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photo: Catherine Wanek

The U.S. Botanic Garden is in the heart of Capitol Hill and nearly as old as Washington, D.C. itself. (click for more on the USBG).


Straw bales may be the most economical and ecological material available for construction today. After a cereal grain is harvested, the remaining hollow stalks of straw can be inexpensively baled into super-insulating building blocks, and quickly stacked into walls by a volunteer crew with little or no building experience. Protected with a proper foundation, roof and plaster, bale walls could last a century or longer, providing an attractive and energy-efficient building envelope for human habitation.

BWB will demonstrate this in its USBG exhibit. Visitors will experience the heat and sound insulating qualities of straw-bale walls, and touch attractive plasters of clay and lime. The display will also showcase the versatility of earth as a building material, including seating benches of adobe, cob, and "earthbags."

Earthbags are essentially a low-tech rammed earth system, which uses subsoil from the building site tamped into cast-off polypropylene bags. It can be used structurally, decoratively, and is moisture resistant.

The BWB building team features engineer/natural builders Steve Kemble and Mollie Curry, earthbag innovators/authors Kaki Hunter and Doni Kiffmeyer, contractors and educators Laura Bartels and Rosemary Morin, and natural builder Eric Hempstead.

Athena and Bill Steen, well-known educators and authors of several books on straw-bale construction, will contribute their talents to the display by applying artistic finishing plasters.

Architect Darryl De Boer and natural builders Marisha Farnsworth and Kevin Rowell, comprise the bamboo building team, and Massey Burke and Michael Bunch will demonstrate the versatility of adobe and cob construction.

Coordinating the Eco-house Exhibit are BWB Co-directors Catherine Wanek and Derek Roff, and Darren Port of New Jersey Green Homes.

The BWB Eco-house team will also offer hands-on workshops during the summer on special Family Days hosted by the USBG. Dates include Saturday June 21, July 19, August 16, and September 27. Kids of all ages will be invited to stack some straw bales and get their hands dirty plastering with mud. Just follow the aroma of cookies baking in a solar oven. (visit www.usbg.gov for more information.)

The dozens of other exhibitors at the U.S. Botanic Garden include the Department of Energy (DOE), National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL), The Nature Conservancy, the American Horticultural Society, the SmartGrowth Network, and many more. (click here for a full list of exhibitors.)

USBG horticulturist and event coordinator Ray Mims says, “Our hope is that this will be a fun, interesting, thought-provoking experience for our visitors. Our goal is to provide the public with take home messages, empower them with knowledge, and motivate them to get involved in some manner.”

For more information on the One Planet Ours! Exhibition, visit www.builderswithoutborders.org and www.usbg.gov

Please help BWB bring awareness of energy-efficient straw bale and natural building to the steps of Capitol Hill. Support a summer of sustainability at the BWB natural building exhibit by donating, becoming a sponsor, and becoming a member.

Volunteer positions will also be available in May. sign up for the free BWB newsletter, or contact Sam Droege <Sam_Droege@USGS.gov>


photo: Patricia Mcardle
Builders Without Borders created a temporary straw-bale building display on the Mall in Washington D.C. in 2002. The 2008 display at the USBG will include earth-bag foundations, plastered walls, and a bamboo roof structure, along with informational photo panels. Hands-on workshops will be scheduled.

BWB is an international network of ecological builders working together for a sustainable future.