Steep Slope Stabilization 6 Month Check Up So its been over 6 months since we started our first hillside hugelkultur test and I’m happy to report that the results look good. If you’re unfamiliar with the process take a look at this post here. Over the summer the hillside was clearly very damaged with little more than rocks left on …
Small Engineered Wetland & Climate Change
The Global Power of Wetlands: The Absorption of Carbon There is a lot of data out there about how important wetlands are to the safety and future of the planet but there is little emphasis placed on the ability of wetlands to capture carbon. Wetlands absorb carbon at a higher rate than more dry land for a few reasons. First, …
Experimental Permaculture: Steep Slope Stabalization
Erosion Control What do you do if you’ve got a steep bank, one that is already eroding away, specifically one that’s in a tight space where you can’t change the angle very much, maybe one below a road bed or some other already built up area where you can’t loose any more soil without risking collapse? There are a few …
Land Owners
We’re now officially land owners Here is the latest lay-out of our landscape design (focusing on the plants and things more than the house). It’s hard to read the list of plants so they’re detailed below. This has not been presented to the township or the neighborhood so it’s subject to change but as soon as the weather breaks we …
Natural Building Progress
Just a quick update to say that the lot we have a contract on is buildable! This means as long as the title is clear and the price (which is based on back-taxes owed since the 1980s) is where we need it to be! Here is a look at the lot and where we want our house via an overhead …
The Sustainability of City Living
Feed the City The city I live in, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has in it 300,000 people (give or take a few thousand) and while we have an amazing market area – a hub – for produce, meats, dairy products, and event flowers in the Strip District much of that food is brought in from far away places. That means that we …
Wattle Fence
In our continuing effort to cut cost, lower embodied energy, and use waste or otherwise unused and abundant materials we’ve stumbled on the idea of fencing our yard with a wattle fence. Why are we even going to build a fence? We have a dog and a cat and they both love to be outside. Without a fence they need …