A generation ago, a small band of appropriate technology enthusiasts bought and retrofitted an old Victorian in the Berkeley Flats area of Berkeley, California. Featuring a bottle wall to take advantage of passive solar energy, a composting toilet, and carefully designed systems which used each ‘waste’ product as a nutrient for another food source, the house was capable of producing all the food and energy needs for a family of four. This book explains all the systems in full, and although the house has long since returned to the ranks of the ordinary, costly and pollution producing family home the book (now also long out of print) is still one of the best guides for those looking for a better, healthier and cheaper way of life.

The Integral Urban House: Self-Reliant Living in the City