The UN estimates 1.2 billion people lack adequate shelter and over one hundred million are homeless. Why is this happening when the solution is readily apparent and well proven? The answer lies in using locally available, natural building materials to construct affordable housing. Highly processed modern materials are not affordable for the masses and carry an unacceptable environmental toll.
New developments are improving on old ideas. One such breakthrough is earthbag building (also called sandbag building), which involves filling, stacking and tamping bags of earth. Earthbag building allows for a wide range of soil types – you don’t need a special ‘adobe’ soil. Earthbag builders have used subsoil, sand, ‘fill dirt’, reject fines from sand and gravel producers, marina dredgings and road base. Usually the soil at or near the building site is acceptable, thus reducing costs. Read the rest of the article at IdeaMarketers.com