For all its pleasures, owning a private island comes with certain challenges. Transportation certainly tops the list, particularly in remote locations. For those who have access to small planes, the time it takes to get to one’s own slice of paradise can be greatly reduced. Airstrips are a necessary component for these lucky island owners.

Building an airstrip firstly requires permission from the local government, even in countries with few building restrictions. It is essential that the proper planning and zoning rights be obtained prior to construction. Many engineering firms will undertake private airstrip construction, but for some intrepid island owners, do-it-yourself is a possibility. Read more »

Build your own island! A unique and very low-maintenance option for a beautiful garden, floating “Islandscapes” use sod and flowers to create miniature islands in ponds, streams and placid rivers. Not only are these little islands pretty and easy to care for, but they will serve as a refuge for wildlife species and contribute to the general health of your surrounding ecosystem.

To construct a floating island garden, purchase an Islandscape or similar product, and cover it with ordinary turf. Seed or plant it with wetland plants and hardy wildflowers such as daisies, lilies and baby’s breath, and set the island adrift.  Only the most minimal care may be needed, as while the island can be tied to a line and pulled in for watering or fertilizing, it will also grab needed nutrients from the surrounding water. The benefits to Islandscapes are numerous. A solution to the murky, clouded water often found in shallow ponds or placid streams, the islands act as a biofiltration system that attracts solids and improves water quality.  And since the islands are more isolated than most waterfront areas, they become a safe haven for ducks, geese and other waterfowl.

Particularly suited for garden enthusiasts to create on their island or vacation properties that are used seasonally, no watering or maintenance is generally required. The use of tough perennial flowers and plants will also ensure that your Islandscapes will naturally regenerate each year, greeting you with gorgeous blooming flowers when you return to your island in warm weather.

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It’s not like the difficulties posed by city life vanished the minute you bought your island. Realistically, unless you’ve got it in mind to live off wild mollusks or tree bark, you’re going to accumulate a fair bit of waste. With all the options for creative living posed by your private little world, how about options for disposing recyclable waste in an equally creative manner?

Reishee Sowa, a resident of Puerto Aventuras, Mexico, is a great example of what you can pull off with a little ingenuity and a green conscience. Dissatisfied with life as a landlubber, he took the long way around finding a private island by building his own using the simplest of means- a quarter million used pop bottles. After tossing in some construction scraps and a few bags of dead leaves, he created an “eco space-creating ship”, complete with the means to retain rainwater for showers, a composting toilet and enough space to live comfortably.

That’s not to say you should collect every empty bottle of Dr. Pepper for future use as an offshore landing pad, but using plastic refuse to collect water for treatment and sanitation can reduce the impact suffered by our swelling scrapyards, not to mention lend you a bragging right or two as an innovative, earth-loving islomaniac.

Water harvesting is one of the oldest ‘crops’ in the world. As long ago as 2,000 years, human civilizations have relied on rain to settle, sustain, and sow land of all variety. Deserts in the Negev, nomads in Africa, and elaborate Roman villas in Italy have all been designed to exploit the common aspects of  rain collecting. The efficacy of the practice is testified to by the fact that water harvesting is still around today. The world’s largest existing water tank was built around 600 B.C. and remains standing and in use in Turkey. Remote areas are still dependent on some amount of rainfall for a variety of purposes…any one of which is part of the mosaic of human survival. Rain water allows for supplementary crop maintenance, dilution, human consumption, and support for a variety of livestock.Islands are common locations for water harvesting, especially using rainwater. Islands that are relatively close to a mainland often have water piped or carried in. Despite any distinctions between island and mainland rainwater harvesting, there are three common engineering elements: collection, conveyance, and storage. How these three interrelated elements are applied to their environment, however, vary greatly between urban and island environments. Read more »

From Canada, to Mexico to Dubai, for centuries humans have been building islands. The major limitation in the construction of islands is that they can only be built in shallow water due to the expense and resource intensiveness of construction. However, this is a limitation that may soon be history with the development of a new deep water platform.

Developed by Versabuoy International the deep water platform uses articulating spars that can absorb intense waves making large scale development safer and more feasible. The innovation is touted as bringing deep water land mass creation closer to fruition. What this means for potential island owners is that it is now possible to create man made islands in deep ocean waters. With nearly 71% of the earths landmass located in deep water, the new deep water platform opens up the oceans to development that was not possible even just a few years ago. Truly the depths of the oceans are a new frontier for island lovers