If empty shipping containers can be used to create foldout restaurants and pop-up hotel rooms, then why not pop-up health clinics? Better yet, why not ship those clinics to remote parts of the world where the care is needed most? That, in fact, is precisely the notion underlying Containers to Clinics (C2C), a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that is gearing up to open its first such clinic next month at Grace Children’s Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Through a partnership with the local Ministry of Health, C2C’s clinic is designed to fill critical gaps in health service delivery for vulnerable women and children in disaster-ravaged Haiti. Whereas much health care in the area is currently being conducted beneath weathered tents, the C2C clinic will offer a dignified, secure and clean space for women and children to receive pregnancy care and reproductive health treatment, childhood vaccinations, post-partum and newborn care, and infectious disease testing and treatment from local medical professionals. Two 8-by-20-foot, retrofitted containers make up the C2C clinic: one featuring two exam and consultation spaces and the other housing pharmacy and laboratory spaces. Both are designed with diagnostic, lighting and climate-control technologies appropriate for low-resource settings and compatible with local cultural traditions and health education needs, C2C says. Containers were donated by Triton Containers; design and construction on the project were provided by Anshen +Allen and Stack Design Build.
Is there any pop-up need containers can’t serve? We’ve yet to spot one, but it’s particularly exciting to see social needs getting addressed this way. C2C aims to bring its container approach to other needy places as well. Providers of all things medical: one to sponsor, partner with or otherwise get involved in…?
Website: www.containers2clinics.org
Contact: info@containers2clinics.org
Spotted by: Michael Sharkey via Springwise.com

Anyone who reads my blog knows how interested I am in exploring the use of shipping containers when it comes to building a sustainable home.  I have been very passionate about exploring different concepts and talking with individuals who support the use of recycled shipping containers.  In Europe and a number of other countries, the concept has started to expand not only in residential settings but also for commercial use, schools and even hotels.

Low cost, sustainable home in Phoenix, Arizona

A couple of months ago, I sat down with partner and co-founder of Upcycle Living, Ashton Wolfsinkle.  The old saying “build it and they will come” is exactly what Ashton has done here in Phoenix, Arizona.  He and his partner have started building residential homes out of shipping containers.  Right now, on a rented lot at 5th St and Roosevelt, you can view a model they have built.  It is roughly 1280 sf and has two floors with two bedrooms and two and half baths.  They have used 4 full length (40′) containers and have a complete model ready to preview.  It has bamboo floors, modern cabinets, high efficiency toilets, and sky lights.

Shipping containers are very strong and can be configured in a wide variety of ways to create very unique and modern living spaces.  They are very durable and cannot be harmed by insects or weather.  Once a plan is designed, a home can be created offsite and then shipped into a location with minimal assembly required.  On site, the containers are put in the desired configuration and plumbing/electric are completed.  Even these two essential components can be done off site and then snapped together on location limiting expensive contractor fees and speeding up the time it takes to finish a home.

A buyer can design their own home and while it is being built offsite.  They can have their land prepared for delivery.  A container home can be set on a cement slab or it can be put on cement pilons thus

Nice large master bedroom

 reducing the cost.  Once the home is set in place, it is affixed and becomes a permanent structure known to withstand hurricanes and tornadoes.  Usually a crawl space is left so plumbing can easily be accessed underneath the home. 

 Most successful designs minimize the number of walls where plumbing is placed but what you end up with are containers set side by side or stacked on top of each other with all electric and plumbing in the floor or walls.  Completely invisible to the owner inside and totally protected to the elements on the outside.  

One of the biggest arguments I see and hear from potential buyers is the idea that they do not like the look and feel of a

Stucco or siding can be added to change the exterior appearance

 container.  I had my own theory on how to solve this problem but I discussed this with Ashton and he confirmed, “Upcycle Living can put many different types of skins on the containers.”                       

They can add stucco or many different types of siding so the house looks more traditional from the outside.  They can add an A-frame roof or you can have a more traditional flat roof.  Since the containers are so strong, you can add a solar system to the roof or your very own sustainable roof garden.  Your only limitation is your own imagination.

