Buildings are the largest consumers of energy and worldwide there is a vast stock of old and highly inefficient homes and commercial properties. Bringing them up to modern ecological standards is a skilled matter involving insulating the structure, correctly ventilating the spaces and recovering heat from exhaust air, installing the most efficient heating systems with the lowest carbon emissions and fitting appropriate renewable energy systems such as photo-voltaic panels. The links below … Read more
Purify Contaminated Water for Drinking The Solar powered CleanPhoton Device Disinfects Water
It is well known that ultraviolet (UV) light has a disinfectant effect. Using a special ETFE film with high UV-transmission, it is possible to create very efficient and simple water disinfection systems. Sunvention has developed such a system, combining the effect of natural UV on water with solar heating of the water to over 50 degrees Celsius, effectively killing bacteria (including coliform bacteria) and viruses. The CleanPhoton is decentral, portable and modular. Single units can be … Read more
Swap Markets! A community exchange market to share our abundance
A Swap Market, or Swap Party is a community event, where people can freely exchange stuff that they no longer need, and receive stuff that others don't need. Instead of throwing things to the garbage, we give them away to others. Instead of buying something new, we can receive from others. Whereas consumerist culture pushes us to buy more and more things because we 'don't have enough', the Swap Market poses a joyful, sustainable alternative - there IS enough. There is abundance to share and … Read more
The Jellyfish Barge Floating Hydroponic Garden Designed to Grow Food
The Jellyfish Barge is a floating horticultural greenhouse that is able to purify salt, brackish or polluted water using solar energy and grow crops hydroponically in a highly efficient vertical arrangement. It is therefore claimed that the barge can support two families from an area of just 70sqm. It is built with low-cost technologies and consists of a wooden base that floats on recycled plastic drums and supports a glass greenhouse for crop cultivation. The hydroponic cultivation method … Read more
Reclaiming the Desert using Permaculture Turning 10 acres of Hostile Desert into an Abundant Oasis
Permaculture Teacher Geoff Lawton has created an organic garden in the harsh conditions of Wadi Rum, Jordan and shows how 10 acres of hostile desert can be transformed into an abundant oasis, that is now successfully producing food. In the links below Geoff reveals his design process and explains the steps needed to create a paradise on earth. “If we can do it here, we can do it anywhere.” he says. … Read more
Make Your Own Natural Cleaning Products Some excellent, simple home recipes
Conventional cleaning are full of chemicals that are harmful to our body and to the earth. Here's some simple ways to make your own! Floors - add 1 cup of white vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of dish-washing liquid to a bucket of water, for a sparkling floor. Polishing Taps - add 1/4 cup of vinegar to a bowl of warm water. Inside of Toilet - sprinkle some baking soda, add a bit of vinegar and scrub with brush. Windows & Mirrors - pour vinegar into a spray-bottle and spray on windows and mirrors, … Read more
Home-Made Vegan ‘Milk’ Make your own sustainable, cruelty-free milk
The industrial animal industry is unsustainable and cruel, and dairy has been proven to cause many types of diseases and health issues. There are plenty of vegan alternatives out there, some are imported from overseas and all of them are packaged. Why not make your own at home! Another advantage is that you can choose your own fresh ingredients and be in control over what enters your body. Here are a couple of recipes: Almond Milk: * 20 almonds, which were soaked overnight and peeled. … Read more
Garden Towers A sustainable, efficient solution for food production
A simple, sustainable way to grow food in a rural or urban setting. Why grow food in a Garden Tower? * Saves space - you can generally grow about 40-50 plants on a 1.5 sqm space. *Saves water - since the plants are located above each other, any surplus water drips on to the next plant and is easily collected at the bottom * Pest control - since the plants are grown on a separate soil, there are much less diseases and pests to tackle. *Urban solution - suitable for balconies, roofs, or … Read more
Wicking Beds An easy way to grow food at home, save water and offset some carbon
The wicking bed is a highly productive growing system which not only produces more food from limited water, but also recycles waste organic material to provide plant nutrient and capture carbon. The essence is to form an underground reservoir of water or pond contained by a waterproof container or liner below the surface. Problems would arise if the underground pond was routinely filled by applying water from the surface. The water percolating down through the soil would absorb nutrients which … Read more
Composting Toilet Saving water. Producing compost.
In the Palestinian Territories the access to water is largely controlled by Israel, which makes it a very expensive resource, and not always reliable. The same happens with the access to land where it is possible to farm. Composting toilets can definitely reduce the amount of water needed per family, and they can also produce good quality compost that can seriously improve the soil's quality in a short amount of time. A composting toilet can be built largely with recovered materials. The … Read more
