This Green House
By Jeff Deal Green building might just be the world’s oldest construction style. Caves, lean-tos, waddle and daub, mud brick, stone pyramids and temples, wooden post and beam, Devonshire Cob; all are green building styles, some dating back more than…
By David Pferdekamper and Brian Sewell Considering the changing colors and the crisp air, autumn is as good a time as any to spend outdoors. If you don’t have an “outdoor living space” yet, it may be time to create…
By Jesse Wood Just as kayakers and farmers love rain during a drought, so does Richard Cobb. “I just constantly hope for rain,” Cobb said. Cobb installed a 5-kilowatt microhydro system on his Mitchell County property in Buladean, N.C. in…
Bunkbeds Never Looked So Good By Julie Johnson Hosteleers, your green dream is about to arrive. This June, The Crash Pad, the country’s first LEED certified hostel, will open in Chattanooga, Tenn. Forget the usual rickety bunk beds with questionable…
“A successful merchandise lineup hangs on the right products…and the right partner. Coincidentally, we offer both.” – Acme McCrary —Story by Kyle Wolff Textile plant Acme McCrary is out to prove that big industries can make a big impact. The…
Chris McCurry of Highland Craftsmen, Inc. By Alli Marshall It was the old chestnut-bark siding that provided the inspiration. Though the chestnut blight has destroyed mature American chestnut trees, Chris McCurry wondered why the once-popular shingles couldn’t be duplicated in…
Local Lumber, Seconds and Hand-Me-Downs Highlight Home’s Expansion Story by Jillian Randel You don’t have to start from scratch to build green. Nestled in the mountains of Ashe County, N.C., adjacent to fields grazed by donkeys, cows and sheep, you…
Home Remedies Both Old & New Story by Jillian Randel Walk through the cleaning aisle in the grocery store and you will find shelves upon shelves stocked with cleaning products. Gels meant to clean the toilet bowl, window spray for…
By Maureen Halsema Combining ancient building methods with modern science, a group of engineers and scientists are striving to change the world through structural design. The goal: to create a carbon neutral home and increase the structure’s efficiency by 90…
Story by Julie Johnson Home building can be one of the most challenging aspects of a carbon-neutral lifestyle. At the The Farm Ecovillage Training Center in Summertown, Tenn., participants learn how to build and maintain their dwellings in an environmentally…
