For most of my life I thought reforestation was an effort led by tree planting. The concept seemed straightforward; cut trees need to be replaced. Certainly this is how the timber companies do it in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. But what happens if the landscape habitat is … Read more
Sustainable packaging design is one viable way of providing packaging that is environmentally smart and responsible. Ideally, minimal to no packaging is ideal, but not always practical. So alternatively, choosing carefully choosing packaged products for purchase can make a difference in how we preserve our resources. Sustainable packaging, like the … Read more
Herbs can be used for a variety of purposes: as culinary flavoring, adding spice and depth to meals, or as medicine to treat or prevent common ailments. Having a home medicine chest of medicinal plants is extremely useful and growing ones own herbs and preserving them for later use past … Read more
The ancient pre-Columbian Maya culture was one of the great and flourishing civilizations. Mayans used their traditional ecological knowledge to modify their landscape in stable and resilient ways; in essence, they were early practitioners of ecological engineering. One example of ecological engineering is their method of rainwater collection. The Maya … Read more
If you’ve decided to go off grid and become a modern homesteader, you’ll likely need a well. While rainwater harvesting methods can help conserve and reuse the Earth’s precious blue gold, a well is a reliable source of water. Before purchasing land, you’ll need to assess if and at what … Read more
It seems that yurts are popping up everywhere – campgrounds, spas, vacation homes, guest quarters, even a home office. And why not, yurts are low impact and comfortable. Traditional yurts, called a Mongolian Felt Tent or Ger, are designed to be portable, carried by a single pack animal, and set … Read more
The 100 Dollar laptop, also known as the Children’s Machine, 2B1 and better known as the XO-1, is an inexpensive sub notebook computer. It was created with the goal of distributing the laptop to children in developing countries, effectively giving them the opportunity to explore and learn, in the end … Read more
As the economy puts its heavy strains on us, low cost housing, or affordable housing, has become one of our biggest needs along with access to healthy whole food. Affordable housing is not just about how to build a house in the most affordable way possible. It is about how … Read more
On the 20th of April, 2010, a series of events on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig in the Gulf of Mexico, caused an explosion, the animals, ecosystem and waterfront towns paying paying the biggest price in terms of damages. BP today is still in operation. The Deepwater Horizon was working … Read more
More than just a trendy term at the supermarket, “free-range” embodies an ethical idea of raising animals in a humane, natural way where the animal is free to roam in open spaces during its life. “Cage-free” is an interchangeable term with “free-range.” Eggs are a common food item that is … Read more
Green homes are the way to the future and are characterized by an environmental approach to the design, construct and resources used in building and renovating houses. As natural resources are becoming more valuable in society’s eyes so too are natural homes. Eco prefab homes are also increasing in popularity … Read more
You’ve heard the adage that “food is medicine”. This alludes to ancient holistic health practices, like the Indian Ayurveda, which prescribed different diets for different types of people, with a goal of maintaining an optimal energetic balance for the practitioner. Food can also be understood as preventative medicine, the idea … Read more