We met Paul, Connie and their architect Andy during the final phase of construction for their modular green home. Paul and Connie owned a lot in the historic mining town of Louisville and wanted to build a green home on it. One that was gentle on the earth and didn’t consume a lot of resources. They […]
I am the wind… (video story)
I have written about a wind turbine in San Francisco: HGTVs World Greatest Homes. This video tries to strip the politics from wind energy and show the benefits that wind power can bring schools, farms, businesses and communities. Talco, is the video sponsor and they help customers install small-scale wind turbines.
Micro Hydro Powered Off-Grid Mountain Retreat
Warren met his Janice in British Columbia (BC) Canada in the early 70s. The couple left the province some time later, raising their family in Warren’s homeland of Nova Scotia. They spent years honing their skills in organic gardening, horse logging, log home building and creative self-sufficiency. Those ‘back-to-the-land’ skills and love of the great […]
Renovating a Neglected Log Home
Mark and I (Terry – your eco friend) have always been eco enthusiasts and dream of one day living in an off-grid home. A few years ago we renovated a Moose Mountain Log Home on 15 acres just outside of Calgary. This was a huge renovation and took just under 2 years to complete. Regretfully, […]
Off-Grid Timber Frame, Turtle Valley, BC
Marjorie lives in an off-the-grid home in the mountains near Turtle Valley, about 45 minutes from Kamloops in British Columbia, Canada. Marjorie is a strong and extremely self-sufficient woman and was the builder, designer and contractor for her Timber Frame home. She wasn’t completely alone as she had help from her 23-year-old son. Her dad helped with […]
EcoNest® Straw Clay Home, Santa Fe, NM
Santa Fe is counted as America’s oldest capital city and has an abundance of adobe-styled homes and businesses. These buildings are distinctive, historical representations, that blend Spanish, Native American and other local cultures and are made by combining sand, clay, water and other fibres like sticks or straw. The look combines design elements of Pueblo […]
Introduction to Solar Photovoltaics
An easy to understand YouTube video to introduce you to Photovoltaics. How PV cells produce electricity
Community Solar Projects
I wrote a post on a the Sabin Coop Co-Housing Community in Portland which will eventually be included in my book. This featured 4 homes built on a single inner city lot. The homeowners shared a central courtyard, gardens, honey bees, yard duties as well as storage facilities and the list continues. The homes are […]
The Dirty Truth about Recycled Plastics
I was on an island in the middle of the ocean, a few miles outside of Belize, no people for miles, yet there were piles of plastic bottles, bags and other plastic garbage washed up on the shore. This was a few years ago and it really opened my eyes to the amount of “recyclable […]
Passive Solar using a Water Wall
I have blogged before on my friend Jack’s passive solar home. He toured us last fall Bellingham, Washington: Passive Solar, PV and Solar Thermal home. Passive solar, combined with a good heat sink (concrete, stone, masonry, water) creates one of the most cost-effective methods to heat and cool your home. With passive solar you have few […]
