House Design Online

Designing and building sustainably is often an afterthought or at most a “consideration” for many people. “We would like to have an ecological house but ….” Solar panels for water heating are sometimes given the same consideration as a sun roof in a car, “would be nice”.

Renewable energy technologies and type of building materials need to be part of the design package. If they get relegated to “add on” status, then they no longer become useful and may well just appear as expensive optional extras.

One of the essential considerations when designing a home for yourself is “future-proofing” at design stage. We may, for example like to plan for a time in our life when we are not as agile as we are now so that we have fewer steps and good space at ground level or consider possibility of changes in lifestyle enforced by the global economic downturn, where prehaps a space could be easily converted to a workspace for home office or for childcare.

Similarily our design needs to enable our family home to be more resilient to a time when we will no longer afford be dependent on fossil fuels to meet our energy needs.

Picture yourself and you family, where you will be in a decade or so from now and to consider what you need to include at design stage now.

Build your own Wind Turbine

Congratulations to Peter, Alanna and all involved in the Eco Living Festtival which took place over the weekend.  The festival took place in the scenic little village of Drumsna on the banks of the majestic Shannon River near Carrick-on-Shannon in Co. Leitrim.

There was something of interest for anyone interesting in ways to live more sustainably. I was particularly interested in a demonstration on how to build your own wind turbine. Suprisingly, it doesn’t seem to be so difficult, especially when explained by the people at Eirbyte.

Is it practical? Is it affordable? Is it sustainable? Yes to all, I would say. Lets all step out of the mode of mass production for a moment. Yes we could order something like these from China. But what is every local community started to teach local people how to build turbines locally.

The blades are manufactured using timber and many of the other componnents could be derived from recycled materials.

According to the people at Eirbyte, one doesn’t need to be an expert, many of the skills are taught at workshops throughout the country.

Within most local communities  however, we havethe expertise, We have carpenters, welders, electricians, mechanics and engineers, many of whom are underemployed at the moment. By consolidating these skills, local communities could become more resilient.

For more information on the Eco Living Festival and on building your own wind turbine, please follow the links below:

EIRBYTE

ECO LIVING FESTIVAL

BUILD YOUR OWN WIND TURBINE

SCORAIG WIND ELECTRIC

There are also a number of books which might be of interest:

House Design has teamed up with “Green Books” to provide a wonderful selection of books covering all aspects of Ecobuilding and Sustainable Living. Green Books are an independent UK publishing company, producing books on a wide range of environmental and cultural issues. From time to time we will be featuring books, which we believe will be useful to our readers. By clicking on the title here you will be brought to the Green Books site in the UK where you can order the books from their website, using the secure store.

County Tipperary’s “Little Belfast” is going green in the hope of attracting some new residents.In these challenging times, what with the economic meltdown and global warming, you might find yourself searching for simpler way of life.

Residents of a village in the Republic called Cloughjordan think they have found a way to escape the rat race.

They are building their own eco-village and hope the venture will breath new life into the area.

WATCH ITEM HERE

ECO LIVING FESTIVAL
JUNE 6th/7th 2009

The first Eco Living Festival will take place on the weekend of June 6th/7th at the Drummsna Community Resource Centre, Drumsna, Co. Leitrim (on the N4 near Carrick on Shannon).

The weekend event will have a packed program, with many speakers from across the country, as well as demonstrations, local produce stalls, nature walks, field trips and hands-on permaculture gardening practice in store.

It will be the showcase event for Permaculture Ireland this year, where we offer the public many positive solutions to global problems – solutions that can start in our own homes and backyards.

With admittance pricing at a meagre €5 Euros (€10) and many sustainable living ideas to be had, who cannot afford to come along to our Festival?.

Peter Cowman BArch.,
Director

Living Architecture Centre

A unique opportunity to learn some practical natural building skills and have a holiday experience of a lifetime would be an Eco Holiday at the Boghill Centre at the foot of the Burren  in beautiful North County Clare on the West Coast of Ireland

The Boghill Centre is a residential activity centre situated off the beaten track, in a natural bog land setting between Lisdoonvarna and Kilfenora. SEE www.boghill.com
Although it is only two miles from Lisdoonvarna and four miles from Kilfenora it has a quiet and secluded atmosphere, making it the perfect place to relax and unwind.

