
energy efficient
Tiny House Homestead (“The Upcycled Micro Home”)
“Derek “Deek” Diedricksen (www.Relaxshacks.com, author of “Microshelters”), talks to Jess Sullivan, who alongside her partner Dan, built a gorgeous tiny house on a farm in Rhode Island. Jess and Dan’s tiny house is off-grid, with an array of solar panels, a water purifier, and employs a wealth of salvaged building materials, and clever upcycling.”
Solar powered air conditioning
“CSIRO has invented a new three in one solar air conditioning system that provides hot water, cooling and heating.
Making Sustainability Sexy – The Valhalla Sustainability Learning Centre Designs
Here’s an interesting presentation by the same folks who designed and built the earthship greenhouse in Montreal that I featured in yesterday’s blog post. The speaker makes lots of good, thought provoking points. It sounds like they’ve moved beyond earthship greenhouses and are now working on modular sustainable housing for cities. Their new designs are faster to build than conventional houses and very energy efficient, however the cost works out about the same.
Thermal Banking Greenhouse Design
“Steven Schwen of Earthen Path Organic Farm (Lake City, Minnesota) has built an innovative greenhouse that allows him to extend his growing season while reducing energy costs. SARE’s Farmer-Rancher Grants program provided critical assistance for Schwen in the beginning phases of his project.”
OHOME Passive Solar Studies
“A visual description of passive solar design of the OHOME. Sun penetrates during the heating season, but is rejected during the cooling season, optimizing passive solar heating and cooling.