Easy Steps toward Sustainability in Materials
The 3 Little Pigs story gives a visceral impression of strawbale building.
As far as natural building materials go, there are few materials that evoke our imagination (and fear) than strawbale or hempcrete.
Strawbale most especially is forced to try to live past the image of the wolf blowing down the house of the first little pigs in the 3 Little Pigs story.
And hempcrete, with its ubiquitous nomenclature, tends to baffle and confuse everyone who is introduced to it.
Yet, these materials, and other cellulostic materials like them, are being touted as an environmental solution. The carbon-storing capacity of materials like hemp, straw, and even local wood is most impressive and can and should not be ignored. Especially as we stand in the midst of the existential threat of our lives through climate change.
However, the building industry is naturally wary of new materials, and for good reason. As building professionals, we put our names and our licenses on the line each and every day. We are tasked with designing and building structures that will be used (hopefully) beyond our own lifetime, and we don’t get paid for fixing our mistakes. We need to be assured that the materials and techniques we use will stand the test of time.
As a natural builder with a contractor’s license, I tow the line of both worlds - the innovative/traditional world of the tried and true, though out of favor and familiar use, and the cold hard realities of needing to get a building constructed on time and budget. I’ll always advocate for the use of natural building materials - local, renewable, and abundant resources that have been in use since shelter was first needed - yet I understand that many of my colleagues will not be ready to embrace these materials until the time that their use is more easily understood, accessed, and accepted by the institutions and systems that support our industry.
Luckily, there doesn’t need to be an all or nothing mindset. As building professionals, there are several things we can do TODAY to increase our use of accepted, approved, accessible natural building materials, without requiring much of a lift on your part. Here are my top 2 action items to implement today!
Use blown and dense packed cellulose in your walls and ceilings. Cellulose is a recycled product that is widely available, and it’s been in use in the building industry for decades. It’s an easy win for sustainability.
Source lumber from Certified Sustainability Management sources - SFI and FSC. It used to be difficult, if not impossible, to find this material. However, with big box stores stocking this lumber in their aisles, we can switch to sourcing wood that is managed sustainably. In our rural area of Western Massachusetts, Home Depot carries both FSC and SFI 2x4 and 2x6 stock.
Go ahead, be bold with your sustainability while playing it safe. We dare you!