Transition Culture

An Evolving Exploration into the Head, Heart and Hands of Energy Descent

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I no longer blog on this site. You can now find me, my general blogs, and the work I am doing researching my forthcoming book on imagination, on my new blog.

Archive for “Natural Building” category

Showing results 41 - 45 of 61 for the category: Natural Building.


12 Feb 2007

Book Review – Rocket Mass Heaters – Ianto Evans & Leslie Jackson

**Rocket Mass Heaters – Super efficient Woodstoves you can build (and snuggle up to).
Ianto Evans & Leslie Jackson. Cob Cottage Publications 2006. 100pp.**

cover **Reviewed by Graham Strouts.**

Ianto Evans, ecologist, architect, writer and inventor, presents a revolutionary stove design of his own invention, the rocket mass heater or “Rocket Stove

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Discussion: 6 Comments

Categories: Energy, Natural Building


13 Nov 2006

The Village on Video.

vill3One of the sustainability projects I have the most admiration for is The Village project in Cloughjordan in Ireland. Nine years ago when we began the Baile Dulra ecovillage project which later became The Hollies Centre for Practical Sustainability, we worked with some people who subsequently went on to become the core initiators of The Village. The people at the heart of The Village are amazing people. The project has been going for 9 years, and still none of them has got to build the house they have dreamt of every day of those 9 years. They have faced the coming and going of new people, setbacks, financial struggles, and a rate of progress which must at times have seemed interminable. Yet they are nearly there, and what they will finally create is really extraordinary.

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Categories: Community Involvement, Natural Building, The 'Heart' of Energy Descent


30 Oct 2006

TTT Turns Its Attention to Building.

Building EventsThis week Transition Town Totnes turns its focus to building and to housing, with 2 events. This Wednesday evening at 8pm in St Johns Church in Bridgetown is an event called **”Building Locally; the potential of natural building materials”**. The speakers are Rob Hopkins of Transition Town Totnes, Gareth Walton of the Devon Sustainable Building Initiative, and Jim Carfrae, the builder of a gorgeous strawbale house in Totnes. The cost is £3. The second event

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Categories: Community Involvement, Localisation, Natural Building, Peak Oil


1 Sep 2006

Transition Town Totnes flyer available.

ttt coverThe flyer for Transition Town Totnes is now done, is at the printers, and will be ready tomorrow. I thought those of you outside of the ‘pop into Totnes and pick one up’ radius would like to see it. It was done by the very creative, professional and patient Simon Blackler of Idealic in Ivybridge. Idealic is a South West Devon design agency specialising in corporate identity, concerned about the affects of climate change, wanting to work with companies who wish to work more sustainably, who I recommend wholeheartedly. You can download it here. Do feel free to print out and distribute or circulate in whatever way seems appropriate.

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31 Aug 2006

Natural Building as Community Repair.

sbYoung people hanging out on street corners and in bus shelters has been a regular part of British life since street corners and bus shelters were invented. Sometimes they can get a bit too bouncy, and sometimes can get up to all kinds of mischief. For the most part though, they just want to ‘chill with their homies’ and talk about teenager stuff to other teenagers (which usually, sadly, tends to revolve around ringtones…). Naturally sometimes this can be threatening to other people who use bus shelters and street corners. Responses up to now have ranged from the police chasing them off the streets to ASBOs (not ASPOs) and trying to herd them into youth clubs. But natural building? How might cob, strawbale and clay plaster have a role to play?

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