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Interesting Eco living and Eco Resort Lifestyles |
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Lova Lava Land Eco-Resort
http://www.gladtravel.com/lovalavaland/hawaiigreenbudgetvacation.aspx
Hawaii |
 Eco
Resort Located in Hawaii. They offer a decorated yurt & several
renovated Volkswagen camper buses as sleeping accommodations.
For communal use is the: outdoor shower built with lava,
palm-shaded communal kitchen, lava rock grill with picnic area,
free wireless Internet, bamboo decorated flushing compost toilet |
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Ward's Cheap Solar Power System
http://www.otherpower.com/wardsolar.html |
Otherpower.com was created: 'How cheaply can I build a solar
power system?' The answer, of course, is 'it depends on what you
want to run!' If you want to run a normal house in town off of
solar, you're in for a investment of tens of thousands of
dollars, thanks to a house that's almost certainly full of
power-wasting, inefficient lights and appliances. But if you can
start from scratch...that's a different story! The awesome
little 7-sided log cabin Ward bought has never had an electrical
system...in fact it was built back the 1960s using NO POWER
TOOLS of any kind. The builder didn't believe in power
tools...It's located only a mile from Otherpower.com
headquarters. |
| CoCoBumbo
Eco resort located in the Philippines
http://www.cocobumbo.com/ |
 Located
in the Philippines offering an experience in both
eco-life and learning about how people can live and
have the comforts of life "off-the-grid",
showing that you don't have to give up comfort to have beautiful
surroundings in nature.
The American owner Blackbeard bought an island and turned it
into a eco resort. |
| Rosalie Forest
/ 3 Rivers Eco Lodge, Dominican Republic :
At one with nature, secluded and safe in
the jungle
http://www.rosalieforest.com/index.php |
Restaurant & Bar offering all meals
nature & adventure in the rainforest
3
rivers and natural river pools
community
based eco tourism experiences
sustainable /
environmental education workshops
hiking,
waterfalls, lakes, trails or
relax
on a nature vacation |
| Fantasy Eco Treehouses
http://www.bestofremodeling.com/showcase/homes/fantasy-treehouses?p=1 |
 Fantasy
Treehouses A forest outing, a painter’s studio, a
writer’s den, a dreamer’s hideaway, a lazy rainy day
hangout, a surreal paradise of adventure – it’s a treehouse, and
it’s all of these things and more. There’s something about a
secret treetop home carved from rich natural wood that brings
out our inner children. Or maybe you never grew up at all... |
Black Rock Lodge
Located in
Belize South america
http://www.blackrocklodge.com/home.html
|
Black Rock Lodge's passionate commitment to environmental
stewardship and sustainable operation is evident in every aspect
of your stay with us.
The electricity for the cabins is supplied by a custom
hybrid system consisting of micro-hydro and solar power and we
practice energy conservation throughout the Lodge. 100% of our
water use is supplied by a nearby mountain spring and the Lodge
is able to reduce water use through the installation of water
conserving appliances. In addition, the wastewater from our
staff quarters is processed through a "constructed wetland"
which uses plants and aerobic activity to more completely clean
the water. |
| Solar Tree House
http://www.camptwinlakes.org/medias/fetch/Exceptional_Child_Mag
|
Camp Twin Lakes
in Rutledge, Georgia is a year-round getaway and for
children with serious illnesses and physical, emotional and
life challenges. The nonprofit organization installed a new
learning and fun center for the kids this year, a
solar-powered, green-roofed
tree house on the lake. It’s a new place for the kids to
play while learning about sustainable practices and
experiencing unique design.
