Source – improvisedlife.com – We were stunned and delighted to stumble on this image of David Puchkoff and Eileen Stukane’s porch and meadow on the roof of their six-story coop building in New York City. Puchkoff devised it with his architect friend Lawrence Tobe as part of a plan to have the country porch he always…
Source – waldenlabs.com – The world is becoming more centralized, increasingly focused on economies of scale and transferring wealth to a tiny elite at the top of the financial system. Yet, at the same time there is another movement that is actively working to decentralize the world. The 21 decentralizing technologies and innovations in this…
Source – waldenlabs.com – At a conference a couple weeks ago an activist who does work in Africa recounted an encounter she had with the minister of agriculture of a certain African country. The minister spoke with excitement about the high-tech agricultural technologies he was bringing into the country in partnership with large agribusiness companies,…
Source – waldenlabs.com – Owned by the same family for 1,300 years, the Japanese inn Houshi Ryokan is a marvel of tradition and resilience. This ryokan (a traditional japanese style hotel) was built over a natural hot spring in Awazu in central Japan in the year 718. For 46 generations the ownership and management of…
Source – naturalsociety.com – London’s first subterranean farm, ‘Growing Underground’ is about to harvest pea shoots, radishes, celery, and other produce amounting to 2.5 acres of fresh food – all from 100 feet below ground level. Created in a remaining WWII tunnel, and carrying the name of Michel Roux Jr, a Michelin-starred chef, along with entrepreneurs Richard…
Source – zittel.org – The wonders of summer living have us contemplating how to adjust our daily routines the rest of the year. For inspiration, we’ve been turning to artist Andrea Zittel and her otherworldly live/work compound, A-Z West, on the edge of Joshua Tree National Park. Zittel, a longstanding international art star who is…
Source – trueactivist.com – A project designed by entrepreneurs from Boston will allow their customers to build vertical gardens in pre-fitted shipping containers that are nearly ready for growing. Designers Jon Friedman and Brad McNamara, began working on the project in 2010 and have since sold 25 shipping containers for $76,000 each. While this application…
Source – themindunleashed.org – With Earth’s oceans being overloaded with plastic trash, engineers all over the world are making efforts to find innovative ways to remove this harmful debris from the marine environment. Thus, Boyan Slat of The Ocean Cleanup promises to launch a massive ocean cleaning system in 2016. But what if there was…
Source – expandedconsciousness.com – For the last 21 years, there has been a self-sustaining community living fossil free in rural Somerset, England. They call themselves the Bubbleites of Tinker’s Bubble. Here’s their story: Tinker’s Bubble is located in a beautiful 40 acre hillside woodland park area. While they don’t make much money, they are rich…
Source – metronews.ca – Large parts of Canada were settled thanks to a government policy of giving out free land to anyone willing to show up and farm it. And although the federal government largely stopped giving out Crown land in the 1930s, some small towns are continuing the tradition by giving their land away…
Source – naturalnews.com – Passionate about health and the great outdoors, Coloradans are insistent on producing more food locally, a move that would greatly reduce carbon footprints, provide more transparency and supply communities with fresh produce year-round. While commercial food production continues to be exposed as unhealthy and unsustainable, more communities are turning to locally…
Source – flavorwire.com – The idea of eschewing electricity, running water, and the white picket fence is a terrifying prospect for the average American. Based on the number of modern off-grid homes in remote locations that rely on the sun and wind for energy, others clearly disagree. Earlier this week, we were charmed by an…
Source – naturalsociety.com – “Show me you have a seed there and I’m prepared to expect wonders — Henry David Thoreau” Here’s a new twist on food sustainability. Inmates at Maryland’s Eastern Correctional Institution have grown 5 tons of fresh produce for the less fortunate on a small garden plot, turning rock-hard soil into food for…
Source – vagabondish.com, By Nora Dunn – “Servas (meaning “serve” in Esperanto), is a non-profit non-denominational non-ethnic organization of good-will and cultural exchanges. It’s been around for at least 50 years, and is recognized by the United Nations. In addition to being a network to connect people and places, volunteers around the world work…
Source – trueactivist.com – This egg-shaped abode is powered by solar and wind energy, includes rainwater collection and filtration, and even has a kitchenette that can be used to prepare a hot meal: Ambition to live off-grid does not come without its difficulties. First, there is the task of explaining to your friends and family members why you…
Source – – This Cafe plans to eliminate waste with a new idea!: The Real Junk Food Project is a chain of cafes that allows customers to pay whatever they want, for well-prepared food that would have otherwise been sent to the landfill. The company actually intercepts food that is edible, but for various reasons…
Source – .trueactivist.com – This new washing machine from Yirego is powered by a foot pedal and doesn’t need any electricity. This could be just what our off grid friends have been waiting for. It will be made out of 40% recycled material, making this no-electric cloths washer a sustainable solution with very little impact on the environment.…
