Strawbale houses were first built shortly after the invention of the baling machine. Settlers in western Nebraska who had access to this machine were quick to realize the potential of large, insulated building blocks. And the rest of the story, as they say, is history. This same potential now exists for earthbag building. The benefits … Read more
Readers are asking about two bag filling devices on the Internet — EZBagger and GoBagger. They scoop and funnel sand directly into bags. My preference for a bag filler was explained in my post titled Bucket Chutes (December 16, 2008). I explained how you can modify a standard $1 bucket in couple of minutes for … Read more
Originally published by Owner Builder Magazine, this excellent article by Rob Wainwright of Permaforest Trust comes complete with many useful building details, as well as quite a few beautiful photos. Rob explains how they built their four meter dome step-by-step clearly enough that others could build one similar. This project is now featured on our … Read more
James and Suzanne McConnell, co-founders of The Foster Village, are creating a self sustaining earthbag eco-pueblo pilot program for foster teenagers near Ojo Caliente, NM. Children living full time in an eco-pueblo along with their visiting parents, when appropriate, will work side-by-side, interacting and caring for animals, gardening, building earthbag domes, milking goats, making cheese … Read more
Patti Stouter and I have just completed a proposal for Emergency Earthbag Shelters. The basic premise is many times tarps alone do not provide sufficient shelter for humanitarian relief operations, while tents may not be available or cost effective. What is often needed is a simple family shelter solution that is easy to transport and … Read more
Sandbags have a long history of use in flood control. United Bags, Inc., for example, has supplied sandbags to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and the public for 117 years. Sandbags play a critical role in building and fortifying dikes and levees to protect our communities. The bags are low cost and easily transported … Read more