Our homes are connected by a rarely noticed infrastructure grid—electrical towers and wires, power stations, hydroelectric dams, telecommunication towers, and water extraction and sewage systems. But the generation and distribution of power, and the supply and removal of water and sewage, have created an enormous environmental impact, and energy grids across the world are failing under increasing demand. Profiling ten beautiful homes in places like urban New York and Germany, suburban Southern California, rural Canada, and the bush country of Australia, this book shows how we can take responsibility for our energy and water use with designs that use much less energy. Architect and designer Lori Ryker explains how technologies that can be used to live off the grid (geothermal energy use, wind turbines, photovoltaic arrays, micro hydropower, rainwater collection and reclamation, and more can be incorporated to create remarkably self-sufficient homes.
