We’ve covered quite a bit of green building on our Funktion blog [Containers of Hope: A Designer Home for Less Than $40,000] but, this home made almost entirely from discarded plastic bottles in Nigeria, is a stunning example of how waste can be recycled in projects of true worth.

The Developmental Association for Renewable Energies (DARE) has begun a scheme to tackle the litter problem in the region around the village of Sabon Yelwa by using discarded plastic bottles – which take around 450 years to biodegrade – as the building blocks for new homes.

The project also gives work to unemployed teenagers in the construction process, which involves filling the bottles with sand, putting the cap back on and them lying them side by side in layers cemented by mud.

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Going to the beach can be a double-edged sword – yes, there’s water and sun but there’s also sand getting everywhere and other people’s annoying kids and pets.

Outspoken comedian Bill Hicks once summarised his own feelings by describing the beach as ‘where dirt meets water’ but, the beach can be a better place if you’re willing to invest some cash – a lot of cash – in a cutting edge piece of ‘nature-friendly habitation’.

Meet the Y-Bio habitation module [above] from Archinoma – a transformable modular architectural system – which is a designed to be taken to the to the beach [or anywhere] for a few days or more. It can be customized too, from a large number of different shaped modules.

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At one time or another we have all built or climbed into someone else’s treehouse. And they were great, even if they were constructed badly using nail-studded planks and fell a long way short of health and safety regs. Despite the fun factor though, would you like to live in one?

Meet the gang at Finca Bellavista, a residential treehouse community in development in the rainforests of Costa Rica. Designed to make the most of its surroundings, this eco-friendly village exists well-off the ground and is connected by an elaborate “Sky Trail” network of rope bridges and zip lines high in the canopy.

The level of work goes well beyond my own childish construction efforts and, as rustic homes go, these are very well put together, boasting hot showers, electricity, communal rooms, and even a Wi-Fi zone.

According to the founders, the number of tree homes there is starting to grow, and there are now a handful of cabins and treehouses ready for rentals and tours. The whole community nestles in 300 acres of secondary rainforest and reclaimed pasture land.

The video [above] lets you see this one-off treehouse community and hear from those who have put it together and those who have visited it.

Not sure I could sleep 24/7 with all that jungle racket going on – and those monkeys will rob you blind – but I could certainly chill there for a week. Check out their website here.

Or, if you want something a little more upmarket in the trees, check out the Treehotel.

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