There are some amazing design concepts out there if you know where to look that fulfil some radically yawning gaps in the market and put most of us to shame for their ability to position lateral thinking right at the fore of going green. Best of all, they’re not expensive.

Two such designs are very different but I’ve stumbled on both of them at the same time, so thought I’d bring them to your attention in the same blog, even though they’re not essentially related – other than making green more accessible.

The first is a cardboard house. We’re talking low cost, green, temporary housing that two people can apparently assemble in just six hours using appropriate scaffolding! There’s a new concept for you. And one is able to recycle 100% of the building components at extremely low cost.

The project, conceived in Australia, is regarded as a genuine temporary housing option (for emergency housing or short-term) that places the least demand on resources and encourages people to shift their preconceptions about the ‘typical Australian house’or any typical house, really. It’s also transportable.

All the material in the house is recycled and recyclable so it’s an environmentally sustainable option for housing. The roof, despite being cardboard, is waterproof and made from HDPE plastic.

And here’s the great part – it’s a flat pack concept that includes frames, infill floor and wall panels. It only uses nylon wing nuts, hand-tightened polyester tape stays and Velcro fastenings. Water is collected in bladders underneath the floor and a composting toilet system supplies ‘nutrient-rich’ water for gardening. Recycling the house saves 12 cubic metres of landfill, 39 trees and 30 000 litres of water and it uses only 12-volt batteries or small photovoltaic cells for power. Wow! [housesofthefuture] via [ecofriend]

I’m not a diy person. I couldn’t put a toy together let alone a water recycler. But this seems to be a step-by-step make it yourself grey-water recycler using a wheelie bin as the receptacle and a water filter and automatic pump and timer appear to be the only other components. There’s even a diagram to help you put it together.

I must warn you, though, that this appears to be for the really tough diy expert – anyone out there prepared to put these together and sell them on urban sprout? [instructables.com]