Natural Building

Carbon Footprint. Ever heard of this word? It is the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.What are the ways that we can reduce it and give our future generations a sustainable future? Or a future at all for that matter.

One of the best and slowly getting popular way is Nature Building. This is what we've been learning about and doing for the past couple of weeks. Not only is it inexpensive, it is also eco friendly and economical. All the materials used are from the earth and can go back go the earth if anything is left. Hence there is almost no wastage at all. Thus a general earthen house construction site does not have something called a 'dumpster'. 

You spend much less than what a normal modern house costs as everything you need can be found easily and sometimes in your own backyard. It also makes you connect with the earth in a way that is not possible in our concrete homes. The materials that we use in this process include cob, clay, bamboo, fibers etc. They are easily decomposable and do not contain any chemicals at all. Also this kind of building can be done by people of all ages including elders and kids as there are no heavy objects to carry and any chance of an accident is almost nil.  

The kind of peace that you get when you live in a house made out earth is incomparable, as it seems as if it is growing out of the earth itself. 

Nature as it is not linear. The buildings of today are very monotonous, angular and full of rectilinear lines and unbroken colours. When we are in a natural place like a jungle or a park, the environment has a soothing effect of our eyes. So when we built houses out of these very substances, they also are not very geometric. Thus just being in this atmosphere, can calm one down. And when you are calm and not spending much on building a house, more opportunities open up for you as you aren't wasting money on processed industrial materials and goods.

These houses are durable and some earthen houses in India have been around for more than a thousand years and in this time almost forty generations have come and gone. So basically a house we build now will be around for a really long time and will give our future generations a clean, green future. Also the materials used are very healthy as compared to the toxins we intake whilst living in a concrete house. 

This concept is still coming up and is spreading fast and vast. Many people are switching to earthen houses and in the long run, this practice is going to be beneficial to all. So really it encompasses the idea of, "Think global, act local".