“Touching the Earth Lightly (TEL) is a call to action…that combines people, design and conservation. It expresses a relationship between humans and the earth based on custodianship, sensitivity and respect, that results in developments that have the least possible impact (both visually and physically) on the natural & cultural landscape, and that reflect both internally and externally, the “sense of place” evoked by the intrinsic qualities of the landscape.
sustainable
One Acre and Security: What Would You Do?
In my formative teen years I was reading books such as Bradford Angier’s One Acre & Security about how to live simply off the land. These books set the direction for my life. I won’t recap what the book is about – follow the link if you’re interested – I mostly wanted to know what readers would do if they had a small piece of land in the country. What type of house would you build? Would you build a barn? A shop? Dig a pond? Grow a garden? Start a home-based business? What would you do?
Thin Wall Earthbag — 10x Faster than Typical Earthbag
As many readers know, my passion is promoting very low cost housing that virtually anyone can afford. Earthbag is a natural option for housing the poor, however the thick walls take up a disproportionate amount of space on tiny urban lots such as in slums, and the hard work deters some. Thin walls have a lot of advantages. That’s one reason Dr. Anderton’s E-khaya housing system with narrow earthbag tubes caught my eye. I’m now considering how to adapt this basic method for wider use.
Storage Shed Built Out Of Pallets
“If you look into sustainable living there are so many people now realising how we can build homes & sheds out of recycled materials, from earthbags, tyres, sand bags and even pallets.
I have quite an interest in all this and there is a great website called The Natural Building Blog. Each day I get a newsletter from them with ideas of what is happening around the world with sustainable living.
Nirvana Home Energy System
“Imagine if your hot water heater could generate enough electricity to power your entire house, while still heating your water. That’s the promise of Nirvana’s Home Energy System. Using clean natural gas that’s already running to your house, our combined heat and power (CHP) system generates electricity, hot water and heat (for radiator-based home heating).
Paper Bag Floors
“Those of you that are looking for an affordable, attractive, totally doable flooring solution have come to the right place! I wanted to do paper flooring, mostly because it was cheap and I thought it looked great. But mostly because it was cheap. My boys room is about 10 x 12 and I did the whole thing for about $80, but I have enough supplies left over that the next room will cost about $30. Most of you are probably wondering what the heck paper on a floor looks like and I don’t blame you, it’s kind of a weird idea. Here is what the finished product looks like…”