Hi, my name is Addison and I am 13! In my 7th-grade science class, we were asked to make a sustainable house diagram for an assigned biome. The diagram should have had at least 7 sustainable aspects displayed in it with an optional challenge task surrounding or inside the house. The assigned biome I got was the freshwater biome (ponds/lakes). If this house were to be built in real life, the location would be next to Saroma Lake in Japan. During this instructable, I will show you the building process of my freshwater biome eco-home project! A brief summary to let you know what to expect is that I created a cardboard mini house suitable for a freshwater environment and as I finished my project, I kept adding and changing my design after making some minor errors and creating new ideas. Those errors were not big or dramatic, but they helped my design evolve and push forward. I completed this project, not for a science grade, but to expand my artistic skills and view. I have also always wanted to create a home-like this, but never had the time to. I hope you stick around until the end! This is my first ever Instructable I made and I hope you enjoy it and maybe even try it for yourself! Let's get started!

Supplies

In order to do this activity, you will need cardboard, an Exacto knife, a white platform, paints, a hot glue/ glue gun, pencils/ sharpies, clear plastic, tin foil, small rocks, a ruler, fake grass patches, rocks, cardboard tubes, straws, plastic/fake plants, green flakes/ confetti, fake pine tree branches, mulch, rope, radishes, burlap.

Step 1: What Is a Biome/ Sustainability

Now, what is a biome? I biome is a large naturally occurring community of organisms (plants and animals) living in a major habitat. An example of a biome is the freshwater biome (wetlands, lakes/ponds, and creeks/ rivers). This sustainable house diagram is made specifically for the freshwater biome. And that begs the question, what is sustainability? It's the ability to stay at a certain rate or level or the avoidance of consuming natural resources in order to maintain a positive impact on the economy, environment, and/ or society. Usually, only two of those three categories are achieved during the building process of sustainable houses and materials. My house will be located in Japan in the Northern Hemisphere (44.1312° N, 143.8025° E). Average temperatures at this location are: (January: 26° / 20° F) (February: 26° / 20° F) (March: 34° / 29° F) (April: 47° / 41° F) (May: 56° / 49° F) (June: 61° / 55° F) (July: 68° / 63° F) (August: 72° / 67° F) (September: 67° / 62° F) (October: 57° / 51° F) (November: 43° / 37° F) (December: 32° / 26° F). The average amount of rain at this location is 40-100 inches per year. It is important to design homes to be sustainable so it can fit in with the surrounding area. It will not make a negative impact on the environment, but instead, it would make a positive.

Step 2: Step 1: the Design

I took a piece of printer paper and a pen and started out simple. I drew one square and one rectangle for the base of the house and added in little details and aspects. I went over the eco-friendly aspects with a green pen/pencil to highlight the parts. After this stage, I started collecting my materials as you saw previously. Of course, my house does not look actually like the final design since some technical difficulties came up in the process, but that was not a problem! I did also add in supplies along the way because I kept thinking of different parts I could add to the final physical draft. My inspiration for this shape and design is actually from a video game I play along with some other modern looking home designs I have seen on the web!

Step 3: Step 2: Starting the Cutting Process

I cut out the flaps of cardboard with a pair of scissors and lined some up with others so that they were equal in size. After that, I drew with a pencil and a ruler to outline the windows and doors. Unfortunately, I accidentally cut on the wrong side, but it was not a big deal! Also if you want to add in windows after you glue your pieces together, it is 100% possible to do! Once I had my cardboard cut out, I moved onto the next step.

Step 4: Step 3: Assembling

I first painted my cut-outs in either white or brown paint, glued my cardboard structure together using hot glue, but did not glue the upstairs to the downstairs yet. After that glue dried, I took some solid, clear, and thin plastic to the inside of the diagram behind the holes to give the illusion that they were my large windows for the house. For the door, I first painted it red, glued a nut/bolt on the right of it, then glued it to hinges so that it would be able to function. After I let all of that dry, I added my cardboard roof and made little solar panels out of tin foil. Next, I painted the base of my house using some green paint and clipped off needles of fake Christmas tree branches for a grassy texture since I did not have green confetti available.

