16 Essential Steps to Straw Bale Success

If you go to strawbale.com you can download a free subscription to “16 Essential Steps to Straw Bale Success” e-course.  For over two weeks you’ll receive a daily and information-packed lesson about straw bale construction in your inbox. Over 50,000 people have read it so far! Everything from  Design, Choosing Best Bales, Creating Custom Bales, Creating Niches, Prep … Read more

A Native Sioux Tribe Is Building the First Hempcrete Plant in the US

Natives from the Lower Sioux Indian Reservation in southwestern Minnesota are building a 20,000-square-foot manufacturing campus that will allow them to pioneer a green experiment, the first of its kind in the United States. They are growing hemp to process it into hempcrete, and then build healthy homes with it. Once the tribe makes this low-carbon … Read more

The Early Days of Green Building in the US

Young communards in the backwoods of Vermont and high plains of Taos knew that surviving in frigid climes meant something better than teepees and log huts. With well-worn Whole Earth catalogues as guides, they began figuring it out. Back then “Save the Trees” was a mantra uniting the movement. Northern New Mexico’s earthen homes were … Read more

A New Biodiversity Law Affects Developers in England

Starting in 2024, new homes in England will have to make sure their projects deliver at least a 10% biodiversity net gain. Helen Nyul, group biodiversity manager for one developer, describes what has been done at one recent development. “We’ve got the house marten nesting cups which are on the side of the front end … Read more

The Values of Straw Bale Houses

Straw bale houses are gaining popularity due to their ecological and sustainable nature. These unique homes are built using straw as either the primary structural element or insulation or both, providing a natural and renewable way of building. Straw bale homes offer exceptional insulation properties that help you keep your house warm during colder months … Read more