They are running a series of Eco Experience weeks during June, July and August 2009.  This summer the series of Eco Experience weeks will centre around Cob building.   Cob is an ancient building material that has been used for construction since prehistoric times. It is made by mixing clay-based subsoil with straw, sand and water. This earthen mixture is then ladled onto a stone foundation and trodden onto the wall by workers in a process known as cobbing.

For more information click … ECO EXPERIENCE WEEKS

Location: CELT (Centre for Environmental Living & Training)

Bealkelly Oak Woods, Tuamgraney, Co. Clare – 9th & 10th May 2009

Traditional Skills & Heritage Crafts incl youngsters courses (8yrs +).
Courses include:

• Herblore
• Sugan Chair
• Greenwood Furniture
• New Course! Fishing for Beginners
• Dry Stone Walling
• Woodcarving
• Silversmithing
• Felting
• New Course! Tool Restoration
• Natural Building
• Basketry
• Blacksmithing
• Spinning & Weaving
• Coppersmithing
• Stonecarving
• Woodcrafts & Felting & Rustic Art for 8-14yrs

For More Information: Contact CELT

Cost: €150/€100 15 euro annual membership
See:     www.celtnet.org for detailed info & online booking
Email: info@celtnet.org
Tel : 061 640765

Next Events: 11/12th July & 19th/20th September

CELT Centre for Environmental Living and Training
Main St, Scariff, Co.Clare, Ireland
www.celtnet.org info@celtnet.org Tel: 061-640765

Two independent 1 1/2 day courses with Thomas and Ulrike Riedmuller
Dates:Sat/Sun April 25th/26th and
June 30th/31th at The Hollies
Cost per course:€100

For great outdoor fun and the real Italian taste these wood fired Bread and Pizza Ovens built with Cob are hard to beat. Learn how to build your own in just 1 1/2 days from firebricks, clay, sand, earth and straw. After this course you’ll be equipped with enough skill to go home and build your own in the garden and cook in it.

For More Information Check out THE HOLLIES

Date: Monday 27th April, 2009

Location: Tipperary Institute, Thurles, North Tipperary

Price: Free but booking essential by Friday 17th of April

Booking:                              Tel. 01 674 5773

More Information CLICK HERE

Organised by Cultivate, Tipperary Institute, The Village, Irish Rural Link and Carnegie Trust

Supported by COMHAR, the National Sustainable Development Council, Dublin City Council, Department of Environment Heritage and Local Government, Sustainable Energy Ireland and the Carnegie Trust

Over the last couple of decades policy makers have tended to regard Irish rural communities as dependent on urban centers rather than as drivers for change. This conference brings together stakeholders from a wide variety of sectors to explore how we can work together to build resilience in a future of energy, climate and economic uncertainty.

What are the actions and positive changes we will need to make to enhance the quality of life of our communities? How will we provide livelihoods and strong rural economies? How will communities of the future provide for their food needs? What are the opportunities for sustainable transport and how will we heat and power our communities?

What do we do to engage people to address the ever more complex problems facing us today? All of this will require for us to work purposefully together to build resilience in these challenging times.

10.00 Registration

10.30 Opening

Representative from North Tipperary County Council

Conversation Starters

10.35 Towards Sustainable Rural Communities
Ciaran Lynch – Tipperary Institute

10.45 From Vulnerability to Resilience
Prof. Peader Kirby

10.55 Regional Food
Helen Lawrenson – Falkland Centre for
Stewardship, Scotland

11.05 Rural Transport
Seamus Boland – Irish Rural Link

11.15 Break

11.30 World Café (view YouTube clip about World Café)

“Given where we are at, what are you already doing to build resilience in your communities?”

12.00 World Café plenary

13.00 Lunch (not provided)

Conversation Starters

14.00 Entreprise, Livelihoods ands Jobs
Ben Whelan – Cultivate and the Village

14.10 The Power of One Community
Seamus Hoyne – Tipperary Energy Agency, Paul Allen, Centre for Alternative Technology and Zero Carbon Britain

14.30 Planning For Rural Sustainability
Bridget Kirwan and Catherine Corcoran,
Tipperary Institute

14.50 Education and Training for Local Resilience
Davie Philip, Cultivate and the Village, Michael Kenny NUIM

15.10 Break

15.20 World Café (view YouTube clip about World Café)

“How do we work together now to build resilience in our communities”

Beyond The Talking Shop

16.20 Making the Transition

Chris Chapman, Change Exploratory and Nick Wilding, Carnegie Trust