climate change

Material Spotlight: Let's Talk Cork Siding

What comes to mind when you think of cork? From wine bottle tops and tack boards to flooring, cork is a popular material for a wide range of products in our daily lives. At Harka, we’re all about exploring the latest in sustainable and non-toxic materials. So, let’s talk about what cork siding can do for you.

“Unprecedented” Weather: Is This the New Norm and How Can You Make Your Home Climate-Safe?

To ring the new year, Portland experienced an unprecedented storm resulting in more than a week of wind, snow, ice, and record breaking temperatures. We are seeing extreme rain events causing mudslides and floods, and extreme heat and drought periods causing never before seen wildfires. It is not hard to image that what we call extreme weather now, we will eventually just call weather. How will we adapt? Well, one way will be through changing the way we build and adapt our shelters.

​​​​​​​Consumer Activism: Is it possible and what’s the alternative?

​​​​​​​Consumer Activism: Is it possible and what’s the alternative?

You can find endless articles, thinkpieces and blog entries much like this one about the myth of the ethical shopper, whether organic food is really better for the environment, and the effectiveness of boycotting sweatshops. Sifting through to find real, substantive information about how to make tangible change with the things you consume challenging and exhausting, and is it even worth it?