PolyRoom or PolyBloc by Cutwork

One of the more impressive modular living units that can be a stand alone dwelling or a stacked complex. For the standalone rural or mt. setting I can imagine a two-stack with the roof deck providing more than enough space for couples or small families. Add solar panels that are also a shading device and some water collection and be off-grid. Some smart space-saving moves on the interior. See more here.

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.

TreeHotel (Sweden)

TreeHotel (which really ought to be called TreeHotels) are seven elevated structures of various sizes, shapes, and heights, which can be rented nightly - in the north of Sweden (near the arctic circle). Each has typical amenities (heating/cooling, wifi, bathrooms (some w/ showers), etc.). The one below (Bird’s Nest) would be my first choice. Check out the others here.

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.

X BUS 2

This is one of those electric vehicles I can see fulfilling the needs of many groups. The modular box on wheels: pickup, camper, flatbed, van, cargo truck, etc. Some other cool things about this vehicle are: the steering is completely electric, so the wheel can be snapped onto right on left side int., solar collection on roof for passive charging, batteries in chassis can be added or subtracted depending on desired range, one can get the 4WD or standard drive models. More here.

Not for sale in the US in 2022 but hopefully by 2023.

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.