Archives for November 2008
Eco-friendly Stone and Mud Home Dug Into the Hillside
Doesn’t this home look like something straight out of The Hobbit?
The “low impact woodland home” exists in Wales. It was built by the owner with regard for the environment. It’s dug into the hillside, which means it’s probably energy efficient too. The foundation and retaining walls are made with mud and stone. Straw bales in the floor, walls, and roof help insulate the home. Reclaimed wood was used for the floor and fittings.
This building is one part of a low-impact or permaculture approach to life. This sort of life is about living in harmony with both the natural world and ourselves, doing things simply and using appropriate levels of technology. These sort of low cost, natural buildings have a place not only in their own sustainability, but also in their potential to provide affordable housing which allows people access to land and the opportunity to lead more simple, sustainable lives. For example this house was made to house our family whilst we worked in the woodland surrounding the house doing ecological woodland management and setting up a forest garden, things that would have been impossible had we had to pay a regular rent or mortgage. This is an excerpt from Alternative Housing
TODAY Goes to the Ends of the Earth!
NBC New’s Today Show sends its anchors to the ends of the earth to “bring attention to the issues facing the environment and to tell you at home what little things you can do to have a positive impact.” Matt Lauer was at the Blue Hole off the coast of Belize. Meredith Vieira was in Sydney, Australia. Ann Curry was at the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Al Roker was in Iceland.
Click HERE for the Ends of the Earth features.
a Green Revolution…
“China’s voluntary goal of decreasing carbon emissions… would result in five times more greenhouse-gas savings than the targets set by Europe under the Kyoto Protocol… If China’s leaders see the necessity of this approach, why can’t ours?” – excerpt from Enlisting Father Profit to Save Mother Nature review of Thomas Friedman’s Hot, Flat, and Crowded in BusinessWeek.
Windows are the weak link…
“Windows are the weak link, thermally speaking, in most building envelopes. Modern windows are much better than old single-pane windows and store-fronts, but they still represent a compromise – we accept their mediocre thermal performance because we want the daylight, views, and ventilation they offer…” excerpt from “Reducing Heat Flow Through Windows” post at BuildingGreen.com
