Honestly, I researched small sustainable home building options for three years and was not sold on a yurt until I realized the fabric kits are the least expensive and fastest way to build a home. That was 2008 August. Architectural plans, finances, property construction, etc. caused me to store the yurt until I moved in 2009 April. My new home was erected in three days. This is 2010 February (almost a year of yurt dwelling) and I just recently completed this fabulous book.
Read rave reviews on AmazonBooks from people who may have never stepped into a yurt. They express how wonderfully written this book, YURTS Living in the Round by Becky Kemery, is. I’m here to tell you it is also excellent from an existing yurt dweller’s perspective. Read the rest of this entry »
Above, creative architecture student Magnus Larsson shares his incredible idea to help settlers along the harsh Sahara desert. His proposed process of re-structuring sand is a building material process already researched for helping strengthen earthquake prone land with sustainable bacteria that turns shifting sand into a solid mass.
Looks like Larsson is creating sandcastles out of desert land. Brilliant! His Holcim Foundation winning proposal could very well transform life in that region as the Sahara green wall shelterbelt is planted across the African continent. The possibilities are endless as the quality of life will improve for so many along the Sahara. Read the rest of this entry »
“Scientists need to work outside their own areas of expertise to make new technologies that are pertinent to the 21st century and to collaborate, both with other scientific disciplines and the arts and humanities.”
“Metabolic materials” - is what TED Fellow Rachel Armstrong researches - construction materials that possess some of the properties of living systems, and can be manipulated to “grow” architecture.
Rachel thinks of this as we think about awesome parks or gardens because “metabolic materials” are made from terrestrial chemistry…
USGBC, the Hospitality Industry Network (NEWH) and the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) have admirably joined together to sponsor the Sustainable Suite Design Competition. The goal of this hospitality design contest is to help drive green design practices within the hotel industry.
This competition provides an ideal platform for professional (and student) teams internationally to present their ideas and approaches to green hotel room interior design. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Rivers Eco Lodge is an enchanted sustainable hotel encampment consisting of hillside terraced cottages. Rainforest preservation, indigenous tree planting programs and organic gardens are at the heart of this green resort.
Coco Eco is an award winning bed and breakfast named both after the area it is located (Coconut Well, Australia) and the ecological principles that it embraces such as:
solar powered facilities
black & grey water recycled and purified in Wastewatergarden®.
plantation & recycled timbers
solar passive design principles
building footprints designed to minimize impact on local flora and fauna
It’s good to have West Coast Green back in SF. Not that San Jose didn’t play a fine host to last years bigger conference but the show lacked something last year, call it a vibe, or energy but something didn’t gel. So, this year’s scaled down but energetic and education West Coast Green found itself a new home at the Fort Mason. Maybe the ocean air and bay views added a green spark to the conference.
The economy definitely had an impact on this year’s West Coast Green with less venders but with less money that mean that people just had to get more creative with less moola such as the floating island, show gardens and even the sustainability built Jewish Sukkoth. The usual green rock stars like Eric Corey Freed and Michelle Kaufman made their presences felt with their energetic personalities. Read the rest of this entry »
Psyched to announce thier first offline event, TreeLife by The Cool Hunter, will be unveiled sometime in 2010 (city to be announced). Hey all you tree house builders and fanatics, your time has come for an inspirational modern prefab tree house playground made exclusively for forest loving, fresh air and sky dwelling mavens.
Check out the prefab community blooming online these days! Tiny House Village is trying to connect communities of creative small dwellings. Ideas are abound for these eco communities with Resources For Life’sSmall House Society.
At Green Building Elements, home owners and LEED accredited professional alike can learn about advances in green and renewable building materials, current projects in sustainable architecture and progressive urban planning, and local guidelines for creating green structures in different regions of the U.S.
Honestly, I researched small sustainable home building options for three years and was not sold on a yurt until I realized the fabric kits are the least expensive and fastest way to build a home. That was 2008 August. Architectural plans, finances, property construction, etc. caused me to store the yurt until I moved in 2009 April. My new home was erected in three days. This is 2010 February (almost a year of yurt dwelling) and I just recently completed this fabulous book.
