Sustainable Building

The green-building movement has produced hundreds of "how-to" books and websites that are filled with tips about green building and what homeowners should do to go green. While helpful and informative, when it comes to making actual purchasing and installation decisions, these books do not make it any easier for a homeowner to prioritize against a budget. Here, Melisssa Rappaport Schifman shares her knowledge and experience for others to use in their journey toward a greener way of living.

Building Your Permaculture Property offers a revolutionary holistic method to overcome overwhelm in the complex process of resilient land design. It distills the authors' decades of experience as engineers, farmers, educators, and consultants into a five-step process complete with principles, practices, templates, and workflow tools.

With a nation seemingly more divided than ever, many worry that Americans risk losing ground on solving the complex, interrelated problems the country faces - including rising inequality, the specter of climate change, astronomical health care costs, and economic stagnation. The renowned economist Jeffrey D. Sachs offers a practical approach to move America toward a new consensus: sustainable development.

Essential Rainwater Harvesting is a comprehensive manual for designing, building, and maintaining water-harvesting systems for the warm and cold climates of the world. Presenting design considerations and approaches for the most common household rainwater supply scenarios.

Character is something intrinsic to us all; it forms and reveals who we are. Unbeknownst to many, character is foundational to our judgment, behavior, and leadership. As we tackle the grand challenges of our time, strength of character guides us to make better decisions, creates greater well-being, and contributes to human flourishing. For those who lead—whether in the public, private, not for profit, or education sectors—a greater understanding of character will challenge your thinking, inspire new ideas, and elevate your personal and professional performance.

How will software development and operations have to change to meet the sustainability and green needs of the planet? And what does that imply for development organizations? In this eye-opening book, Anne Currie, Sarah Hsu, and Sara Bergman provide a unique overview of this topic—discussing everything from the likely evolution of national grids to the effect those changes will have on the day-to-day lives of developers.

Get off-the-grid and become self-sufficient without leaving your backyard! Cultivating a sustainable homestead off the grid has become more and more popular as many people are searching for alternatives to the trappings of modern society. Off-Grid Living and the Self-Sufficient Backyard is your complete guide to transitioning off the grid. It doesn't matter if you are just getting started or are already an experienced homesteader. This audiobook will serve as your guide for creating your backyard mini-farm and planning for your off-grid life.

If 20 percent of the population implemented half the solutions in this book, it would solve the biggest global problems. All without writing to politicians, joining protests, signing petitions, or being angry at the people that are causing the problems. Good solutions are often different from conventional environmental wisdom. The average American adult has a carbon footprint of 30 tons per year. Replacing a petroleum car with an electric car will cut 2 tons. But if you live in a cold climate and you switch from electric heat to a rocket mass heater, you will cut 27 tons!

Essential Green Roof Construction is a comprehensive, in-depth guide to building simple green roofs for houses and small buildings. Packed with detailed photos, illustrations, case studies, and code compliance advice, it offers clear step-by-step instructions necessary to create your own living roof on a new build or as a retrofit. Where common sense meets beauty—a green roof is a system of layers that work together to support plant life, insulate homes, and make the world a greener place.

Most people who are considering off grid living, are those who are wanting to escape the stress and busyness of city life, and enjoy the peace and tranquility of country living. Owning your own property, and providing for your needs with self-sufficiency projects sounds wonderful and fun, but what are the most important self-sufficiency/survival projects, and how do you accomplish them? That is where this book will help.

One of the most important things gardeners can do is to build up the soil in their garden. Soil building is a process. As humus is devoured by microorganisms, worms, and plants, more organic material must be added constantly in order to keep the soil biomass well fed and happy for strong soil structure. Learn all the various ways to get organic material into your soil to improve soil health and soil fertility to improve plant health for better gardens, higher yields, and more gorgeous flowers.

How do you recognize healthy soil? How much can your existing soil be improved? What are the best amendments to use for your soil? Let Building Soil answer your questions and be your guide on gardening from the ground up. Fertilizing, tilling, weed management, and irrigation all affect the quality of your soil. Using author Elizabeth Murphy’s detailed instructions, anyone can become a successful soil-based gardener, whether you want to start a garden from scratch or improve an existing garden.

While discussing the context in which certain capital costs effectively create an obstacle to the implementation of sustainable building and design practices, Mr. Kobacker discusses many of the misconceptions and erroneous beliefs that must first be dispelled before any other steps can be taken. The internationally renowned sustainability expert then addresses the specific strategic vision he employs in maximizing a project's value while also minimizing its cost.

Our buildings are making us sick. Our homes, offices, factories, and dormitories are, in some sense, fresh parasites on the sacred Earth, Nahasdzáán. In search of a better way, author Jim Kristofic journeys across the Southwest to apprentice with architects and builders who know how to make buildings that will take care of us. This is where he meets the House Gods who are building to the sun so that we can live on Earth. Forever.

Root cellars are making a comeback! Do you often wonder what to do with your harvest? How are you going to store it all? Or do you only grow small amounts because you lack sufficient storage space? Why not build a root cellar? Root cellars are an ancient tradition. Together with curing meats and pickling, root cellars have long been a food storage method, particularly root vegetables. Fortunately, root cellars are starting to make a noticeable comeback, enabling people to store more produce for longer without the need for electricity.

You don't have to be an expert to start a thriving, bountiful garden. Any basic guide can show you how. But if you want to figure out how to maximize your crop yield…know how to stretch your growing season beyond traditional limits…and even grow summer crops all year long…basic beginner’s guides won’t be of much help. After all, they’re only meant to cover the basics.

If you wish to have a sustainable, organic, self-sufficient lifestyle, we will help you achieve your dream! You can turn your backyard into a sustaining mini or micro farm instead of another well-manicured oasis of grass for the neighboring dogs.

Are you encountering resistance when trying to identify and recruit extraordinary but elusive, passive candidates that your competitors ultimately attract? Do your executive searches close with marginal candidates? It's time to transform your approach and results with a proven action plan. In the richly rewarding executive search business, it's not just about filling vacant positions but finding the perfect match between executive and company.

What if you could build a garden that not only cuts back on these costs and eliminates harmful pesticides from your family’s diet, but also helps restore the planet in the process? The time is now to stop the waste of resources and consumption of contaminated foods and turn back to permaculture–this book is here to help you every step of the way.

Master the art of raising rabbits for flavorful meat! Have you ever dreamed of self-sufficiency and having the freshest, healthiest meat on your table? Are you curious about the rewards of raising your own rabbits? Are you eager to master the craft of raising rabbits for meat but are unsure of where to begin? Step into the world of homesteading and discover the art of raising rabbits for mouthwatering meat.