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.