This year our office has submitted an entry in Habitat for Humanity’s annual gingerbread house contest and fundraising raffle. Entitled “Modern Urban Homestead” our delicious little dwelling tries to present many of the ideas that would go into making our homes more sustainable. The main concept is to change the orientation of the home from being a consumer outpost in a global food/energy/manufacturing system, to being about producing, giving back, taking responsibility, and turning wastes into food and energy – just like nature does. [Read more…]
Kitchen cabinets: choosing sustainably
At our booth at the recent Organic Island Festival I was asked what kind of kitchen cabinets would be best from a sustainability perspective. Here was my suggestion: [Read more…]
Green building forum well-received
The following is the text of a 10 minute presentation given as part of a Green Building Forum at Victoria’s annual Organic Island Sustainability Festival, held July 10 and 11th, 2010.
Good morning. In the time I have available I’d like to share with you some ideas about what I think sustainable design means and some ways we can design homes to reduce their ecological footprint, reduce their cost and make them more resilient places to live the years to come. [Read more…]
Building NetZero-ready
Here’s a science-fiction proposition: What if the freely available energy falling every day as sunlight on your home could keep you warm, cook your food, run your washing machine and TV, even power the family car, and at the end of the year, your energy bill would be zero? [Read more…]
Food for thought
“Imagine that you are first in line at a potluck supper. The spread includes not just food and water, but all the materials needed for shelter, clothing, healthcare, and education. How do you know how much to take? How much must you leave for your neighbors behind you – not just the 6.8 billion human beings currently alive on the planet, but our fellow creatures and the yet-to-be-born?”