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Couldn’t build higher. His Dugout backyard home grew upside-down

by Kirsten Dirksen on January 29, 2023

When David Hills and Deborah Saunt began plans to build a home in the backyard of a 19th-century house in …
How the Mississippi shantyboats helped build a culture

by Kirsten Dirksen on April 30, 2017

“I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river Is a strong brown god—sullen, untamed and …
Modern-traditional Japan mud home: bioclimatic on a budget

by Kirsten Dirksen on November 23, 2015

To bring natural homes into the 21 Century, architect Tono Mirai designed “Future House”: a home that blends traditional earth …

$15K remote homestead: bridging inexpensive kit-homes in Scandinavia’s Arctic

by Kirsten Dirksen on February 10, 2025

In Norway’s remote far north, where the wind can rattle walls and the winter light is fleeting, Kjetil Ingvar Berge …

Picking one’s battles: choosing healthy introspection over doomscrolling

by Nicolás Boullosa on February 6, 2025

From an aging G-Wagon to the sacred peaks of Mount Athos, the quest for home and meaning unfolds in motion. …

Kristie Wolfe turns ruin into pirate paradise + old treasure beneath 🏴‍☠️

by Kirsten Dirksen on February 2, 2025

When Kristie Wolfe first saw the ship-shaped home—half of it slipping a small Salmon, Idaho lake—she knew anyone else would …

Formentera counterculture: pre-modern slow world on a tiny Mediterranean island

by Nicolás Boullosa on January 30, 2025

Formentera in the 1960s was an off-grid, hidden Mediterranean refuge where artists, free spirits, and countercultural seekers embraced a slow, …

Could Quiet Van be healthier than Home? His story might surprise you

by Kirsten Dirksen on January 26, 2025

In Southern California, where wildfires and housing shortages displaced countless residents, alternative living options like RVs and vans are more …

Bill Mollison & the Austral Summer: remediation in a disaster-prone world

by Nicolás Boullosa on January 23, 2025

In January 2008, we visited CERES Melbourne and met Bill Mollison, author of the seminal book Permaculture One. Reflecting on …

L.A. startup speeds up housing with fireproof prefab homes 🛡️🔥

by Kirsten Dirksen on January 19, 2025

Can prefab homes be the key to rebuilding faster, safer, and more sustainably? We’ve been following the journey of Cover, …

Santa Ana Winds: a blaze through culture, memory, and resilience

by Nicolás Boullosa on January 15, 2025

Exploring the fiery breath of the Santa Ana winds, their role in shaping California’s wildfires, and their haunting imprint on …

How entire village runs fully off-grid on small hydropower & solar

by Kirsten Dirksen on January 12, 2025

Thirty years ago, a group of permaculture experts purchased 329 acres of degraded land in Western North Carolina with a …

Mike Oehler’s last hurrah: underground living & lessons from the earth

by Nicolás Boullosa on January 9, 2025

Back-to-the-lander Mike Oehler reimagined earth-sheltered living in the early 1970s, sure of the potential—and need—of underground housing. His experiments are …