“I’m thrilled to announce a range of new Watershed Block, all made using local materials that celebrate the region of their origin, all produced with the latest in sustainable building materials technology. – David Easton + the Watershed team
green building
One man’s fight against poverty, by making a mansion out of mud
“Macford Mwape lives on less than two dollars a day in Zambia’s Copperbelt region. He’s spent the last five years painstakingly making ten thousand mud bricks, to build the house of his dreams. Now he wants to train his neighbours to build better houses for themselves.”
Earthbag Method is Ideal for Constructing Community Toilets in India
“Earthbag construction technology is old wine in a new bottle as rammed earth method of construction is an ancient method, according to the experts in the method, Owen Geiger and Kateryna Zemskova of Good Earth Nepal. They feel that the cost-effective method will be ideal for constructing toilets under the Central government’s Swachh Bharat scheme.
Mulkharka School Earthbag Rebuilding Project – Nepal
MULKHARKA SCHOOL EARTHBAG REBUILDING PROJECT from YuCha on Vimeo.
“This short film by YuCha shows the post-earthquake reconstruction of the school of Mulkharka, a small village in the district of Sindhupalchok, Nepal, using the earthbag technique. YuCha works in partnership with First Steps Himalaya for the rebuilding project.
13 Most Unusual Houses
Not all of the houses in the video are sustainably built with natural materials, however sometimes it’s fun to look at something different and unusual to stir the imagination. My personal favorites are Simon Dale’s 3,000 Euro Hobbit House in Wales (perhaps the most popular natural home in the modern era) and the Flintstones House. Simon Dale’s house epitomizes why Kelly and I do what we do. This house demonstrates how people of average skill can build their own affordable, even dirt cheap, natural house in a reasonable amount of time so they can break free of the rat race and do what they really want to do in life. Which ones are your favorites?
PureBond Non-Toxic Plywood
One main benefit of building with natural materials is maintaining a safe, healthy environment in your home. This eliminates the health risks of sick building syndrome caused by many modern synthetic materials. “The non-toxic soy-based glues in PureBond plywood mimics the glues that mussels use to cling to rocks (biomimicry). PureBond plywood has no added formaldehyde, eliminating the concern about off-gassing dangerous fumes during fabrication or when installed in your home.