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Popular Posts...

  • The Persian ice house, or how to make ice in the desert
    April 4, 2016

    The Persian ice house, or how to make ice in the desert

  • Build with Gambia Earth Architecture Workshop: Experimenting with local materials in rural Gambia
    August 18, 2019

    Build with Gambia Earth Architecture Workshop: Experimenting with local materials in rural Gambia

  • Earthbag domes of Dome Lombok: From ecotourism to earthquake-resistant housing
    November 17, 2019

    Earthbag domes of Dome Lombok: From ecotourism to earthquake-resistant housing

  • Architecture, sustainability, travel and this blog
    November 23, 2015

    Architecture, sustainability, travel and this blog

  • Bridge building with Toni Rüttimann and rural communities of Myanmar
    December 17, 2019

    Bridge building with Toni Rüttimann and rural communities of Myanmar

  • Floating villages and gardens of Inle Lake
    January 4, 2016

    Floating villages and gardens of Inle Lake

  • Traditional earth lodges of the Great Plains
    July 7, 2016

    Traditional earth lodges of the Great Plains

  • Searching for windcatchers in Hyderabad
    February 15, 2016

    Searching for windcatchers in Hyderabad

  • Providing clean drinking water to the people of Lake Atitlan
    June 19, 2017

    Providing clean drinking water to the people of Lake Atitlan

  • Ganvie, Africa’s largest lake village
    September 2, 2019

    Ganvie, Africa’s largest lake village

deforestation

Reforestation and community living at Sadhana Forest India
Communities, Environment, Volunteering October 11, 2020

Reforestation and community living at Sadhana Forest India

846 Views 0 by Erika

Sadhana Forest India is a reforestation project and a model for sustainable community living.

The Nubian vault is transforming low-cost housing in West Africa
Architecture, Social sustainability, Vernacular architecture February 6, 2019

The Nubian vault is transforming low-cost housing in West Africa

2,243 Views 1 by Erika

The Nubian Vault Association is improving housing conditions, fighting climate change and creating employment in West Africa by facilitating a market in earth brick vaults.

Senegalese villages fight desertification and poverty by becoming ecovillages
Agriculture, Communities, Environment, Social sustainability, Volunteering August 19, 2018

Senegalese villages fight desertification and poverty by becoming ecovillages

2,153 Views 2 by Erika

Rural communities in Senegal are turning to permaculture and the global ecovillage movement in an effort to fight desertification while improving food security and quality of life.

Sadhana Forest and improving food security through reforestation in Haiti
Agriculture, Environment, Social sustainability, Volunteering January 8, 2018

Sadhana Forest and improving food security through reforestation in Haiti

620 Views 0 by Erika

Sadhana Forest is fighting malnutrition and deforestation in Haiti by planting food-bearing trees with the help of local community members.

Reforestation, conservation and research at Cloudbridge Nature Reserve
Environment, Volunteering October 23, 2017

Reforestation, conservation and research at Cloudbridge Nature Reserve

374 Views 0 by Erika

Cloudbridge Nature Reserve in Costa Rica is bringing back natural habitats and biodiversity through reforestation and conservation of native forests.

Rise and fall of ancient Maya water management
Environment, Historic sites, Water May 22, 2017

Rise and fall of ancient Maya water management

4,139 Views 0 by Erika

Elegant water management strategies made the rise of the ancient Maya possible, but did it also make them vulnerable to climate change and collapse?

Reforestation and ecotourism at Las Terrazas
Environment, Responsible tourism November 5, 2016

Reforestation and ecotourism at Las Terrazas

628 Views 0 by Erika

Las Terrazas in Cuba shows how reforestation can simultaneously protect the environment, boost responsible tourism and improve the lives of rural people.

Turf houses, the traditional green buildings of Iceland
Vernacular architecture February 8, 2016

Turf houses, the traditional green buildings of Iceland

2,651 Views 1 by Erika

Icelanders have been building turf houses for as long as the country has been inhabited, and the buildings are well-adapted to the local environment.

About

Welcome to my blog! My name is Erika Alatalo and I’m a world traveler and humanitarian architect writing about sustainable development, architecture and travel. Check out this page for more information.

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