Urban Camp by Felipe Campolina

Designed to be affordable building systems, easy to transport and assemble. These homes measure approx. 350 sq ft and can accommodate 4+ people. The structural system is scaffolding tubes/fittings with lumber crosspieces for panels (adding to the stiffness). Clear corrugated polycarbonate sheets cover the roof/walls - making it waterproof.

I could imagine these with insulated panels, solar and water collection systems and wood stoves as quick off-grid dwellings in rural, mt or urban settings. More here.

Go, Switzerland!

I feel like the world is getting behind this.

Excerpt from the NYTimes:

Switzerland, a favorite destination for Russian oligarchs and their money, announced on Monday that it would freeze Russian financial assets in the country, setting aside a deeply rooted tradition of neutrality to join the European Union and a growing number of nations seeking to penalize Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.

After a meeting with the Swiss Federal Council, Switzerland’s president, Ignazio Cassis, said that the country would immediately freeze the assets of Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail V. Mishustin and Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov, as well as all 367 individuals sanctioned last week by the European Union.

BillionBricks Homes / PowerHYDE by Architecture Brio (India)

I love this incredibly practical idea and below is a modified summary of what they do.

powerHYDE is a carbon negative, self-financing home for the homeless.

Each home produces 4X the amount of energy it needs. A cluster of 75 homes (a community) is a mini power plant generating 1 MW (MegaWatt) collectively selling the surplus energy to neighboring industries - generating additional income for the inhabitants as well as powering communal facilities. 

This potentially solves: 1. the enormous demand for housing (40 million rural homes in India) 2. the increasing need for sustainable energy (300%) 3. a sustainable financial model. Read more.

Give It Away

Whether it is ideas, money, time, talents, space or countless other things, ultimately, giving away some of what you find important will likely come back to you and others in positive ways.

The Boulder County fires over the past 2 days have yielded unimaginable loss for so many but the acts of generosity coming out of this tragic event remind me of how good people are when they rise to the occasion. I feel inspired by the stories of teens donating clothes, babysitting services, and pet care; business providing goods & services; and people offering up rooms in their homes and whole houses while they’re out of town.

Here are some ways you can help.

Jólabókaflóðið

Our neighbors shared this idea of this with us a few days ago and we may need to try it next year. Jólabókaflóðið is the Icelandic tradition of giving books to one another on Christmas Eve and spending the rest of the night reading and consuming chocolate. Read more here.

B Certified Corporation

Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social & environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit & purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive & sustainable economy.

This is something I plan to pursue in 2022.

More here.