“Desertification is a fancy word for land that is turning to desert,” begins Allan Savory in this quietly powerful talk. And terrifyingly, it’s happening to about two-thirds of the world’s grasslands, accelerating climate change and causing traditional grazing societies to descend into social chaos. Savory has devoted his life to stopping it. He now believes — and his work so far shows — that a surprising factor can protect grasslands and even reclaim degraded land that was once desert.”
homestead
From Gotham to isolated, code & debt-free West Texas estate
“Seven years ago John Wells sold his heavily-mortgaged home in upstate New York and bought 40 acres in West Texas for $8000. The area (Brewster County) is so isolated there are no codes or zoning restrictions so Wells built his own tiny home (in 9 days with $1600) relying on his set-building experience.
Earthbag Room with Rocket Stove, Paperbag Floor & Pallet Ceiling Construction
“No more climbing the ladder every night up to his loft. Garen is all moved in and snug as a bug in his new room. Here are some new and improved ideas including an in-floor rocket mass heater (a new twist on a radiant heat floor), a construction paper floor, and a new twist on the pallet ceiling.”
Our Tropical Forest Garden and Homestead Update: One Year+ Later
Tour of our finished homestead. The forest garden is now a lush haven for humans and native wildlife. Our banana plants are around 9’-16’ high and producing nicely.
After a long delay, I’m posting another video about our homestead and forest garden. Everything is pretty much finished except small odds and ends. In summary, the project is a major success on many levels – personally, affordability goals, improved health from working in the garden and eating better, and just plain fun and rewarding. It’s great being in nature. It’s definitely been one of the best projects of my life.
Multi-functional Living Fences
“Fences can be essential on the homestead. They define property boundaries, separate production zones (garden, pasture, orchard) inside the property, provide privacy, and ensure security from animal (and perhaps human) intruders. They confine livestock where we want them, and protect them from predators. They protect crop areas from both wild marauders, such as deer, and from our own animal allies such as sheep and goats.
Welcome to Our Tiny House Family
“My name is Hari Berzins and I moved into a tiny house with my family in May of 2011. I began blogging as a way to share what we learn from living simply and debt-free in a tiny house as we continue to save and build our right-sized, mortgage-free home.