In these videos you can see how the designs and materials used are pretty environmentally responsible, but you don't actually need to buy a pre-fab package from these people. There are plenty of open-sourced designs available and you can alter them to your own tastes and needs. This cuts down dramatically in the cost and encourages people to actually do it instead of waiting around for a day in the future when they might have enough money to pull it off. Just do it.
This is, of course, just one way of building an off the grid home that is beautiful, strong and environmentally sound. Go to the natural building button on the right hand side of this blog to see more examples, or go to you-tube for thousands of ideas on how to build using earthbag dome house construction (my favourite, but specifically with straw bale outer insulation for Canadian winter climates), straw bale house building, rammed-earth tire homes, adobe-style, cob and much more. James, Josh and I will be building our own house in the near future. I have applied to the Sustainable Eco-House Building program at Fleming College, which is the most comprehensive, hands-on and intensive program I have come across. To top it off I have already taken some workshops from the two main instructors who are absolutely wonderful and knowledgeable on building in this climate and others.
So we'll see if the fates will give me what I want. If not I will learn from my good friend Russel who is taking the program this spring, and from my friend Ali who is now teaching intensive eco-building workshops herself! One way or another it will happen. I promise, and we'll be documenting the whole process.
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