MNN - Mother Nature Network

ArchDaily weighs the pros and cons of one of green building's hottest trends: shipping container architecture. One of the downsides that folks often fail to consider when getting all worked up about container homes has to do with "the amount of energy required to make the box habitable. The entire structure needs to be sandblasted bare, floors need to be replaced, and openings need to be cut with a torch or fireman’s saw. The average container eventually produces nearly a thousand pounds of hazardous waste before it can be used as a structure. All of this, coupled with the fossil fuels required to move the container into place with heavy machinery, contribute significantly to its ecological footprint."

 

Dwell pays a visit to an eye-catching, eco-friendly Austin, Texas abode where upcycle-happy homeowners Anne Suttles and Sam Shah manage to "keep it weird while keeping it green." Love it. 

 

 

The New York Times Scotch Guards the sofa for a look at the clothing-optional element of Couchsurfing, the popular "free crash pads for budget-minded travelers" social networking website. Writes the NYT: "Those looking for a nudist-friendly environment have a variety of groups from which to choose — not just Clothing Optional, but also Naked at Home, Freedom for Nudity, Nudist Lifestyle and nakedveganpotsmokingcyclists, among others. By designating their homes as nudist-friendly spaces, members of these groups provide travelers with temporary havens from the tyranny of fabric and public nudity laws. More important, perhaps, from the hosts’ viewpoint, they are taking the intimacy of couch surfing to an extreme, bringing the unguarded ethos of the nudist camp into their homes."

 

Jetson Green takes a peek at one heck of a real estate listing: a stunning 1,190 square foot Rocio Romero LV series prefab home located on Whidbey Island, Wash. It can be all yours — plus 11 acres of land — for $429,000.