caribou

Alternative living styles are expressed in innumerable ways, today. The range could vary from neo-paleolithic to New Urbanist chic. An approach somewhere between the two is found in the Ecovillage Movement which focuses on lifestyles which can be sustainably maintained into the indefinite future. In an ecovillage neighborhood the edible landscape of a privacy buffer zone might consist of heirloom grains that are manually harvested which you grind as an ingredient for home made breads. Your indoor environment could be heated by a combination of passive solar design with lots of glass to invite the sun in to shine on rock for thermal mass, as well as a radiant in floor heating system that is wood powered via a 1093 deg C gasification chamber. These two images of landscape and home illustrate an important aspect of ecovillage thought. Take the best from past and the present and weave them into a sustainable matrix.   Read more...

The image of Fangorn forest in the Peter Jackson screen version of the Lord of the Rings trilogy was a renewed powerful energy to many. The interconnectedness of all things rang true even though it may have seeped into Western minds from Eastern and traditional cultures.

The immensity of Nature and it's intricate majesty often leaves one simply without words. What if you could walk in a large forest similar to Fanghorn with 2000 year old trees 20-40 feet in diameter, today? How would it feel? It's worth the journey. web.unbc.ca/~wetbelt/index.html   Read more...