In 2009, Morgan Caraway and his wife, Mary Jane, built their first earthbag house, while living in a yurt. The earthbag structure was a 20′ diameter round house, with around 300 sq ft of space. About 6 years ago they began building a 1000 sq ft earthbag house inspired by some of the principles of … Read more
The European Union has agreed to a new law that would ban the import of products linked to deforestation. Household goods such as coffee, chocolate, and some furniture will have to pass strict checks to ensure forests weren’t damaged to create them. The EU said the rules would cut carbon emissions worldwide. Greenpeace called this … Read more
Joe Lyth and his family live in a passive house near Auckland, New Zealand, which is a big change from their former home in London. The ethos that made this architect design such an eco-friendly home for his own family applies to all aspects of their life. “We hardly ever buy anything new,” architect Joe … Read more
Jerome Osentowski, the founder of the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute is known the world over as a gardening guru. But now he is facing a challenge from a pest he never anticipated: zoning. Around Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley, the legend is well-known: An eccentric old man living on Basalt Mountain had grown bananas at … Read more
The five men who created Terran Robotics believe their adobe construction process offers a viable and cost-effective solution to the soaring cost of owning a home. They make thick walls with a mixture of clay-rich mud, shredded straw and limestone slurry. Terra’s mission statement is: Turning dirt into affordable, sustainable, comfortable, beautiful homes. During an … Read more
The Last Straw recently published this Oral History of The Straw Building Revival with Matts Myhrman The Last Straw: So, Matts, when you were younger did you have any sense that you would end up building with bales? Matts Myhrman: Not in the slightest. My dad was quite a good carpenter and he started me … Read more