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| Totoco
Eco-Lodge
http://totoco.com.ni/EN/inicio.html |
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|
 
Off Grid, On The Cheap
http://wretha.blogspot.com/
http://offgridonthecheap.blogspot.com/
Featured in the book "Off The Grid"
|
 Off
Grid On The Cheap is all about the technical side of MountainMan
Bob and Wretha living off grid.They also have a blog here:
http://wretha.blogspot.com/
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Eco Living Books |
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book on amazon |
 Powers (Blue Clay People)
refers to wildcrafters, people who shape their inner and outer
worlds to the flow of nature, as heroes. Among these
wildcrafters is Dr. Jackie Benton, a physician who lives in a
12'×12' dwelling in the midst of 30 acres on No Name Creek in
rural North Carolina. Benton lives a sustainable life off the
grid by raising honeybees, growing her own vegetables and
preserving them, and harvesting what she might need from the
woods around her. As Powers points out, Benton seems to have
achieved self-mastery in these confusing times, and his initial
meeting with her is a search for clues to this self-mastery.
After the two meet, Benton's sobering and often hilarious
(taking showers in rain water warmed by the sun, learning that
in order to eat chicken for dinner, he himself would have to
kill a chicken given to him by his neighbors) narrative of his
life in the 12'×12' offers precious insights into the ways that
all individuals living in a fast-paced consumer culture might
incorporate different ways of thinking about the natural world
into their lives. (May)
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|
book on amazon
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 A how-to handbook to free yourself from the
constraints of modern living. In daily life, we can
take control of the resources and services we depend on.
Electricity and energy don’t have to come off the public utility
grid—alternatives abound in solar, wind, and water generated
power. Design decisions can drastically affect power
consumption, and bio-diesel and alternative fuels can help break
the oil habit. Dave Black describes alternatives for eco-pimping
your home and lifestyle for independence, economy, and a more
integrated way of life. Equally valuable for the urban dweller
vaguely concerned about the size of his or her carbon footprint
and the rural self-sufficiency enthusiast, Living Off the
Grid can help anyone take control of his or her life and
way of living. 50 black-and-white illustrations
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|
book on amazon
|
 “Some
of the designs in the book verge on the vacation-home look, but
many are appealing in the way they play with the traditional
presentation of a cabin. I was intrigued by the Micro Cabin at
mere 162 square feet.” (Lou Ureneck, blogger “From the Ground
Up” The New York Times )
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|
book on amazon
|
 An
in-depth look at the strategies employed in sustainable home
design. |
|
Eco Living Modular Home Design |
| Modern Prefab and Modular Homes
Designs and Builders "incredible directory" ... Bryant...
www.sunwindproducts.com
http://www.prefabs.com/modern_prefab_homes.htm
Prefab =
Green!
Building a prefab home is earth friendly. Prefabrication
techniques reduce waste, offer energy-saving designs and improve
manufacturing and construction efficiencies. More green
thoughts;
reduce your carbon footprint,
recycle waste, and
car donation.
|
 Prefabs.com
is a directory of modern, modular homes and modern prefabricated
homes. We provide images, data and contact information for many
of the newest prefab home designers and builders. At Prefabs.com
you can browse home designs, view images, and compare details
for over 50 modern pre-fab homes. |
|
Fabprefab "Another
incredible directory of homes" ..... Bryant
Currently available
http://www.fabprefab.com/fabfiles/fablisthome.htm
Concept homes
http://www.fabprefab.com/fabfiles/fabzonehome.htm |
 Predominant
mass-market housing programs such as project homes or tract
housing largely fail to meet the desires of people who
appreciate a modernist design aesthetic. Custom-designed
modernist architecture is beyond the financial reach of many
people and so prefab is viewed as a design and production
ideology that has the potential to deliver affordable modernism.
While kit or prefab homes have been available in a range of
either "traditional" or "alternative" forms for many years,
surprisingly few prefab homes exist that truly embrace modernist
ideals.
|
|
http://www.scrapbookscrapbook.com/DAC-ART/modular-kit-houses.html |
 A
Huge List of Modular Houses, PreFab Construction, Kit Homes,
Panelized, Manufactured Housing and Commercial Buildings |
| Check out the Solar Decathlon Website for some
great cutting edge solar energy eco living concepts. Infusing
competition between the worlds best and brightest college
students, and the best of today's eco technology.
http://www.solardecathlon.org/
Congratulations to the 2009 winners!