Step 5: Step 4: Adding in Additional Aspects

For my roof garden, I glued a square mat of fake grass to the lower roof of the house. Once I had it on, I added a couple of little fake flowers onto it so it would look like an actual roof garden. While I was making the compost bin, I thought it would be really fun to make an eco-friendly driveway vegetable garden to the base of it using outdoor materials! So I gathered up a lot of little rocks from my backup and about 1-2 cups of mulch from the front of my garden. You don't have to do this, but I tried to portray the image of radishes growing in the garden by cutting up leaves and the tops of radishes and planting them into the mulch. For the driveway, I organized the rocks in the shape of a driveway and walkway leading up to the house. For the pipes and water tanks, I painted some straws and toilet paper rolls and then proceeded to glue them onto the back of the house.

Step 6: Step 5: Adding Finishing Touches

For finishing touches, I added little trees I made out of some rope and fake braches. I took burlap and wrapped the bottoms of three branches so it would be able to stand, but I glued it just in case. I also sprinkled more rocks onto the driveway and pathway to the house. I also went around with a paintbrush and did finishing touches on the base, the house, and garden. When I felt the project was complete, I took pictures of the finished product on my phone and uploaded them to this instructable!

Step 7: All the Aspects in This Design

Resuing and recycling rainwater: On the back of my house, I used paint, straws, cardboard, and some glue to represent pipes and water tanks for rainwater storage (Water from rain/snow will be collected in some two water tanks. The water will first go through pipes to be filtered out just in case bacteria gets into the system)
Compost bin: On the side of the house, I used some paint, sharpies, cardboard, and glue to create a small box that represents a compost bin (Instead of using a trash bin for old and eaten food, using a compost bin would probably be the best eco-friendly alternative. It will provide fresh soil for gardens and vegetation near the house)
Roof garden: On the top right of the house, I used a fake grass pad and fake flowers to represent a flower garden for animals living in the area (It will allow natural cooling for the house and will reduce energy consumption and costs. These gardens also provide insulation, a natural sound barrier, delay of stormwater runoff, filtered rainwater, and a home for organisms in the area like birds and insects)
Solar panels: On the top left of the house, I used some tin foil and sharpies to portray the image of solar panels (This aspect is very common to have on or even around a sustainable house. They convert heat from the sun into energy for machines and houses. They are typically built where there is a lot of sunlight)
Large windows: On the front and left side of the house, I have square holes with clear plastic covering them to represent no air conditioners and natural light (Large windows can allow the house natural light, will reduce the usage of lights in the house, less energy will be used to cool down the house, and natural breeze and fresh air can come in and out of the house)
Air purifying paint: Coving the house is a brown and white paint used to represent air-purifying paint for wildlife (The result of the aspect is the reduction of nitrogen dioxide, VOCs, CO2 footprints, and overall eliminates 99.9% of bacteria on surfaces, all while producing no toxic or flammable waste)
Timber and cypress: The cardboard I used for the house is supposed to represent Timber and Cypress (two very eco-friendly building materials) (As timber grows, it extracts carbon dioxide CO2 from the atmosphere. By choosing timber products, people are helping the surrounding Biome. Cypress plays an important ecological role in the environment. It naturally filters pollutants and serves as a reservoir for floodwater, and is really essential for protecting groundwater)
Vegetable garden: On the right side of the house, there is a cardboard box with real mulch and radish leaves in it to represent a garden of vegetables (Producing your own food will be very cheap and very environmentally friendly! Not only will you be eating healthier and spending less money on groceries, but you would also be feeding a lot of wildlife like bugs, turtles, rabbits, moles, and more! A vegetable garden would also get you outside more often!)
Eco-friendly driveway/ walkway: In the front of the house, there are many small rocks creating and walkway and driveway for people and cars to use (In order for a driveway to be sustainable, it needs to work in harmony with Mother Nature. Therefore, they need to have an aggregate such as gravel or crushed slate below and on top of interlocking permeable pavers made from durable, 100% recycled plastic)

Step 8: Conclusion

Thank you for sticking around till the end of this and I really hope you enjoyed it! I have learned a lot from this project like how little mistakes are not bad, but instead can be very good! If I did not create errors during the building process, I do not think I would be happy with the final product. I do recommend if you are going to do something like this, please make sure you have adult supervision if needed for the hot glue and that you label your cardboard and measure it so you know which parts go where. If I were to change anything about this project, it would be the amount of time I put into it, planning more out so I did not get frustrated, and using white cardboard instead of regular brown so painting would be easier. Once again, thanks for reading the first instructable I ever made! :)