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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

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    August 18, 2019

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

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    Bridge building with Toni Rüttimann and rural communities of Myanmar

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    Floating villages and gardens of Inle Lake

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    July 7, 2016

    Traditional earth lodges of the Great Plains

  • Searching for windcatchers in Hyderabad
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  • Providing clean drinking water to the people of Lake Atitlan
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    Ganvie, Africa’s largest lake village

organic farming

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

2,222 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.

Community tourism and environmental protection at Miraflor Natural Reserve
Agriculture, Environment, Responsible tourism October 1, 2017

Community tourism and environmental protection at Miraflor Natural Reserve

362 Views 0 by Erika

At Miraflor Natural Reserve farming communities, the natural environment and tourists have learned to live together for mutual benefit.

Tropical agroforestry at Maya Mountain Research Farm
Agriculture, Volunteering March 23, 2017

Tropical agroforestry at Maya Mountain Research Farm

900 Views 0 by Erika

Maya Mountain Research Farm in Belize shows how agroforestry and permaculture can turn damaged soil back into naturally productive landscapes.

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

Cob houses and community living at Ecovillananda

1,224 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.

Urban farming and its necessity in Cuba
Agriculture, Cities November 28, 2016

Urban farming and its necessity in Cuba

691 Views 0 by Erika

Isolation from world trade has forced Cuba to adopt widespread organic urban farming in an effort to guarantee food security on the island.

Building a permaculture community at Bosque Shambala in rural Mexico
Communities, Volunteering October 10, 2016

Building a permaculture community at Bosque Shambala in rural Mexico

793 Views 0 by Erika

Bosque Shambala is a growing community that can show Mexicans a self-sufficient alternative to crowded and competitive city life.

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

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

399 Views 0 by Erika

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

Revisiting a student project in Kenya
Social sustainability, Volunteering March 21, 2016

Revisiting a student project in Kenya

250 Views 0 by Erika

Last year I was part of a permaculture and knowledge sharing project in Kenya, and I recently visited the site to see how the project lives on in the local community.

Grassroots waste management at Kibuye market
Social sustainability, Waste February 22, 2016

Grassroots waste management at Kibuye market

651 Views 0 by Erika

A group of traders from Kibuye market in Kisumu, Kenya have taken over management of organic waste by turning it into organic manure and a profit.

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

Permaculture and knowledge sharing in Kenya

416 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.

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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