Designing Efficient and Low-Maintenance Access Systems
Access is how humans and animals get in and around a site, particularly in relation to water and activity patterns. Access can often be a restricting factor when selecting appropriate management strategies. Additionally, access routes present huge opportunities for passive water harvesting on- and off-property. While access routes, especially roads, are costly to create or…
Productive Fodder Trees For Mediterranean And Dryland Climates
Jump to a specific tree More Write-Ups On The Way: Catalpa (Bignoniaceae family), Mesquite (Prosopis spp), Atriplex nummularia, casuarinas, cassias, brachychitons, Tree Of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)? What are fodder trees? Fodder trees produce vegetation that is highly palatable and nutritious for livestock. Many of these trees produce additional yields in the form of fruit, seeds,…
What is a Site Assessment, and Why Do One?
What is a Site Assessment? A site assessment is the thorough observation, recording, compilation, and organization of all of the existing conditions that are present at or affect the design and function of a piece of property. For a landscape, this includes not only the physical features of a site (like landshape and structures), but…
Electrical Branch Circuit Design Guide
Overcurrent Protection Device, Wiring, and End-Use Equipment Design and Selection for AC and DC Circuits Electrical branch circuits? What does that have to do with the design and development of sustainable human habitats?!? In our Introduction to Appropriate Energy, we present a process for designing efficient (and thus cheaper and more ecologically-sound) energy systems for…
Moving Electricity
Appropriate electrical energy systems for moving water, people, animals, materials, refrigerant, and air around a homestead.
Common Drainage Prescriptions For Low-Maintenance Vehicle Access
Common prescriptions for draining low-standard rural roads to create low-maintenance access routes and healthy hydrology.
Abundant Water – Part 2: Designing Resilient Water Drainage Systems
Designing from first principles to create low-maintenance, low-cost water drainage systems that minimize erosion and maintain or restore functional hydrology.
The SADIMEA Design Process
The SADIMEA framework is a seven step design process used by 7th Generation Design to structure our design consultancy reporting and implementation work.
Moving Things
Appropriate energy systems for moving water, people, animals, materials, refrigerant, and air around a homestead.
Permaculture – Foundational Ethics & Principles
The prime directive of permaculture helps us apply the three ethics and the twelve principles to design our lives and work to align with the regenerative patterns found in nature.
Vetiver Grass 101: The Regenerative Super Plant
Vetiver grass is an amazing ecological ally for repairing and healing erosion-damaged landscapes. Vetiver can grow almost anywhere, produces tons of useful biomass, and initiates healing of degraded landscapes. Learn the basics about this amazing plant and its many potential applications in this post.
Moving Heat
In the Introduction to Appropriate Energy, energy is defined as the ability to do work. There are three jobs that energy typically performs: moving heat, moving things, and moving electricity. This article delves into the moving heat function that energy serves. Examples of various techniques and specific elements are provided to illustrate different ways to…