Source – expandedconsciousness.com – People have become way more interested in the tiny house lifestyle compared the elaborate mansion lifestyle. However, this doesn’t exactly mean that tiny houses can’t be elaborate themselves. In fact, this little cabin in the woods is small but mighty in all the right aspects. This cabin is a 400sqft mobile…
Source – trueactivist.com – Living off grid doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the good life, just look at what this inventive couple created off the coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Wayne Adams, 66, and Catherine King, 59, have been building a floatable, off-grid home together since 1991. Named “Freedom Cove,” their off-grid ‘island’…
Source – robertfkennedyjr.com – Colorado is now claiming national leadership in American’s transition to a new energy economy. Gov. Bill Ritter has quietly built a strong coalition including Colorado’s largest utility, Xcel Energy, to support the proposed Colorado Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act. The proposal would require Colorado utilities to significantly reduce pollutants by retiring, retrofitting,…
Source – wakingtimes.com – I am inspired by the very definition of self-reliance: to be reliant on one’s own capabilities, judgment, or resources. Ultimately, it is the epitome of independence and lays the groundwork of what we are all striving for – to live a life based on our personal principles and beliefs. It is a concept rooted in the…
Source – simondale.net – The Hobbit House: This is a house I built for our family in Wales. It was built by myself and my father in law with help from passers by and visiting friends. 4 months after starting we were moved in and cosy. I estimated 1000-1500 man hours and £3000 in materials.…
Source – .yesmagazine.org – The industrial city of Wenzhou, China, (population 2 million) is currently known for its rapid development as an economic hub, but some residents hope it may someday be known as a “slow city.” Recently, a delegation of Wenzhou citizens visited the Tuscany headquarters of Cittaslow, an organization credited with starting the slow…
Source – trueactivist.com – Meet Daniel Norris, a signed $2 million dollar pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays… who lives in a broken-down camper van behind a Walmart in Florida. His advance for the baseball team may be impressive, but that is not the most fascinating thing about this outdoorsy athlete: The intuitive 21-year-old will…
Source – trueactivist.com – The Costa Rican Electricity Institute announced this week that the country has been using nothing but renewable energy for the past 75 days. For an area this large to go this long running on strictly renewable energy is truly unprecedented, although Costa Rica is a small country. This year, Costa Rica…
Source – primarywaterinstitute.org – “Since antiquity, the source of water generated deep within the Earth, clearly defying the conventional scientific hydrologic cycle explanation, has been a mystery. How does one explain sources of water throughout the world that produce impressive quantities of fresh water, often in dry areas with little rainfall or at high altitudes?…
Souce – .minds.com – After architect, Rolf Disch, built the Heliotrope (the first building in the world to capture more energy than it uses) he set his sights higher. He successfully created a retail, commercial and residential space called Sonnenschiff, translating to “Solar Ship,” that was energy net-positive in 2004. The building was a hit,…
Source – bfi.org – Who Was Buckminster Fuller? – Buckminster Fuller had one of the most fascinating and original minds of his century. Born in 1895 in Milton, Massachusetts, he was the latest – if not the last – of the New England Transcendentalists. Like the transcendentalists, Fuller rejected the established religious and political notions…
Source – trueactivist.com – A new transparent solar cell that could be used as a window was recently developed by researchers at Michigan State University. This is a feat that was once thought to be impossible, because traditional solar panels absorb light and turn it into energy, but a transparent surface is not typically able…
Source – expandedconsciousness.com – Canadian Derek Kesek is designing what will arguably be the most sustainable plane in the world. No less than 75% of this aircraft will be constructed with hemp, while the fuel source will consist of hemp bio-fuel. Unless you’ve been living under a rock you probably already know that hemp is the most…
Source – wakeup-world.com – The largest city in Vermont U.S.A. has shown that we don’t need polluting and dangerous energy sources — like nuclear, coal and petroleum — to meet our energy demands. In fact, the city produces more electricity than its citizens require, all by utilizing completely green technology. Acutely aware of the risks associated with conventional energy production, the…
Source – thedailycoin.org – Derek “Deek” Diedricksen (HGTV, DIY Network, Relaxshacks.com), alongside his brother Dustin Diedricksen, and Roy St. Clair (Ondura, and Tuftex) show us a tiny, modern A-frame cabin. This cabin was a live build at the 38th Annual St. Louis Home And Garden show (the third largest in the US!) and features an…
Source – trueactivist.com – A new project called Reduce Reuse Grow is hoping to turn a major source of pollution into a positive solution that plants seeds! The project hopes to build a plantable coffee cup that has seeds built into the actual design. Alex Henige, a senior at California Polytechnic State University is the…
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