Mudgirls Manifesto

Mudgirls Manifesto PDF

Author: The Mudgirls Natural Building Collective

Publisher: New Society Publishers

Published: 2018-06-05

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 1550926705

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Building a Revolution, one handful at a time. In the face of widespread burnout and a world gone crazy, how do we find things to say "yes" to, rather than a resounding "no"? On North America's West Coast, there's a group of rebel women who ten years ago chose to break free from a rigged economic and social system. They didn't take to the streets to lobby banks and governments to change their ways - they didn't have time for that. They had babies to feed and house. They reckoned that if nobody else was going to change the rules to support basic human needs and respect the biosphere, then we are all free to make our own rules. They chose action. They decided to teach themselves how to build houses using the most abundant material on earth - mud. They'd learn by building, gathering skills and allies. They'd have fun, sharing whatever they learned with whoever wanted to come along for the ride. The Mudgirls revolution was born. Part story of rebel women, grassroots self-governance, and community-building, part incendiary political and economic tract, and part practical guide to building natural homes for real people. Mudgirls Manifesto is about respecting the earth, each other, and crafting meaningful lives. A powerful, positive antidote to troubled times.

The Growing Trend of Living Small

The Growing Trend of Living Small PDF

Author: Ella Harris

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-01-31

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 1000726630

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This book examines the growing trend for housing models that shrink private living space and seeks to understand the implications of these shrinking domestic worlds. Small spaces have become big business. Reducing the size of our homes, and the amount of stuff within them, is increasingly sold as a catch-all solution to the stresses of modern life and the need to reduce our carbon footprint. Shrinking living space is being repackaged in a neoliberal capitalist context as a lifestyle choice rather than the consequence of diminishing choice in the face of what has become a long-term housing ‘crisis’. What does this mean for how we live in the long term, and is there a dark side to the promise of a simpler, more sustainable home life? Shrinking Domesticities brings together research from across the social sciences, planning and architecture to explore these issues. From co-living developments to the Tiny House Movement, self-storage units to practices of ‘de-stuffification’, and drawing on examples from across Europe, North America and Australasia, the authors of this volume seek to understand both what micro-living is bringing to our societies, and what it may be eroding

The Senior Cohousing Handbook

The Senior Cohousing Handbook PDF

Author: Charles Durrett

Publisher: New Society Publishers

Published: 2009-05-01

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 1550924133

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How to make your senior years healthy, safe, social, and stimulating. "Architect and author Chuck Durrett's recently released book Senior Cohousing Handbook comes at a time of high interest in greening, sustainable housing and affordable living concerns. Durrett's new book is a comprehensive guide for baby boomers wishing to continue vibrant, active lifestyles." - EPR Real Estate News "Make your senior years safe and socially fun with the idea of senior cohousing and a book on the topic that shows how seniors can custom-build their neighborhood to fit their needs. This is housing built by seniors, not for them, and emphasizes independence and social networking. Any library strong in gerontology or social science and many a general lending library needs this. - James A. Cox, The Midwest Book Review "As a Baby Boomer, I've joked for a few years that we'll all end up living communally again because Social Security will be broke...This is one of the better ways to envision it."-- Sacramento Bee No matter how rich life is in youth and middle age, the elder years can bring on increasing isolation and loneliness as social connections lessen, especially if friends and family members move away. Senior cohousing fills a niche for this demographic—the healthy, educated, and proactive adults who want to live in a social and environmentally vibrant community. These seniors are already wanting to ward off the aging process, so they are unlikely to want to live in assisted housing. Senior cohousing revolves around custom-built neighborhoods organized by the seniors themselves in order to fit in with their real needs, wants, and aspirations for health, longevity, and quality of life. Senior Cohousing is a comprehensive guide to joining or creating a cohousing project, written by the US leader in the field. The author deals with all the psychological and logistical aspects of senior cohousing and addresses common concerns, fears, and misunderstandings. He emphasizes the many positive benefits of cohousing, including: Better physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health Friendships and accessible social contact Safety and security Affordability Shared resources Successful aging requires control of one’s life, and today's generation of seniors—the baby boomers—will find that this book holds a compelling vision for their future. Charles Durrett is a principal at McCamant & Durrett in Nevada City, California, a firm that specializes in affordable cohousing. He co-authored the groundbreaking Cohousing with his wife and business partner, Kathryn McCamant.

