This is one of the best documentaries about Community Supported Agriculture, Community Land Trusts and Community Currencies. COMING HOME: E.F. Schumacher and the Reinvention of the Local Economy, is a new 37 minute film that tells the story of a series of revolutionary innovations by the community of Great Barrington, MA to address, at the local level, some of the economic challenges of our nation’s current hard times. In 1973, British economist E.F. Schumacher wrote “Small is Beautiful – … [Read more...]
Springhill Cohousing
Last Saturday Gloria and I joined members of the North London Sustainable Housing Partnership to visit the lovely Springhill Cohousing community in Stroud. The video above is a quick tour of the site (unfortunately my battery ran out before I got to show you around inside the common house, and I hadn't put the camera in high resolution mode). Below are the photos I took during our tour, where together with lots of outdoor picture you can take a sneak peak inside some of the houses (some of which … [Read more...]
Building communities we’d like to see
This summer United Diversity is helping the West Lexham Education Centre in a variety of ways. West Lexham Education Centre is an unblemished example of a project providing a leading-edge space that creates innovative services, meaningful training and supports sustainable enterprise opportunities. Located in the beautiful Norfolk countryside, West Lexham engages with both local and national partners to promote sustainability, learning and wellbeing. West Lexham has a number of buildings that … [Read more...]
Strawbale prefab building timelapse – Strohballen Vorfertigung Zeitraffer
Strawbale prefab building timelapse - Strohballen Vorfertigung Zeitraffer This clip is part of film material for a new film about strawbale building: "Houses of straw - Part 2". Become a sponsor for this project! More information about this film: www.ecofilm.de This timelapse clip shows the build-up of a prefab-strawbale building in Germany, in the ecovillage Siebenlinden. Architect: Dirk Scharmer. The wall elements were built in a hall nearby, transported to the spot and built up … [Read more...]
City Repair LA
Mark Lakeman stares down the new Bimini Street salamander.Portland architect and activist Mark Lakeman, founder of the City Repair movement, is in Los Angeles for a week of lectures and activities. Lakeman believes in actions that correct what he believes is our disassociation from nature and our alienation from each other. He's a passionate opponent of the grid, the imposition of street networks and regimented thinking that he traces back to Roman imperialism. He's probably most famous for … [Read more...]
Soil Pulverizer Annihilates Soil Handling Limits
We are glad to report that the LifeTrac-mounted, open source soil pulverizer has annihilated soil-handling limits from our compressed earth brick (CEB) pressing ability. Initial testing achieved 5 ton per hour soil throughput, while The Liberator CEB press requires about 1.5 tons of soil per hour. We have shown the pulverizer rotor development in a previous post. See the build and testing of the machine after the addition of the bucket and lift cylinder: Soil Pulverizer Prototype 1 Complete … [Read more...]
Backyard Solar Dish Melts Steel
We’re all familiar with the vast solar thermal power stations in the desert that use mirrors to make steam to drive turbines. Giant solar thermal arrays are already making electricity in the desert in Spain and California. But what if we could have just one of these units in the backyard, just for our own use? That’s what motivated a team of MIT students to find the way to make the cheapest solar power station out there. Mass produce it for the home user and market it under their own new start … [Read more...]
Fish Systems and Design
A grim new film, The End of the Line, reveals the impact of overfishing on our oceans. It exposes the extent to which global stocks of fish are dwindling; features scientists who warn we could see the end of most seafood by 2048; and includes chefs and fishers who seem indifferent to the ecocidal consequences of their business practices. "We must act now to protect the sea from rampant overfishing” says Charles Clover, author of the book of the film. Must, must. Although important in raising … [Read more...]