hosted by frank sesno, healthy you: surviving a pandemic is a co-production of the george washington university milken institute school of public health and the school of media and public affairs.

chad devoe, a high school environmental science teacher, shares his reasoning as to why he chose the earthship and how it can impact, not only his life, but other people’s lives as we head into a future involving the climate crisis. he recognizes some barriers people face when deciding to build green, alternative houses and provides some solutions to overcome these barriers. 

to quote sam stephenson, “miriam’s is on a fast track to stardom”.  if this non-profit gets the momentum it needs, miriam’s kitchen will not only grow, but it will set an example for other soup kitchens all over the world.

these foreclosed properties that are not only a blight on the communities they are in but a consistant reminder of the economic times we live in. by renovating them and reducing their carbon footprint; we are vertually killing to birds with same stone…providing a renovated home that is helping the locale community turn around while costing less to live in 50 to 75% depending on personal conservation efforts of dwellwers.

by investing in real estate this initiative will always hold more value on paper than any other value added corporation from start-up. this being said we will always own properties worth as much as 50% of the actual appraised value. this will assure that we are in better cash position in case of more downturn in reit’s.
something stockholders as well as board members will appreciate.

farmers in many states are ready to start growing it here in the u.s.. farmers in canada are now growing and profiting from it. here is an example of fiber usage and benefits: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb9teck_hy4 hemp oil was replaced with petroleum oil in paints after it was banned in the mid 1930’s. ben franklin use hemp oil based ink. if we are trying to move from petroleum based products hemp is essential. it can be burned as a bio fuel if necessary.

one acre of hemp can save 4.1 acres of trees in fiber production. that statistic is from the usda.

birdseed used to contain 50% hempseed. the birds would eat those first. what impact did this have on bird health and appetite for pests?

here is a video on hempcrete housing. hundreds have been build in europe and studies show the walls actually absorb co2. http://bcove.me/mq4q659c

as a last resource, all backed by bibliography, please reference http://www.jackherer.com/thebook/chapter-two/

habitat for humanity has begun to build “passive houses” across the country in washington d.c., kentucky, and vermont to name a few. what is a passive house? check out this quick video below that explains it:

as the architect in the video, david peabody, emphasizes, “that first cost is worth it when they think of the total cost of ownership, so it’s becoming good business to do it instead of just the right thing.” habitat for humanity has begun building passive houses with just that in mind: the cost of owning a home doesn’t end when you sign the mortgage. low income families often use 40% of their income on energy costs, according to tom digiovanni, head of the passive house alliance in washington, d.c. cutting this cost can be a crucial step that helps more people own homes, as well as stay in those homes once they move in.

it’s past time that we start adopting these energy saving, cost cutting techniques in all of our buildings. and as with most of our country’s energy challenges, there’s no better place to start than at home.