Recycling gray water is becoming more and more commonplace. It reduces the burden on urban sewage treatment along with protecting a quickly dwindling natural resource. What is gray water? Or indeed grey water! The term 'gray water recycling' refers to all domestic waste water that is drained from sinks, showers…

The U.S. Green Building Council releases list of the top 10 countries building LEED outside of the United States, and Canada is # 1. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has released its list of the top 10 countries for LEED® outside of the United States, on which Canada ranked No. 1. The list demonstrates the…

The Wallace Residence, also known as the Earthship Farmstead, was named Outstanding Single Family Home of the Year by the U.S. Green Building Council. Editors note: This home has been named 'Earthship' but is not an official Earthship trademarked by Earthship Global. From the USGBC : Outstanding Single Family Home…

This Quebec made closed-loop water and heat recovery system makes showering ultra efficient. After recently posting a story sharing the brilliance that is the Swedish Orbsys water and heat recycling shower, it was brought to our attention that there is a homegrown Canadian variety as well. The EcoVéa shower by…

The importance of properly insulating basements cannot be stressed enough. Uninsulated basements and poorly insulated basements can be responsible for as much as 1/3 of the total heat loss of a home. How much insulation does a basement floor need? Insulating a basement is a great idea if it wasn't insulated when…

Micro power generation such as wind turbines and other renewable energy generators are a small step towards stopping climate change. We've seen portable charging devices for personal gadgets, we've seen vertical axis wind turbines and now we have seen a marriage of the two. That's right, appropriate technology…

Canada Green Building Council to provide free LEED registration and certification for rebuilding projects in Calgary and Lac-Mégantic. Ottawa, ON – April 15, 2014 – The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) is pleased to announce it is working with regional partners to lend support to the rebuilding efforts underway…

How to get this drought-resistant efficient growing method working for you, a five step process. What is a keyhole garden? A keyhole garden is a circular raised garden bed with a compost basket at the center and a keyhole-shaped path that allows access to the entire garden. The compost basket can be fed throughout…

The Kenogami House holds the highest LEED score achieved in Canada (106), meets Passive House performance of 15 kWh per square meter and won a Home of the Year Award from Green Builder Media. Along with its unprecedented achievements, the Kenogami House continues to act as a laboratory for resilient, cold climate…

If you have a fascination with wood heat, thermal mass, fire, or building things, then you may just want to sign up for this awesome course that covers such topics. A description of the workshop from the Earthenbuilt website: If you have a fascination with wood heat, thermal mass, fire, or building things, then you…

This hands-on course covers the basic science of composting with various feedstocks optimized to produce large amounts of heat, using a simple but proven approach of embedding a heat-exchanger into a large mass of aerated saw-dust, wood-chips and/or bark. This hands-on course covers the basic science of composting…

Mushroom insulation is being developed by the firm Ecovative as a natural alternative to plastic insulation like polystyrene and spray foam. This cutting edge, high-performance insulation material and method has been called the most sustainable option ava. Mushroom insulation is being developed by the firm Ecovative…

42 extraordinary visionaries, including Vandana Shiva, Geoff Lawton, & Joel Salatin plus many others are joining together to share valuable insights around food, water, the commons, ecological activism and design, social transformation, collective vision. Ashevillage + Urban Farm School are thrilled to announce the…

How can sustainable buildings, cities, and infrastructure improve urban resiliency and offer solutions to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events. Ice storms and flooding. Heat waves and forest fires. The world is experiencing record-breaking extreme weather events with insurers paying $50 billion a year in…

Make an informed decision when picking kitchen counters - think about cost, but also durability, and how your choice of materials will affect your health. How to price a sustainable kitchen countertop? As a professional cabinetmaker, I have often been asked how much a kitchen costs . There is no accurate answer of…

Learn to apply the 2nd (scratch) coat of clay plaster to strawbale walls using durable, natural plaster made from clay soil. Learn to apply the 2nd (scratch) coat of clay plaster to strawbale walls using durable, natural plaster made from clay soil!  This layer is the sculpting layer...when we shape walls, niches, &…

Learn how to install a super insulating strawbale wall & have fun in the process. Learn how to install a super insulating strawbale wall & have fun in the process!!  Sigi Koko will teach you the skills to install and detail a strawbale wall to be durable & code-compliant in this wet & humid climate. This workshop…

Assess building problems and find ecological solutions to improve the health, performance and durability of your home. ↵ Assessing the durability and energy performance of existing homes can help determine their true value. This workshop will offer participants a working knowledge of building science basics to…

Two days of Natural Building professional development - workshops, round table discussions, and presentations on a variety of topics of interest to builders and potential owner-builders. This conference is a great opportunity to connect with others in the natural building and straw bale community who we don't often…