CHENNAI, India -- In the small village of Attapadi in the southern Indian state of Kerala, 52-year-old farmer Jayan Cherian lives in an organic-mud house faced with lime plaster, designed by Biju Bhaskar, the founder of Thannal Natural Homes. With a rainwater harvesting system, fruit trees in the garden and solar panels, Cherian's mud home keeps him relatively cool through the scorching summers.
"We built the house with the help and participation of neighbors and the community," said Jayan. "We learned a lot from local tribal elders about bamboo construction and making a gabled roof."
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