Good news spreads fast in Thushanthini’s village of Navagirinagar, located in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province. So, of course, in February 2018, the talk of the town was her newly constructed Habitat home made from compressed stabilized earth blocks or CSEBs.

“Ours was the first CSEB home in our tightly knit community,” Thushanthini says. “Many of my neighbors came to visit us out of curiosity about this new material. Once they saw how versatile the bricks are and how nice they look even without plastering, the CSEBs became a popular selection for home construction.”

CSEBs are among the eco-friendly construction materials and technologies promoted under Habitat Sri Lanka’s Homes not Houses project, funded by the European Union. The blocks are known for their lower environmental impact and their ability to keep a house cool in warm weather and warm in cool weather. As of May 2021, more than 2,360 homes have been completed as part of the initiative.

The blocks have the added benefit of boosting the local economy. Thushanthini’s husband, Mathivathanan, was among 138 people trained to produce CSEBs and build with them through Habitat Sri Lanka’s partnership with World Vision Sri Lanka.

With a grant provided as part of the project, Mathivathanan bought a hand-operated machine for producing CSEBs and a mold for making decorative bricks that also help improve ventilation. He and the other trainees now supply their handmade materials to construction projects in the community.

Thushanthini’s house has grown into a true home. In the evening, she and her family often sit together on the veranda to watch the sun set. “This home is my most precious possession,” she says.

Miriam lives in the San Pedro de Macorís province of the Dominican Republic with her husband, Carlos, and youngest child, Oscarly.

Like many families around the world, they have improved their home bit by bit over the years as time and resources allowed. “We did what we could,” says the 51-year-old.

Dirt floors like the one Miriam had are common throughout extremely low-income communities in Central America. During the dry season, the dust they stir up is a regular respiratory irritant, while the rainy season brings puddles that can become breeding grounds for mosquitos and the diseases they carry. During both seasons, dirt floors, by nature, are impossible to sanitize or clean.

By partnering with Habitat Dominican Republic and working directly with a Habitat engineer, Miriam’s family was able to complete several projects — installing a concrete floor and making other improvements to increase her family’s safety and security.

“My house is beautiful and safer now,” says Miriam, who now plans to add space to set up a business. “This home represents for me the health of my family, and that my son can have a safe and comfortable space for his education.”

Earlier this year, Phala, Chariya and their four children moved into a climate-sensitive Habitat home they helped build Cambodia’s Battambang province. The look of their home is similar to others in the area — but the difference is in the details.

Adapted window design that increases ventilation. Polycarbonate walls that let in more light, with other materials that reduce interior heat by 80%. Larger water tanks in a rainwater catchment system for home gardening.

Over the next three years, Habitat Cambodia plans to build 15 additional climate-sensitive houses in the province. Each home will be adjusted to meet the family’s distinct needs and circumstances.

Additional features might include a biogas cookstove to reduce the use of household fuel, a twin pit toilet for eco-friendly waste management, or a micro-drip irrigation system that sends water directly to the roots of plants. Each feature is designed to work with nature, to improve the functionality of the structure, to reduce energy usage — and to help families thrive.

“There is more space for my children, and my family sleeps well every night,” says Chariya. “When we were living in the old house, I needed to get plastic sheets to cover things whenever it rained. Now there is no need to because the new house protects us well.”

Moving to environmental sustainability begins with incremental steps. That’s the thinking behind the latest project from the 20-plus-year partnership between Macon Area Habitat and Mercer University.

Taking a step toward a greener future together, the affiliate and students from the university’s engineering department worked with six homeowners to design and install solar photovoltaic systems on the roofs of their Habitat homes.

Mercer students focused on creating small-scale, easily installed and easily maintained systems that tie directly from the power grid to the home — without the need for a costly or complicated battery. This way, after the homeowners are trained on the system, they are equipped to maintain, and even add to it on their own.

Roughly 40 students completed the installations, offering them meaningful, hands-on experience in their field. Several more Habitat technicians were also trained on the installation process, providing Macon Area Habitat the in-house expertise to bring this technology to other community projects.

“Most people think you have to hire a specialized engineering or construction company to install solar panels or that you have to buy enough panels to provide all the power to your home up front, both of which would be a big cost,” says Dr. Michael MacCarthy, associate professor of environmental and civil engineering and director of the Engineering for Development program at Mercer. “In reality, any general handyman or common electrician can be trained to install solar panels, and any amount of panels can be installed. Even a few panels providing a small amount of power to offset energy usage can still make a big impact.”

MacCarthy expects the systems will produce enough energy to cover 80-100% of each home’s daily needs. Any extra energy produced by the panels will be transferred back to the state’s shared energy grid, earning the homeowners’ money from the power company.

“This project really has a triple benefit,” says Ivey Hall, executive director of Macon Area Habitat. “Our homeowners get access to a technology that has not always been accessible, and they see the cost savings on their energy bills — savings that they can invest in other areas of their lives. The students get the opportunity to fully put what they’re learning in the classroom into practice in the community and have that direct contact with our homeowners, their neighbors. And then, of course, it’s an investment in the long-term health of our environment.”

“I love that the students — young people who are going to be leading the work of sustainability in the future — are connecting their concepts to real examples, real people who they will continue to build connections as they monitor the results together over the next year,” Hall continues. “I’m excited to think about how the students will take with this experience with them after graduation and into their careers, reminding them of the importance and impact of always working to make innovative ideas and solutions accessible to everybody.”