Growing a greener world isn’t something that happens in the garden alone. Living sustainably can even mean building an entirely sustainable home or neighborhood.
Striving to be more in concert with our environment has to extend to the places we call home, too. Sustainable homes and neighborhoods have increased in popularity in the past few years.
The Ultimate Sustainable Home
In this episode, we go off the grid to take a tour inside one next-gen home that was constructed almost entirely out of repurposed materials.
Chad and Courtney DeVoe built their own “Earthship” – a completely sustainable home made of earth-filled tires and recycled bottles.

Chad and Courtney DeVoe live in a sustainable home called an “earthship” that’s completely off the grid.
Sustainable Suburbia
Next, we visit a unique suburban subdivision that puts nature first. Prairie Crossing is one of the country’s first conservation communities built around a working farm.
Just outside of Chicago, it’s anything but typical when compared to the normal suburban community. This neighborhood is surrounded by over 3000 acres of protected prairie, pasture, and wetland areas.
The 100-acre working organic farm serves as the center of the community. George and Vicky Ranney started Prairie Crossing over 25 years ago, with the intent to be a community but to also conserve the best there is of the land and surrounding area.
Links & Resources:
Growing a Greener World YouTube Episode 1212: Greening Up the Places We Call Home
Growing a Greener World Newsletter sign-up
The Online Gardening Academy and Master Seed Starting Notification Signup
The joe gardener Amazon Storefront
Earthship Build Footage – Vimeo Movie
Carrier Greenspeed Intelligence
Youth Development at the Prairie Crossing Farm
Conservation Communities – Book