Sustainable Paints Illustrate the Dilemma of Sustainable Building Materials

“The efficacy and durability of paint means that relatively high-emission paints with high durability may sometimes be a better choice than low emission paints with poor durability.” Forum for the Future
Continue readingLiving off-grid in Spain: Is total freedom from mains services possible?

Living off-grid in Spain is often cited as a path to both escaping the rat race and saving money on hefty monthly bills to heat and cool your home. Eco Vida Homes clients are increasingly asking if we can design a home with all mod-cons that is not just off-grid, but totally independent from mainsContinue reading
The Principals of Rainwater Harvesting in Spain

Depending on who you listen to water supplies may become increasing erratic and water increasingly expensive. Generally speaking we need to get better at reducing our usage, retaining, and reusing water. It makes sense to find alternatives to the high grade drinking water that has been cleaned and filtered and pumped for great distances whenContinue reading
Market Research Suggests it Makes Financial Sense to Build an Eco Home

This is very interesting for someone who is thinking of building a home. It doesn’t actually cost anymore to build an energy efficient home than to build a conventional home of the same quality. Building green makes financial sense. Some market research carried out by our own Louise Johnsen in Spain suggests people will payContinue reading
Is Wind Power in Spain Practical on a Domestic Scale?

With rising energy prices and diminishing supplies of fossil fuels using the ambient energy around buildings for power generation is bound to increase. The question is: is wind power practical on a domestic scale in Spain? Spain is the fourth biggest producer of wind power after China, USA and Germany. On Nov 6th 2011, aContinue reading
“Sustainability isn’t just about the way we build. It is a state of mind.” Michelle Kaufmann

Yes yes yes. And thank you Michelle Kaufmann for such an inspiring comment. I am a huge fan of Michelle Kaufmann. She is an architect in the United States who has championed energy efficient design. She has developed some off-the-peg designs which I absolutely love. She was one of the first people to show thatContinue reading
Europe’s Buildings: Energy Performance Today and Tomorrow

As a part of the European Sustainable Energy week, April 13th the conference ‘Europe’s Buildings: Energy Performance Today and Tomorrow‘ takes place in Brussels. Here members of the European Commission’s Concerted Action will discuss with the European stakeholders the plans and challenges lying ahead as Europe moves towards a greater obtaining a greater stock ofContinue reading
World Renewable Energy Congress 2011- Sweden

The World Renewable Energy Congress (WREC) is an international scientific conference that provides an excellent opportunity for discussion and knowledge exchange for scientists, policy-makers, engineers and other specialists with an interest in issues related to renewable energy. WREC 2011 will take place in Linköping, Sweden during May 8-13, 2011. The Congress is hosted by LinköpingContinue reading