Unless you live under a rock, you're probably already familiar with the growing trend in eco-architecture. Lately it seems that every time you turn around there's a new LEED-certified building under construction - a certification standard which has undoubtedly created a new level of consciousness in architecture, at both the design and eco levels. Every new building attempts to outdo the last, offering all the latest in sustainable bells and whistles available to the modern world. From solar and wind power to recycled water/heating solutions to bamboo materials and denim insulation, it's all in hot demand.

On a mass level, scores of eco-communities and eco-homes are popping up faster than you can say sustainability. Celebrities such as Val Kilmer and Brad Pitt are among the many famous names who are drawing attention to the trend. Pitt, who recently partnered with Global Green to build homes in New Orleans' devastated Lower 9th Ward, has no doubt increased eco-awareness levels for millions of people around the globe. That attention has, in turn, increased publicity for several green minded organizations, such as the Post Carbon Institute. PCI actively researches and implements strategies to wean communities off reliance on cheap energy, moving towards increased sustainability. These restructured societies produce their own food and energy, as well as emphasize the importance of local economy and social equality. There is often a common area to retreat to, fostering a feeling of camaraderie and strength among the residents. Solar technology, rainwater collection tanks, locally adapted building material, proper architectural design, communal greenhouses, organic food, biodiversity and preservation are just some of that which these societies run on. Eco-communities -- also referred to as eco-villages -- are an international phenomenon, rearing their green heads across Australia, South Africa, Virginia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Canada and the UK.

Sure these buildings can exist more "naturally" than traditional architecture. But what's next? Can we construct homes that breathe? Highrises that grow? Can we build structures that live off the land, or must they always take from it? A growing number of designers, architects, and futurists see natural architecture as the backbone of a truly modern community - one that sustains itself and provides for its inhabitants without destroying or detracting from the surrounding environments. Even Pitt himself cleverly commented - in one New Orleans' interview - that man is the only animal on the planet which outgrows and often ruins its own habitat.

While Pitt's words may have seemed like a challenge extended to every architect and urban planner on the planet, the dream of self-sustaining eco-communities has been lingering around our society for many years. Ever since outdoor artist Patrick Dougherty began manipulating plants and tree branches into architectural forms, an increasing number of designers and architects and even celebrities have begun flirting with the concept of "natural" buildings. Luc Schuiten - an architect-slash-ecologist with an penchant for thinking outside the box-frame of standard structural prototypes - garnered attention with his vision of buildings that live, breathe, and metamorphosize over time.

A brief flip through the dreamy pages of Schuiten's book "Archiborescence" is enough to engulf anyone in his ideas of the ideal home. He believes in reintegrating nature back into our everyday existence, instead of fostering increased separation between man and environment. While his concepts are indeed fantastical, they are also beautifully optimistic. He believes the future of living lies in the "habitarbres" he designs – eco-homes made of trees, not from trees – where man and the environment can coexist without ecological destruction. The beauty of Schuiten's vision is that he wholeheartedly believes in man's ability to create these peaceful environments and live a life of balance.

Clearly, we’re not quite there yet. Our homes may not breathe and grow idyllically in some utopian garden of human communities, but Dougherty and Schuiten’s visions do provide a direction to move towards. Citizens of communities around the globe are turning toward eco-villages, sustainable living, and wellness communities in order to experience more balanced and holistic lives. Natural architecture and lifestyles are on the rise, continuing to grow into ubiquity as time passes. Recently in Brighton, England a 172-apartment community opened, in which residents grow their own food on the rooftops and dispose of garbage by way of a zero-waste plan. Perhaps we can stop destroying our habitats after all.