I will post more updates about this home and other designs from

A nice open kitchen makes this a great home for entertaining

 Upcycle Living.  If you would like to schedule an appointment to see the home or discuss possible options about buying it, please feel free to drop Ashton Wolfsinkle a call or email me, Brandon Green, directly at bgreenrealtor@gmail.com

The model can be purchased and Upcycle Living is able to deliver it to almost any location a buyer may desire. 

Nice, bright open living room and kitchen with stairs to the upstairs bedrooms

Remeber if you have a vacant lot, want to tear down an existing home, or need assistance finding a vacant lot,  the model or a more personalized version can be purchased and delivered to your property.  Call me at 602-722-8125 or email me at bgreenrealtor@gmail.com to discuss pricing and for more information.

1. Read a book or blog about going green
2. Read to your children about the environment or recycling
3. Clean out clutter and donate it or check out www.freecycling.org (I have started using this site and have had great success with recycling a couch and other items)
4. Switch out lightbulbs with CFLs
5. Turn off your lights and unplug other electronic equipment when not in use
6. Buy and use reuseable grocery bags. (Just keep them in the trunk so you do not forget)
7. Investigate some earth-friendly cleaning products and see if you can start using them instead.
8. Recycle
9. Make a better effort to use less water.
10. Try and drive less or make your car trips more efficient.

Today, April 22nd, marks the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day! Created in 1970, it is a way to remind us to appreciate nature and this amazing planet we live on, and learn how to protect our environment and all of its inhabitants. While it is celebrated in the spring in the northern hemisphere, it is actually observed in the autumn in the southern hemisphere (both days being the exact “middle point” of the season).

Stackable, portable concept homes offer mobile living — with a view
By Emanuele Comi for CNN

Tired of living in the same location but don’t want to leave the house you love? That wouldn’t be a problem if architect Felipe Campolina had his way.

The Brazilian architect has designed a concept for a residential tower comprised of portable, stackable apartment units, which he says opens up new possibilities for ways of living in the city.

His design would allow owners to take their home with them when they travel — whether for a weekend away or for longer periods, he said.

The mobile home tower project is at the concept stage — and it could be years before it is built, if ever at all.

But if it is realized, it would offer an innovative and eco-friendly solution to living in urban areas, Campolina said.

“We have enough technology to build with fewer materials and minimize the impact on nature, but we continue to build with a lot of waste,” he told CNN.

His vision would call for units with a green roof and walls and a system for recycling water.

The tower, whose first unit would be built nine meters above ground, would also offer relief from overcrowding in densely populated areas.

“The geometry of the tower has a small projection area on the ground, designed to facilitate its application in dense urban centers, where space is very limited,” he said.

Still just a concept, Campolina — who designed the building for architecture journal eVolo’s Skyscraper Competition — said with enough public interest, it just might become a reality one day.

Click the link below to see the photo gallery and to explore his vision for the future of city housing.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/04/10/portable.housing.concept/

Earth Hour sends a clear message that Americans care about this issue and want to turn the lights out on dirty air, dangerous dependency on foreign oil and costly climate change impacts, and make the switch to cleaner air, a strong economic future and a more secure nation.

Participation is easy. By flipping off your lights on March 27th at 8:30 p.m. local time you will be making the switch to a cleaner, more secure nation and prosperous America.

If you are in the market for a new washing machine, make sure you get a front-loading model, which uses a third less water, heat energy and detergent than standard top-loading designs.

Front loaders are more effective and efficient designs, and they have been working hard at laundromats across the world for decades. These days, major brands (such as the Frigidaire pictured) are offering that efficient cleaning power in models made for homes, and many boast the latest in electronic features, cool colors and more. Other leaders include Bosch, LG, GE, KitchenAid and Kenmore.

Make sure your new machine is certified by the EPA’s Energy Star program, which signifies high energy efficiency. According to GE, the average family will save enough on energy bills with the company’s Energy Star washer and dryer to pay for the appliances in just 12 years.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/tips/front-loading-washing-machine-460303?src=rss

Container City