- Team Germany:
http://www.solardecathlon.tu-darmstadt.de/home/home.de.jsp
- The University of Illinois:
http://www.solardecathlon.uiuc.edu/
- Team California, Santa Clara University:
http://www.refracthouse.com/
|
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon challenges 20
collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered
houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and
attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best
blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence
with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.
Congratulations to Virginia Tech and Solar
Decathlon Europe
June 27, 2010
Virginia Tech took top honors to a standing ovation at the
Solar Decathlon Europe awards ceremony today in Madrid, Spain.
The ... More
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| Free Spirit Spheres
http://www.freespiritspheres.com/
Built on vision and engineering these
handcrafted spheres are suspended like pendants from a web of
rope. They occupy a truly unique place in the world while
providing a habitat for the un-tamed spirit that exists in us
all. If it suits your un-tamed spirit you may wish to purchase a
sphere or components to build your own. |
Uses for these spheres are limited only by ones
imagination. Healing, meditation, photography, canopy research,
leisure and game watching are just some of the things you can
do.
|
| Alchemy Architects
http://www.weehouse.com/ |
 Beautiful
off grid sustainable living modular homes. |
|
Prefab Modular Home Design Books |
|
book on amazon
PreFab Green (Kindle Edition) |
 IN PREFAB GREEN, architect Michelle Kaufmann shares her vision
of creating thoughtful, sustainable design for everyone. Her
firm, Michelle Kaufmann Designs, blends sustainable home
layouts, eco-friendly materials, and low-energy options to
create a "prepackaged" green solution to home design. Kaufmann
tells about five eco-principles that are present in every design
her firm creates-smart design, eco-materials, energy efficiency,
water conservation, and healthy environment-and how each work
together to create homes that make a difference.
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book on amazon
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From Publishers
Weekly
Who says dream houses are only for the rich? The ongoing
revolution in prefabricated homes brings innovative,
contemporary design to the masses, transforming "trailer
trash to trailer chic," declares architectural writer
Herbers. These diverse projects by 15 firms-from Michael
Graves’s Pavilions (designed for Target as freestanding
structures or home additions) to Rocio Romero’s LV Home
building kit-are not only inexpensive, they’re also sturdy,
transportable, adaptable and, most revolutionary of all,
purchasable online. Much of the secret to cutting costs is
using readily available materials such as steel, glass and
aluminum, and cutting the building process down to a few
days. As a result, several bargain homes featured sell for
well under $100,000 and can be assembled by the owner-like
Romero’s rustic Fish Camp House for $30,000, including
furnishings, or Adam Kalkin’s Quik Build House for $50,000.
Glossy photographs highlight these sleek, functional spaces,
and pages are enriched by detailed house plans and Herbers’
anecdotal narration of their genesis. The blond wood floors
and window-lined bookshelves in Oskar Leo Kaufman’s
signature SU-SI House, for example, were originally designed
for his sister Suzy and offer a clean, minimalist feel along
with plenty of light and storage. Herbers situates the
projects within a brief history of modern prefab and muses
on the future of the movement. Most important, she aims to
make this architectural spectacle as functional as the
designs it features by including a final section on
"Constructing Prefab," with advice on new materials and
processes, building guidelines and a list of material
sources. Like prefab modern itself, this book successfully
combines both style and practicality. 100 color photographs.
