In Chicago and all over the world, urban farmers are realizing that the most accessible real estate is what's above them, as the large swaths of acres of land are not available in the city like they are in rural areas. For long-term sustainability and to reduce waste, cost and transport, people are looking into closed-loop food production systems housed indoors using vertical space instead of ... READ MORE
Spring into Bed has taken on a new meaning in Seattle. It's the seed of an idea that has sprouted into The Just Garden Project, a way for anyone and everyone who wants to grow food in their yard to be able to do just that - for free! Friends and partners Stephanie and Michael Seliga recently began the Just Garden Project and Eat your Yard edible landscaping, an event and a year-round ... READ MORE
Outside the police station in the small Victorian mill town of Todmorden, West Yorkshire, there are three large raised flower beds.If youd visited a few months ago, youd have found them overflowing with curly kale, carrot plants, lettuces, spring onions all manner of vegetables and salad leaves.
Today the beds are bare. Why? Because people have been wandering up ... READ MORE
This triple-decker self-watering system was showcased at the Encuentro por Una Vida Autonoma in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico in 2009. This working model is made of reclaimed water jugs turned upside-down and hung from a simple frame. The frame rests on 2 buckets filled with any dense substance that works to both keep the bottom layer of plants off the ground and ... READ MORE
By Tara Hui and Judith Henning, November 2011
We created this toilet to help occupy SPACE - for human and nature.
This composting toilet model is specifically designed for the occupation movement. It combines features of several types of composting toilet into one - urine diverting dry compost toilet, tree bog, and the traditional way of just digging a ... READ MORE
Ever wish you could get a haircut and a flat tire fixed without using money but suspected the barber and the mechanic wouldn't be interested in your sleeping bag or your web design services? A gift circle gives everyone equal opportunity to express their needs (and hopefully get them met) and offer their gifts in a way that doesn't require direct exchange but allows ... READ MORE
At the Regenerative Design Institute in Bolinas, CA, you can go beyond growing food and learn how to: grow medicine, grow fibers and plants to dye them with; process the fibers into clothes; make soaps and salves; preserve food with low-tech techniques like fermentation and drying; and wildforage local plant protein sources like acorns.
Re-skilling requires that we connect more ... READ MORE
Living Lands Agrarian Network
Are you searching for land to grow food on? Or do you know someone who has land searching for a farmer? The Living Lands Agrarian Network, based in Nevada City, CA, provides a model for bringing landholders and landless farmers together. They offer training and mentorship to aspiring farmers through a diverse network of farmers and farms. When a trainee ... READ MORE
by Christina Bertea
Having studied every example I've seen, and even built one at a community garden, I finally decided to experiment with peepeeponics in my own backyard where I can monitor it carefully.
I lined an old galvanized garbage can with several large plastic garbage bags to prevent the urine from reacting with the metal (if you use a waterproof plastic or rubber garbagecan ... READ MORE
by Jan Camp, author of Into the Circle: Hula Hooping in California and Beyond
Hoopdance, or simply hooping, embodies the spirit of serious fun by contributing to individual and universal wellness through play. It is an affordable, low impact aerobic exercise that is available to everyone. At farmers markets across the country, hoopers give demonstrations and sell hoops. The aim, for both the farmers and ... READ MORE
In Berkeley, California a newly formed grassroots group, Transition Berkeley, held the city's first Crop Swap.
A few dozen local residents happily exchanged home-grown goodies that thrive in this micro-climate in July: lemons and rhubarb, parsley and eggs. The freshly harvested produce was set out on two folding tables and a couple of blankets, and people filled their baskets and bags with greens and ... READ MORE
Lauren Elder designed this vertical growing system in response to the needs of folks living on steep hillsides in Caracas, Venezuela. Although they had just tiny hardscaped patios they still wanted to be able to grow food. By suspending cheap, colorful plastic dishpans in welded wire columns, a significant amount of growing space could be created. Each pan had holes in the bottom so when watered at the top the pans would ... READ MORE
From Carolyn Shaffer
Epic story of about 20 families that uprooted from suburbia and made their homes for good in one of the most blighted neighborhoods in the U.S. Lykins Neighborhood 64127 Inner City KCMO. And the game is changing! Together as Lykins Neighborhood we believe there is hope. Crime is dropping! 21% over the last 2 years and the adventure continues. Featuring Aquaponics, Neighborhood Transformation, ... READ MORE
by Enrique Sanchez
I had attended a lecture given by Paul Stamets. One of the topics he spoke about was bio-remediation. He mentioned that oyster mushroom's mycelium can absorb and decompose oil. He also tested the fruiting body, the mushroom itself and found no traces of petroleum. The oyster mushrooms were edible!
A few months had passed. I changed the oil in my car and placed the used oil in the back of my pickup ... READ MORE
by Ross Chapin, architect
Pocket neighborhoods are clustered groups of neighboring houses or apartments gathered around some sort of shared open space ó a garden courtyard, a pedestrian street, a series of joined backyards, or a reclaimed alley ó all of which have a clear sense of territory and shared stewardship. They can be in urban, suburban or rural areas.
