I have had several search engine visitors asking- “how they make ecological green homes in Sweden“.
I would have to say that they don’t.

We are nowhere as advanced as builders of earthship and strawbale houses in other parts of the world.

Often, when you read about an “ecological house”, they just end up saying they used non-toxic materials in building the home.

Non-poisonous building doesn’t mean green in my book!

But let us think about this very important question- where do you start in building an ecological house?

My answer is very simple- do your own homework! Every single ecological house I have heard of has received some kind of end user criticism.

People building earthships in harsh northern climate have complained of cold, humid area dwellers are complaining of heat, and straw bale construction has brought complaints of mold.

However, a smartly planned ecological home can save you money, health, and make you financially independent at an early age, if you are willing to rough it and homestead.

Here is where to start

1) Decide what you want.

People often do not know what they want. This is where the kind universe comes in and beats you on the head until you at least know exactly what you do not want.
If you don’t have money, you will probably want to build your own home (which you can, a la Simon Dale).
If you are making lots of money and have no time, you can hire someone to do it for you.

Do you have health concerns? Are you allergic to certain materials or electricity/wi-fi (some people are). Do you need constant hot-like warmth in your house, or are you content with wearing warm clothing?
Is there enough wind and sun in your area to provide for off-the grid living? (Surprisingly, deserts are energy-plentiful, what with hot sun and strong winds)

Every single aspect of your life will determine your needs, and thus your house.

Do you know how much of a commitment to the house you want to make? Planning every aspect of the new green dwelling, is this something you will enjoy? Are you a happy shopper or a happy maker?

Ecological is a term that is often too broad to give any definition.
Think of it as a sliding scale that should fit around your life.

On one end, you can grow your own food, make your own electricity, recycle all your water (so you do not need sewage connection), and need no heating.
On the other, you can simply use energy efficient appliances, better insulation, LED lights and use of sun’s energy to cut your heat and energy bills in half.

The start with green solutions is in realizing that green truly is the color of simplifying your life.
With a bit of careful planning.

Stay tuned for your future articles on
2) Planning your green home

3)Homesteading
How to stop renting and live at the site of your future home- right now.

–Alex

Easiest- post a link to our website on your blog, forum, website, email!

We need construction materials

A trailer

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construction help

“I want to see if we can live independently, freely, in a self-sustaining manner.”

Living in a city was unsustainable- for me and the world.

I was paying too much rent, and paying it with my health and happiness.

If I wanted any peace and quiet, I needed to take the train for almost 2 hours. It felt like my lifestyle was environmentally and
morally wrong.
I started thinking about how people got to live independently, not worried about their job and not living in an unhealthy city where everyone seems unhappy.
It looked like the start of people’s lives was their retirement- when they owned their own living space and had some free time.
For me, retirement was too late. What if you could have a house in a few years, and live healthily during those years as well?
Searches on the internet for alternative lifestyles brought me to the concept of an EcoHouse.
When we saw Simon Dale’s House, which is the house you see in the film trailer, everything came together.
We want to thank Simon Dale for providing the inspiration and leading the way to making easy simple green housing possible for all.

Visit Simon Dale’s website for more (and thank you Simon for the inspiration and permission to use your images!)

A dwelling made of reused and recycled materials that you make yourself.

I felt that my son’s and my life were out of balance. The longing for nature had grown stronger over the years, and every time I visited Sweden I thought of what it would be like to move back there. But I could only envision a life in an apartment, working 9-5 to pay for the mortgage, stressful pick-up at afterschool, food shopping and going to bed after dinner with a constant runny nose. And the dark and the cold. When I met Alex and he showed me the houses people built themselves for so little money, I saw the solution.

“I like being outside best, that’s where life is.”
Since moving to  Sweden, Oden had learned how to swim, ride a bicycle and take the bus to school by himself. He has never once wanted to move back to New York.