Primary Menu
Field Study of the World
Secondary Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • Topics
    • Agriculture
    • Architecture
    • Cities
    • Communities
    • Design
    • Engineering
    • Environment
    • General
    • Historic sites
    • Humanitarian aid
    • Responsible tourism
    • Social sustainability
    • Vernacular architecture
    • Volunteering
    • Waste
    • Water
  • Contact
Follow:

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

education

Nature conservation and community service at Al Numeira Environmental Association
Environment, Social sustainability, Volunteering, Water March 6, 2018

Nature conservation and community service at Al Numeira Environmental Association

296 Views 0 by Erika

Al Numeira Environmental Association is a non-profit organization in Jordan that promotes nature and water conservation in a way that benefits both the environment and the members of the local community.

How the Plastic Bottle Village is turning waste into a resource
Architecture, Environment, Waste December 11, 2017

How the Plastic Bottle Village is turning waste into a resource

2,094 Views 0 by Erika

The Plastic Bottle Village is a project in Panama that is trying to solve the global plastic problem by turning plastic bottles into construction material.

How Sonati is raising environmental awareness in Nicaragua
Environment, Waste September 5, 2017

How Sonati is raising environmental awareness in Nicaragua

501 Views 0 by Erika

Sonati is a Nicaraguan NGO that is fighting environmental problems through education, community outreach and recycling parks built with reused waste.

Community development in indigenous Guatemala by Mayan Families
Architecture, Social sustainability, Volunteering July 12, 2017

Community development in indigenous Guatemala by Mayan Families

880 Views 0 by Erika

Mayan Families is a non-profit organization that works with community development and poverty alleviation in indigenous communities in rural Guatemala.

How Long Way Home is creating architecture and awareness from trash
Architecture, Social sustainability, Volunteering, Waste May 8, 2017

How Long Way Home is creating architecture and awareness from trash

786 Views 0 by Erika

Long Way Home is a non-profit that is creating new skills, employment and awareness by building a vocational school out of waste and natural materials.

Cob houses and community living at Ecovillananda
Communities, Vernacular architecture February 13, 2017

Cob houses and community living at Ecovillananda

1,207 Views 0 by Erika

Ecovillananda is a permaculture based community in southern Mexico that promotes sustainable living in the village of San Sebastian Rio Hondo.

Rammed earth construction at a future ecocenter
Architecture, Vernacular architecture, Volunteering January 25, 2017

Rammed earth construction at a future ecocenter

1,310 Views 1 by Erika

Rammed earth is a popular sustainable building technique, and the key to building a quality rammed earth structure is understanding the materials.

Fundacion En Via – empowering rural women through responsible tourism
Responsible tourism, Social sustainability December 12, 2016

Fundacion En Via – empowering rural women through responsible tourism

200 Views 0 by Erika

En Via is a Mexican non-profit organisation that gives rural businesswomen interest-free microloans that are funded through responsible tourism.

Sustainable living and education at O.U.R. Ecovillage
Communities, Social sustainability July 29, 2016

Sustainable living and education at O.U.R. Ecovillage

393 Views 0 by Erika

O.U.R. Ecovillage is a permaculture based community that educates and brings people together to solve global problems.

Permaculture and knowledge sharing in Kenya
Social sustainability, Volunteering December 28, 2015

Permaculture and knowledge sharing in Kenya

412 Views 0 by Erika

A Common Tomorrow is a student project I helped develop that shows how permaculture and knowledge sharing across cultures can improve lives in rural Kenya.

← Previous 1 2 3 Next →

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.

Subscribe

Interested in following my travels and blog? Just enter your email address to receive all new posts by email.

Social

  • View fieldstudyoftheworld’s profile on Facebook
  • View fieldstudyoftheworld’s profile on Instagram

Search

© Copyright 2025 Field Study of the World.