These are ... READ MORE
by Carolyn North
Severe flooding in Northern California left some valley land scoured down to bedrock. In one such place, the pit was used for ten years as a dumping ground for landslide debris ñ rock, rubble, clay and the occasional old tire. In the year 2000, we were given permission to try and restore one acre of this land to fertility, using mostly the animal-bedding straw from the local County Fair.
For two years we ... READ MORE
Angela Pozzi creates giant fish sculptures made from plastics gathered off local Oregon beaches.
Her latest project, Washed Ashore, is a collaborative multimedia effort to raise awareness and stimulate conversation about plastic debris in the ocean and washed up on beaches. Anybody who has stepped inside her Bioluminescent Sea Cave knows her passion for the ocean and the pleasure she takes in reinventing found objects. Her ... READ MORE
Professor Gunter Pauli, founder of The Blue Economy promotes recycling while adding value, replacing unsustainable solutions. Instead of composing coffee waste, you grow mushrooms, generating food, and the waste is great animal feed.
The Simple Show has other interesting videos at YouTube.com. Here's one on Gross National Happiness.
Gives a great overview of the whys and hows of Aquaponics (the joining of hydroponics and aquaculture,which resolves some of the biggest drawbacks to each and produces a remarkable amount of food!) Get your free copy here.
To resolve the difficulty of finding the parts needed for greywater and rainwater systems, Oakland water activists started an online supply company that makes it easier and more efficient to install these systems. The website has clear instructions for a variety of systems and all the components that would be necessary to complete the project. It is our mission to provide you with quality information and products which promote ... READ MORE
Californias new greywater code allows single and two- family dwellings to install greywater systems from the washing machine without a permit so long as 12 conditions are met, including use of a diverter valve that can direct the greywater back to the sewer or septic when diapers are washed. A clear label for the valve and an operation/maintenance manual that stays with the house are also required. The greywater may be ... READ MORE
From their conception, flowforms have been a part of the Biodynamic agriculture movement. The rhythmic and spiraling flow is widely recognized among Biodynamic farmers as a key component in the proper handling of the compost preparations before application onto the fields. They have proven very useful for larger farms where manual stirring is less achievable. There are hundreds of thousands of acres across the globe being ... READ MORE
Built to explore the feasibility of alternative construction as dense urban infill, this passive solar cottage has foot thick earth walls, radiant heat, daylighting, recycled fixtures, salvaged beetle kill cabinet wood, custom gutter downspout sconces, concrete countertops, concrete floors, and the industrial/residential artists live/work spare aesthetic. It has been much beloved by those lucky enough to live in this sanctuary! ... READ MORE
When Christian Schallert isn't cooking, dressing, sleeping or eating, his 24 square meter (258 square feet) apartment looks like an empty cube. To use a piece of furniture, he has to build it. Located in Barcelona's hip Born district, the tiny apartment is a remodeled pigeon loft. Christian says its design was inspired by the space-saving furniture aboard boats, as well as the clean lines of a small Japanese home.
These small homes range from 65-140 square feet. Because they are on wheels, they are considered travel trailers, and do not require a building permit. You can pretty much put one anywhere you can place an RV. Plans and how to workshops can be found at their website.
HyBrid coined the term cargotecture in 2004 to describe any structure built partially or entirely from recycled cargo containers. They provide complete cargo container homes starting at $59,000--elegant and minimalist. Read more here.
A rotating clothes line for drying clothes outside with the sun the old fashioned wayby Enrique Sanchez
Inspired by Christina Bertea's circular clothesline, I thought, if I could make the clothes line spin, the clothes would dry faster. I was wondering how I could to make a spinning device without too many moving parts and also be fairly quiet. I thought of using magnets and on www.GreenPower Science.com. I found an example of ... READ MORE
Moira Productions produces documentary programming for public television. A common purpose of all our projects (films, study guides, and online resources) is to create informed civil discourse around complex and often controversial issues.
We gravitate towards stories that model solutions and offer hope.
Moira Productions films are a catalyst for social engagement. They have a point of view--eschewing the politics of ... READ MORE
Many studies have been done on our agricultural bee populations and in recent times the commercial beekeepers have experienced colony collapse. What scientists had not studied on a large scale was how the wild bees were doing and what effect that has on pollination of garden plants, crops and wild plants. In 2008, we started this project as a way to gather information about our urban, suburban and rural bee populations. We ... READ MORE
Ronald Saich, the founder and chairman of Panera Bread, has sculpted his company into one of the most successful small restaurant chains in the country. He's also done something no other chain has done before.
By creating a unique, pay-what-you-can model at three "Panera Cares" cafes around the country -- and more are coming soon -- he has proven an idea that seems revolutionary for a large corporation, but is actually very ... READ MORE
