The aspect of straw bale construction I have yet to comprehend is that straw
is no longer a part of local life anywhere, so where is the economic or
ecological rational?   Real straw, good straw, is hard to find.   The amount
of energy now used to transport appropriate straw from hither to yon to
build the new wave of houses seems inappropriate to the "ecological" good
deed the builders often profess to be doing.   Hay bales are not right at
all if they are good for cattle feed.   Real straw gets chopped up in the
grain industry, and modern varieties of wheat have been bred to produce
short straw stems to eliminate the need for straw processing, allowing the
stubble to be ploughed directly into the soil after the heads have been cut
off by the modern reaper/threshers.   The good old days of useful straw for
all the animal beds in the barn are long gone.   The reason for a straw bale
house may be a personal aesthetic, and that is great, but after growing some
real, antique variety, long straw wheat here at my historic site, and having
people drive for 400 kilometres to buy the straw for bedding at their goat
farms because there was no other straw available in the province, I have a
deeper appreciation for the difference between straw and dried grass.   The
little pigs had it right all along.

cp in bc


> completed construction of his straw bale house with solar panels and a
> wind mill.  The part that amazes me is that he built a fireplace in it,
> too.  I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll really ignite the spark.
> - Pam

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