|
|
Prefab Houses (Architecture)
book on amazon |
This book shows around 25 international houses that are based
on modular and prefabrication systems. All of them have
ecological advantages in comparison to standard construction
systems, since they represent a more effective use of resources
and a reduction of construction time and there with costs. All
houses are built in factories, carried by road and assembled on
site. Thus, building materials can be used more economically and
very few refuse is produced during construction. Due to the
actual spread of technologies and construction typologies, the
international prefabrication industry can deliver up-to-date
houses, aesthetically modern, and with an average rank of prizes
from very cheap solutions to more exclusive ones, depending on
the main material used (wood, steel, galvanised aluminum and
concrete). |
Sustainable Architecture 
Books on Amazon |
 |
Prefab [Hardcover] Amazon Book
Review
"Pretty Fabulous: Prefab...provides a much needed look at
new ideas in prefabricated housing." -- Architecture
magazine, December 2002
|
 Prefab
presents a series of innovative homes and concepts that boldly
demonstrate that this is not your grandmother's prefab, offers a
glimpse into the history of prefabricated housing over the last
century, and reveals a wealth of practical and attractive
alternatives to the status quo. Prefab discusses architects,
builders, and designers such as Walter Gropius and Philippe
Starck, examines the historical precedents from Albert Frey's
Corbusier-inspired Aluminaire house to Kisho Kurokawa's
capsules, and showcases the work of twenty-four contemporary
architects and designers who are exploring the myriad
possibilities that prefabrication offers for housing of the
future. From the fantastical digitized aluminum prototypes of
Gregg Lynn to the stylish functionality of Ikea's prefabricated
apartments in Sweden, Prefab presents a series of innovative
homes and space-saving concepts that show how far this building
technique has come-and how far it can go. |
|
Intermodal Shipping Container Small Steel Buildings [Paperback]
Amazon Book
|
 Intermodal
Shipping Container Small Steel Buildings explains how to
purchase steel cargo containers and modify them for use as
buildings under 1000 sq ft in size. Learn how you can save up to
40% over tradition lumber and factory made steel structures with
these unique building blocks. New and used steel shipping
containers are available nationwide. It's easy to buy containers
and modify them for use as workshops, garages, cabins, guest
houses, super carports, RV - 5th wheel covers, and much more
(the book shows how). Enjoy a building that's up to fifty times
stronger than most structures, built quick and with amazingly
little labor. Take part in the shipping container building
revolution with the worlds first book on the subject...Intermodal
Shipping Container Small Steel Buildings! Includes photos,
diagrams, plans, and charts. 116 pages, soft cover. |
|
Container Atlas: A Practical Guide to Container Architecture
[Hardcover] Amazon Book
Found in both urban and rural settings, these container
structures provoke and inspire while setting new standards in
functionality and aesthetics. Including detailed reports by
experts in the field, Container Atlas explains the historical
development of container use in architecture, documents plans,
describes associated costs, and suggests concrete solutions for
common problems. The book also introduces the various types of
containers currently in use today, from
standard shipping models to modular pieces made to order out of
various materials or with customized cutouts. Container Atlas is
a practical and inspirational reference for architects,
planners, and cultural activists as well as event and marketing
managers, to guide them in deciding wha |
 Shipping
containers are modular, affordable, and virtually
indestructible. More and more often they are being used to build
temporary structures such as pavilions, offices, galleries, and
bars that can be easily moved if necessary. This phenomenon has
a name: container architecture. Container Atlas presents a wide
range of contemporary projects along with an
in-depth investigation into the background and evolution of this
topical field. The book illustrates how containers are being
used as building blocks to accommodate the daily lives and
special events of urban nomads. Because the structures that
containers are used to build are not meant to be permanent,
their architecture has a more short-term and playful character
that often references current trends. Container Atlas features
advertising, pop-up stores, and temporary exhibits that are
built using this approach as well as sophisticated housing and
office spaces. t types of containers are best suited to their
upcoming projects. |
| Fabprefab
http://www.fabprefab.com/fabfiles/containerbayhome.htm |
 There
is growing interest in the use of shipping containers as the
basis for habitable structures. These "icons of globalization"
are relatively inexpensive, structurally sound and in abundant
supply. Although, in raw form, containers are dark windowless
boxes (which might place them at odds with some of the tenets of
modernist design...) they can be highly customizable modular
elements of a larger structure. |
|
Amazon Green Link to green products offered on Amazon |
Amazon.com and the Environment
Learn how Amazon.com is committed to creating value for its
customers while minimizing its environmental footprint.
|