Earthen Floors

Earthen Floors PDF

Author: Sukita Reay Crimmel

Publisher: New Society Publishers

Published: 2014-04-01

Total Pages: 267

ISBN-13: 155092561X

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Down and dirty – a complete step-by-step guide to making, installing and living with beautiful, all-natural earthen floors For most of human history, people have lived in durable, comfortable buildings made from natural materials such as soil, sand, rocks and fiber. All over the globe, these ancient traditions persist; a quarter to a third of the world's population today lives in houses built partially or entirely of earth. Conventional Western building techniques using industrial materials may save time and create efficiencies, but these perceived savings come at considerable financial and environmental cost. As well as boasting a unique and beautiful aesthetic, natural building techniques are accessible, affordable and nontoxic. Earthen Floors: A Modern Approach to an Ancient Practice is the first comprehensive, fully illustrated manual covering the history, use and maintenance of this attractive, practical flooring option. This detailed, fully-illustrated guide explains every part of the process, including: Sourcing and harvesting materials Preparing the subfloor Pouring, finishing and sealing the floor Living with and maintaining your earthen floor. Because information on creating quality earthen floors was not previously widely available, there have been some negative experiences. Drawing on the combined knowledge of the most qualified earthen floor practitioners, as well their own substantial experience, the authors deliver the definitive resource for this exciting technique, perfect for everyone from the novice to veteran builder.

Better Not Bigger

Better Not Bigger PDF

Author: Eben Fodor

Publisher:

Published: 2007-05

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 9781897408032

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In Better NOT Bigger, Fodor explodes the fundamental myth that growth is good for us and that more development will bring in more tax money, add jobs, lower housing costs, and reduce property taxes. Provides insights, ideas, and tools to empower citizens to switch off their local "growth machine" by debunking the pro-growth rhetoric.

Thinking Like a Mountain

Thinking Like a Mountain PDF

Author: John Seed

Publisher: New Catalyst Books

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781897408001

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This book of readings, meditations, rituals and workshop notes prepared on three continents provides a context for ritual identification with the natural environment. As relevant today as when it was originally published in 1988, this classic of the sustainability movement helps us experience our place in the web of life - rather than at the apex of some human-centered pyramid. An important deep ecology educational tool for activist, school and religious groups, it can also be used for personal reflection.

The Farm Then and Now

The Farm Then and Now PDF

Author: Douglas Stevenson

Publisher: New Society Publishers

Published: 2014-04-08

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13: 0865717699

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From commune to ecovillage — an in-depth look at the past, present and future of the world’s best-known intentional community

Riverlands of the Anthropocene

Riverlands of the Anthropocene PDF

Author: Margaret Somerville

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-05-27

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 1351171100

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This is an invitation to readers to ponder universal questions about human relations with rivers and water for the precarious times of the Anthropocene. The book asks how humans can learn through sensory embodied encounters with local waterways that shape the architecture of cities and make global connections with environments everywhere. The book considers human becomings with urban waterways to address some of the major conceptual challenges of the Anthropocene, through stories of trauma and healing, environmental activism, and encounters with the living beings that inhabit waterways. Its unique contribution is to bring together Australian Aboriginal knowledges with contemporary western, new materialist, posthuman and Deleuzean philosophies, foregrounding how visual, creative and artistic forms can assist us in thinking beyond the constraints of western thought to enable other modes of being and knowing the world for an unpredictable future. Riverlands of the Anthropocene will be of particular interest to those studying the Anthropocene through the lenses of environmental humanities, environmental education, philosophy, ecofeminism and cultural studies.

Creating Cohousing

Creating Cohousing PDF

Author: Kathryn McCamant

Publisher: New Society Publishers

Published: 2011-05-17

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 0865716722

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The cohousing ?bible” by the US originators of the concept.

More Powerful Together

More Powerful Together PDF

Author: Jen Gobby

Publisher: Fernwood Publishing

Published: 2020-07-25T00:00:00Z

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 1773632515

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How can social movements help bring about large-scale systems change? This is the question Jen Gobby sets out to answer in More Powerful Together. As an activist, Gobby has been actively involved with climate justice, anti-pipeline, and Indigenous land defense movements in Canada for many years. As a researcher, she has sat down with folks from these movements and asked them to reflect on their experiences with movement building. Bringing their incredibly poignant insights into dialogue with scholarly and activist literature on transformation, Gobby weaves together a powerful story about how change happens. In reflecting on what’s working and what’s not working in these movements, taking inventory of the obstacles hindering efforts, and imagining the strategies for building a powerful movement of movements, a common theme emerges: relationships are crucial to building movements strong enough to transform systems. Indigenous scholarship, ecological principles, and activist reflections all converge on the insight that the means and ends of radical transformation is in forging relationships of equality and reciprocity with each other and with the land. It is through this, Gobby argues, that we become more powerful together. 100% of the royalties made from the sales of this book are being donated to Indigenous Climate Action www.indigenousclimateaction.com