Beautiful article by El Habib Ben Amara on how development is desertifying ancient ksars (fortified oases) in north Africa, and what we can do about it. Read more

Read about the progress with a self-build project from RUSS in Ladywell. Shaped by future residents from the start. Read more

Bridport Cohousing launches a range of natural build courses. Read more

Have you heard of the WikiHouse? Find out about this technology and open source construction set. Read more

Lowimpact has been around since 2001, and we’ve provided lots of ways to help people live more sustainably. We’re going to also be focusing on how to build the ‘commons’ economy in future, as a viable alternative to the status quo. Read more

Here’s a conversation with Emmanuel Savard, co-founder of a group in Costa Rica that’s looking at providing all the essentials of life – food production, housing and energy – for their town via regenerative, non-extractive, sustainable, community-based exchange and investment models. Read more

There’s an approach to life that sees craft jobs, or smallholding and food production, including baking, brewing and beekeeping, as well as any kind of job that involves manual work and dexterity as somehow retrograde and passé, and that ‘work’ now means mainly putting on a suit and travelling to an office to do something-or-other… Continue reading What kind of work do we want to do? Is working with our hands passé? Read more

Eileen Sutherland shares highlights from the UP STRAW 2020 Yearbook, as this pioneering pan-European project putting straw on the public and urban building map enters its final phases this spring and summer. Read more

It’s a highlight of the natural building calendar not to be missed. EBUKI share news of this year’s upcoming virtual Clayfest, exploring and celebrating all things earth building on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th November 2020. Read more

Sophie Paterson reviews a valuable new addition to any natural building bookshelf in the form of A Complete Guide to Straw Bale Building by Rikki Nitzkin and Maren Termens, published by Permanent Publications earlier this month. Read more

This is the first part of an interview with Paul Jennings, who lives on a smallholding in Pembrokeshire with his family, and built his own straw-bale home under the One Planet Development policy that exists in Wales (but not in England), which allows people to build a home on their land, even if it is… Continue reading One Planet Development and access to land: Paul Jennings, OPD smallholder and self-builder Read more

This is an informal chat with Phil Christopher of Huff & Puff Construction. He’s a natural builder who has registered his business with the Open Credit Network. He sees mutual credit as a way to build an alternative economy – sustainable, based on small- and medium-sized businesses, and embedded in communities. We talk about ways… Continue reading Natural building and mutual credit: Phil Christopher of Huff & Puff Construction Read more

As the winter months approach here in the UK, natural builder Ziggy Liloia of The Year of Mud goes back to basics to explore the differences between insulation and thermal mass, and why they matter. Read more

Sigi Koko of Down to Earth Design shares her tips and tricks for how to plaster straw-bale walls with clay, this time tackling the second coat. Read more

Hosted by the UK for the first time last month, Lowimpact.org’s Sophie Paterson shares her reflections on the European Straw Bale Gathering 2019. Read more

Sigi Koko of Down to Earth Design shares her top tips for how to plaster straw-bale walls with clay, beginning with the first, or base, coat. Read more

There have been some developments in the planning system that might allow a lot more people to build their own home. First, here’s some background. Read more

Ziggy of The Year of Mud shares a how-to guide for scribing wood to stone, with a project fitting a wooden timber frame on to a stone foundation. Read more

… and a special offer for our readers! We hear from Eileen Sutherland of The School of Natural Building about the straw-bale building event of the year, happening for the first time in the UK this summer. Read more

We hear from Joe Duirwyn of Hartwyn about a fantastic free natural building learning opportunity running from June to September 2019. Read more