Archive for Sustainability

Hemp for a Green Economy

August 23, 2008 at 8:45 pm · Filed under Hemp, Homelife, Sustainability ·Tagged , , , , ,

How can we feed, clothe, and house a rapidly growing population organically and sustainably? Hemp may be the answer.

Cannabis (Hemp) is one of the most versatile plants known to humans. It has been grown for thousands of years to make everything from fabric to nutritious foods. Virtually nothing of this plant goes to waste, as it can be used to make almost anything,. It also doesn’t require pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, and it leaves farmers fields in good shape for the next crop year by year.

More then 30 industrialized nations grow hemp and use it to produce many popular products including cosmetics, auto parts, and dietary supplements. It can be used in foods such as breads, cereals, salad dressing and you can even eat the hemp nut. It is also a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids that support cell function.

Despite the fact that this plant is so versatile and can both help the economy ( We import $330 million worth a year) and the planets ecosystem, Cannabis remains illegal for farmers to grow in the US. the DEA still considers Hemp, which has only trace amounts of THC, and its cousin Marijuana, the same plant. The Government still holds an irrationalized fear that if we legalize hemp, we will somehow all be corrupted and all become pot smokers.

Its time to get past the confusion, and educate ourselves and others about hemp. Realize its not a drug, but something that can contribute to our economy.

You can learn more about Hemp and support the cause. Visit www.votehemp.com

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Modular Green Homes Con.

July 19, 2008 at 11:49 pm · Filed under GreenWorld, Sustainability, Videos ·Tagged , , ,

Ever since I saw this episode of Big Ideas for a Small Planet, the homes from Michelle Kaufmann have been my idea of a dream home. We certainly have come a long way with what we can do with prefab. These houses are absolutely stunning with their simple smart design using renewable, recycled, and long lasting low maintenance materials, together with innovative technologies and design to make the homes energy efficient.

Heres a snippet from the show last year:

This video really reflects on the many reasons we should choose build modular.

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The Sunset Breeze house

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The mkLotus

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Check out Michell’s blog Nutrition Labels For our Homes? You’ll see the amazing difference in CO2 emissions and energy consumption between their homes and traditionally built homes.

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Plumbing Problems? Check out this pic I found. This is from Front Architects in Poland. Billboard Homes? Interesting, but I wish I could read the site. These would be a trip though.

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Compact Homes

July 16, 2008 at 12:23 am · Filed under GreenWorld, Sustainability ·Tagged , , ,

These ingenious little cubes, the Micro compact home are 8 sq ft of efficientcy of compact space. This is going a bit on the extreme for most, but these little cocoons are made primarily to house 1, maybe 2 people, with an active working lifestyle and students. Although not self sustaining as I first thought when I heard about them, they are incredibly energy efficient.

These might be great for students, but I feel the price is a bit disappointing at $50,000 $70,000. However some students in Germany where able to rent them for as little as $150 per month as part of a housing project. With keeping with the whole village thing for students I think this housing could be great.

Visit Micro Compact Homes

The compact modular homes found at Green Pod are a bit more to my liking. Much larger then a pod but keeping with being multipurpose, their homes are made with products that are certified as biodegradable, sustainable, and that fully utilize natural materials produced in ecologically responsible methods, down to the organically made furnishings and textiles. The price range for these homes is between $100,000 and $250,00 depending on the package you buy (6 layouts are available).

Although not completely self sustainable, these homes are built completely from green products, are highly energy efficient and functional, and beautiful as well.

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Creating Sustainable Housing

July 14, 2008 at 12:21 am · Filed under GreenWorld, Rants, Sustainability ·Tagged , , , ,

For the next few Posts I’m going to be concentrating on sustainable housing. I recently watched a program on the Discovery channel (don’t remember the name of it) about groups on students competing in an international contest. The contest involved building modual self sustainable housing. Not only did it have to be self sustainable, but practical and aesthetically pleasing as well. Some of these homes where absolutely fantastic.

As usual, programs like this asked me asking questions. If we spend so much time researching things like this, why don’t I see modular sustainable homes everywhere? Why aren’t we seeing new neighborhoods popping up everywhere boosting these new modular homes instead or the normal old “brick and mortar” kind? Is it the expense? Can we make this affordable for everyone? Are we just too stuck in our ways to make this kind of change? If you could afford it would you? I would love to hear your answers.

My answer for me is. I can’t afford a home, I rent (and quite frankly Santa Cruz is one of the most “un-affordable” places to live in the US, right under San Fransisco). But my dream home is one of these modular homes I’ll be showing in a few posts.

(I’ll have to post a rant about Santa Cruz’s un-affordability some day too)

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