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 Straw based materials << renewable agricultural based products >>

Strawbales as walls provide super insulation while extremely low in embodied energy

Lite-Clay is a mixture of loose straw with a coating of clay poured inside of forms The slipform process results in smoother surfaces to ease mud plastering.

Engineered strawboard (panels) from various manufacturers for cabinets, sheathing or interior divider walls

Recycled wall materials << foam or wood chips are recycled, combined with concrete to create wall systems that can accept structural reinforcement, especially useful for earthsheltered projects >>

RASTRA® and FASWALL® are two products reviewed here.

These building blocks are appealing, especially for owner-builders, because of the two step process of setting the blocks in place and grouting which provides the structure, insulation, interior and exterior facings.

Regional materials << the use of local materials encourages better stewardship of the resource and the product usually will have less embodied energy due to reduced transportation and reduced manufacturing processes >>

Examples shown here are regional to northern New Mexico, but exemplify similar choices found globally.

Adobe in particular is an example of earth construction that is prevalent throughout most of the world.

Pumice-crete makes use of the natural insulating quality of volcanic rock.

Finishes & Details << choices that are local, recycled, less toxic all serve people better and reduce our environmental impact >>

Look around and on a daily basis you will find cast offs that are excellent for finishes such as floors, walls, counters. Someone else's waste can be used creatively in its intended form or for a completely different purpose.

The examples which follow just touch on this topic to inspire us to look at all which is available to us.

Why going GREEN is smart << reducing our consumption of resources, healthy interiors, eliminating toxic waste, and reducing the energy used to manufacture building materials are all necessary for sustaining ourselves and the earth's current health >>

According to Pliny Fisk III, the typical U.S. lifestyle will require a reduction in resource consumption on the order of 1/20th to 1/28th to be within anticipated resource consumption patterns needed to achieve a sustainable future. Think about this!