How a Kerala couple built a sustainable mud house and forest of their dreams

As urbanisation increases, more people are coming into cities for living. Most of them either stay at a rented apartment or built their own houses. Majority of these people spend most of their income on the construction of their house. The main ingredient in our urban structures is concrete. We use it everywhere, from our Dams to sidewalls, from the mighty Burj Khalifa to our staircases. It is the most widely used man-made material in existence. It is second only to water as the most-consumed resource on the planet. Concrete is harmful to the environment. It is the source of about 8% of the world’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. But there are some people, who have averted from this global polluter to natural materials for building their houses. Down To Earth meet up with a couple who lives in their mud house called Nanavu, which is made of earth and other natural materials. This tiny house is in the middle of a small 34-cent forest-grown by them. Energy-efficient and self-sustaining, ‘Nanavu’ wa