Three (Green) Little Pigs - Part 1

Once upon a time there were three little pigs who were sent out into the world to find the intersection where sustainable resources, disaster mitigation efforts meet and why good design is a critical element in moving toward a healthy, safe and secure future. -it was a big job, but someone had to do it.


The first little pig decided that he would build a straw bale house. He liked fact that his home could be built relatively quickly and that by using straw he was saving an estimated 20% less lumber to frame the house. It also made him feel good that the R-values of the walls were going to be as high as 3 times that of other, conventionally built homes. He also liked that other friends were encouraging him that he could build the house with the limited amount of construction experience he had and only a few special tools. Finally, he was very excited about the superior sound insulation that the thick walls would provide him from the outside world as he sought enlightenment.

The first little pig had a curious sense of style and appreciated that if he wanted to, he could be creative in the shape of the walls and decide to make interior rooms curvy and set the windows deep into the thick walls to make shade and keep the inside temperatures cool. But also that he didn't have to live in a house that looked like he was living in some fairy tale (even though he was) and it could even look very modern and "normal".

The first little pig knew that he had to pay close attention to making sure that the straw bales were covered in a waterproof barrier and were densely packed so that the material was less prone to rotting and insects wouldn't be as likely to try to move in to keep him company. So he did, and all was well.

He also knew that a properly constructed straw bale house was actually quite fire resistant and not any more prone to creating alergy problems than other homes, despite what others had told him. He heard about a straw bale home, set in a remote wilderness area in southern Oregon, was put to the test in 2003 when a massive forest fire engulfed the dense forest surrounding the house. Firefighters were amazed when flames engulfed the vegetation around the home but left the house intact. You can see the charred remains of the forest behind the residence. There was no damage to this structure.

Another big concern was over his home's ability to withstand a disaster but was assured after reading an article describing an experiment where a large straw bale model was subjected to forces 200 times that of the record-breaking 1994 Northridge earthquake in California or hurricanes.

One day a big bad wolf came banging on the first little pigs door and shouted, "Little pig, little pig, let me come in!" and the first little pig said, "Get lost loser, you're interrupting my yoga. Namaste". The big bad wolf tried to blow the straw house down but couldn't even though his buddies had assured him that straw houses were a sure thing. The wolf finally sat on the front step of the house and cried, "It's just not fair, you built a house that is energy efficient, resistant to disaster and has an odd, yet somehow appealing sense of style." The big bad wolf finally gave up and went to find solace at his support group. 

To be continued...

Thanks to StrawBale.com for the referenced material above!