If this sounds a little like it was pulled from a top ten list of icebreakers for tree huggers, it’s probably because it was the one architect Dylan Johnson used to kick off a conversation he had with ...

People have built houses from straw since the Paleolithic Era, but modern straw bale construction originated on the plains of Nebraska more than 100 years ago. Andrew Morrison of StrawBale.com says ...

BROOKINGS, S.D. -- How far would you go to get a house that only costs $1.25 a day to heat in the winter? Better question: Would you live in a house built with straw bales? That idea, which began in ...

Dear Jim: I want a natural way to build an energy-efficient house without plastics, foams, adhesives, etc. Straw bale houses seem to be natural. Is the straw bale construction efficient for low ...

Using straw instead of typical insulation materials reduces a house’s carbon footprint, because straw absorbs carbon instead of emitting it. It's also highly energy efficient, can be sourced locally ...

Interior designer Marcia Wolff wanted a house that's energy-efficient, ecologically sensitive, fire-resistant and, above all, beautiful. So she chose a building material that might surprise some ...

Wolff and her husband, Steve Tarr, are building a 2,600-square-foot house in South Akron, Ohio, using bales of wheat straw for insulation. The house's frame is similar to that used in conventional ...