Living Steel commissioned an interesting article on the history of steel and iron prefabs. Professor Miles Lewis explains how Britain shipped wrought iron and corrugated steel houses to California and Australia during the gold rushes of the 1850s, when housing was in short supply.

(all photos NewMerino)

For well over 100 years Australia's prosperity was inextricably lined to the export of wool, and in particular, Merino wool. We even had phrase for it: "Riding on the Sheep's Back." But in the '60s wool's economic dominance was displaced by the likes of coal and iron ore. Years of drought have also taken their toll.

Image credit: Permaculture Research Institute

TreeHugger has featured an awesome tour of a permaculture allotment, permaculture-inspired disaster relief in Haiti, and even

Cameron Sinclair of Architecture For Humanity always says that the last thing people need after a disaster is another architect's idea for instant housing, but that hasn't stopped TreeHugger Best of Green Young Architect Andrew Maynard from lookin

All Photos: The Hemp Builder

The house you don't need to render, plaster, paint or insulate. The house with the building material that you can grow on one hectare (2.5 acres) of land. The same building material you can process yourself with standard machinery available at your hardware store. The house whose walls lock away over 110 kg (240 lb) of carbon per cubic metre.

Photos: Kristin Rule

A couple of years ago Kristin Rule, alias 'The Unconventional Cellist' undertook a 20 week music tour, toting her cello on a motorbike with a solar trailer. With a new album recently released, she is soon to be touring again, but this time by bicycle accompanied by a solar-powered, electric-assist trailer.

Magnetic Island house exterior Photo: Robin Gauld for Sanctuary magazine issue 12

When it came time for our architecture writer, Lloyd, to select the Best Shelter Magazine for TreeHugger's 2010 Best of Green Awards in Design and Architecture he quickly made his choice: Sanctuary Magazine, from Australia's <

Image credit: Kanu Hawaii/Creative Commons

Aquaponics usually stirs up a good deal of interest and debate here.

Claudia Saunders tests water bubbler. Photo: Marina Neil. Sydney Morning Herald

While no longer breaking news, the endeavours of students and staff at two different Australian schools still merits attention.

Images: Sydney Morning Herald (left), and The Greens (right).

You may recall that just eight weeks ago Australia found itself with a new Prime Minister, it's first fema