Aircrew Homes-Low Cost, Eco-Friendly | Hajjar Gibran

The high cost and vulnerability to the forces of nature make conventional stick houses foolish. The 3 little pigs taught us that in kindergarten. How about we build solid Aircrete brick homes that aren’t damaged by water or high winds? A fabric reinforced AirCrete dome home is much more durable yet costs only a small fraction of conventional housing.

The son of an inventor, Hajjar Gibran’s youth passed building tree houses, hot rods and tiny homes, and he was already a skilled designer & builder by the time he finished the engineering program at SDSU.

He built his first passive solar home in Nova Scotia, winning several awards from the Nova Scotia Design Council. While building The Gibran Center in Thailand, Hajjar developed an innovative way of building beautiful low cost AirCrete domes that has gained international recognition. Hajjar founded Domegaia in 2014 to answer the global demand for his innovative low cost housing designs. Visit him at Domegaia.com This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Tiny homes of the future – Lara Nobel

Lara Nobel has always had a natural tendency to problem solve, so when she found herself at the bottom rung of one of the world’s least affordable housing markets, she immediately started brainstorming alternatives. In this talk Lara shares how she was able to innovate, creating one of the world’s best tiny houses.

Lara Nobel has always had a natural tendency to problem solve, so when she found herself at the bottom rung of one of the world’s least affordable housing markets, she immediately started brainstorming alternatives. With an optimism that’s grounded in tangible solutions, Lara has travelled the world studying urban design solutions in Berlin, micro-housing in Tokyo, and alternative housing in Portland. She’s now developing a new type of compact housing in Australia – one that’s driven by our needs rather than market expectations. Leading by example, she has co-founded a company to produce these affordable ‘tiny houses’.

After completing a Masters in Architecture, Lara transitioned to an apprenticeship in carpentry to gain some hands-on experience that would aid her new venture. She is now near the end of this apprenticeship and last year won Apprentice of the Year.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible – Charles Eisenstein

“There is a vast territory between what we’re trying to leave behind, and where we want to go – and we don’t have any maps for that territory.” – Charles Eisenstein

Filmed in the fading light on the shores of Northern Scotland, this short film captures Charles Eisenstein in a moment of grief and reflection. The familiar story of the past is crumbling, while the new story has yet to arrive. In a time of social and ecological crisis, what can we as individuals do in this space between?

An African proverb states “sometimes you must get lost in order to find your way.” Eisenstein invites us to embrace a radically different understanding of cause and effect, sounding a clarion call to surrender our old worldview of separation, so that we can finally create the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.

Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur talking about Solar Power

One of my all time favorite classics scenes from the movie, “You Can’t Take it With You”.

In which Jimmy and Jean talk about the paradigm of fear and passion, Banking and finance, commitment and duty, The Sun, plants and Solar Power, the secret to happiness, and falling in love. All in the space of five minutes with no cuts or edits.

They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore!