| The Gaia Natural House Book |
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| Reviewed by Harmonious Living | |
| Monday, 09 January 2006 | |
 Arthor: David Pearson   This book is one of the classic guides to creating a natural, healthy home based on sound environmental principles. It is both practical and inspiring and a great source of information for anyone who is interested in making their home a little "greener" or is looking to make their home a more pleasant place in which to live. The book examines the interior elements of our homes from air and light, to furniture and furnishings and looks at how to introduce comfort and a sense of well-being. It is packed with information and is full of pictures that beautifully illustrate the various aspects and concepts of a 'natural house'. It is also one of those books that simply 'feels' nice in the hands, and draws the reader into an intriguing new world of living. There are few other books knocking around on similar topics but as Kevin McCloud's (from the BBC Prime programme 'Grand Designs') writes in his foreword, "It is perhaps the only book on the subject which doesn't imply that you need to knit your own sandals in order to build and live in a sustainable home". The first chapter of the book is split into two sections; the first "The Natural House" contains wonderful examples of how different societies throughout the world and through the ages have sought to create the perfect natural house. The very first sentence of this section beautifully sums up the whole intention of the book - "Health for the body, peace for the spirit, harmony with the environment - these are the criteria of the natural house", it makes perfect sense, who wouldn't want to live a natural house after reading those words. The second half of this chapter then looks at "The Dangerous House" - the typical modern house that we live in today where we're surrounded by pollutants and environmental stresses. The details provided here are really quite shocking and you soon find yourself looking around your own house thinking "hmm, that's not good, yep I could improve that, oh dear better get rid of that". The great thing about this book though, after laying everything out on the table in the first chapter, is that it gives plenty of very practical (and often very easy to implement) suggestions and advice on how to change your home from a dangerous house to a more natural one. This is covered in the next two sections titled "Elements" and "Spaces". In the first of these sections the book covers what the author terms "life systems" that include; comfort and climate (including making your home more energy efficient), water (pollution and conservation) air, scent, sound, light and colour. It then goes on to offer advice on how to choose building materials, be they stone, metal, earth, timber, natural fibres, plastics and also paints. The final section titled "Spaces" covers each of the main spaces within the home from living to sleeping as well as healing and green spaces. It redefines them in the context of how they relate to personal health, well-being, and the environment, drawing together all the information of the previous chapters concerning ecological design, the hazards of modern homes, and the choice of life systems (water, air, colour etc.) and materials. Each of the 'spaces' is filled with relevant pictures that not only look inviting but simply make sense. A real bonus in this book is the comprehensive appendices that cover in detail sustainable timber, fabrics, grasses and canes, natural paints, varnishes and finishes, amongst others. There is also a checklist for 'Rating your home' which lists health hazards and how to measure your energy and water consumption. This is great place to start to work out exactly how 'bad' your home is and where you need to start prioritising changes and improvements. This book has none of the flakiness that the average décor book has these days, where pretty pictures try to make up for a lack of substance, and although in weight and content it feels like a text book it actually reads more like a novel, very refreshing. |
This is the powerful story of the author's struggle with Multiple Sclerosis and how a healer's unusual prescription of mindful altruism - to 'give away 29 gifts in 29 days' - ignited her energy, her happiness, and invited more abundance into her life.
