A resilient community has the ability to survive an extended disconnection from the global grid in areas including:
– Energy
– Food
– Security (both active and passive)
– Communications
– Transportation
natural building
Free House Plans and Desert Shelter Plans Now Available
My free plans are now available and just a click away on our Free House Plans page. This is an exciting moment for me. The four PDFs published so far represent weeks of work and dozens of files (three houses and six shelters). I’ve been sending them out by email to those who requested the plans, but now they’re available right here on our blog as free PDFs.
Top 10 Natural Building Materials
“New home construction comes at a tremendous expense to the planet. Building 1.7 million homes with traditional wood, steel and concrete frames consumes the same amount of energy as heating and cooling 10 million houses each year, according to the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials. The environmental costs stem largely from the manufacture of the materials. Cement production, for example, requires an astounding amount of energy and results in water and air pollution and industrial waste that is usually not recycled. Using natural materials that require minimal processing or refining reduces these environmental impacts.
More Natural Building and Permaculture Videos
COHABITAT, The movie
This video is about Cohabitat, which is a group of professionals networking together to spread natural building information and action, from what I understand. The video mainly showcases strawbale building in Poland and Switzerland. Thought I’d share the video with you. – Luke
Multifunctional small green roofs: drought-proof shelters with wildlife habitats
“Whilst building low cost small green roofs Tim Green had a brain wave. His roofs could not only keep his buildings weather proof, he could also make them into wildlife habitats and dust them with symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi to make them more drought tolerant. Genius! …The construction took about 3 hours and cost just under … Read more
Three Natural Building Books
Natural Building: A Guide to Materials and Techniques
Natural building involves construction with materials that have undergone less processing and manufacturing than conventional synthetic products. Wherever possible, the natural materials that are used are renewable, originating from crops, and are obtained locally. Transport, pollution, carbon emissions, and fossil fuel use are therefore minimized and the end-product is harmonious, healthy, and environmentally beneficial. This book describes the many materials and methods that have been used by the pioneers of natural building; discusses the reasons why various materials have been chosen and frankly explains their advantages and disadvantages; provides a detailed consideration of all the main forms of natural construction, including building with earth, timber, and straw bales; and covers green and natural roofs, lime and masonry, and the use of hemp, as well as natural insulation materials, paints, and finishes. It thoroughly examines all the techniques involved, and analyzes the principles of green building and the issues involved in planning and regulatory approvals. It is lavishly illustrated with more than 220 color photographs and diagrams.