Our Green Streets Blog

Simon Dale's low-impact home in Wales

This marvelous and imaginative home was built in Wales by Simon Dale.

He writes: “This building is one part of a low-impact or permaculture approach to life. This sort of life is about living in harmony with both the natural world and ourselves, doing things simply and using appropriate levels of technology. These sort of low cost, natural buildings have a place not only in their own sustainability, but also in their potential to provide affordable housing which allows people access to land and the opportunity to lead more simple, sustainable lives. For example this house was made to house our family whilst we worked in the woodland surrounding the house doing ecological woodland management and setting up a forest garden, things that would have been impossible had we had to pay a regular rent or mortgage.”

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Eco-house built using straw bales. Photo: Bill Steen

Catherine Wanek, co-director of Builders Without Borders, was  recently busy in our national capitol featuring the organization’s straw bale house which was on display at the National Botanic Gardens. It is worthwhile visiting the BWB website:

FROM BUILDERS WITHOUT BORDERS:

Builders Without Borders
is an international network of ecological builders who advocate the use of straw, earth and other local, affordable materials in construction. We believe that the solution to homelessness is not merely housing, but individuals and communities trained to house themselves.

When Catherine returns from her project in Washington D.C., Green Streets will conduct an interview with her. She has many good things to share.

Educational Resources Fund
Builders Without Borders created a Strawbale Construction Curriculum, and donates this training manual, plus other books and videos, to worthy people and projects, and offers scholarships to BWB workshops for dedicated students.

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