Today programs for the poor are being cut by governments beholden to megalithic corporations. Perhaps it is time for us to think outside of the box, to create a new "meme" as Deep Ecologist Daniel Quinn state, in which we can build an ecologically sound culture while also eradicating poverty. The use of community resources for low cost, bale housing is one of the ways in which people are becoming independent. We need more.

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(Article changed on March 9, 2013 at 19:13)

Community Rebuilds Logo by Community Rebuilds

According to World Resources Institute:

The distribution of environmental benefits (and costs) is determined largely by public policies and government practices. Too often, public policies favor affluent people and regions, enriching a few powerful political and economic elites while passing disproportionately large social and environmental costs on to poor and disenfranchised populations.

Poverty reduction--especially for the poorest--can be greatly enhanced through policies that promote fair distribution of natural resource benefits. In high-inequity, high-poverty countries, equitable access and fair distribution can be more effective than economic growth alone in reducing poverty. Such reforms are often most effective in countries where natural resources dominate local economies and natural capital is particularly significant in determining the overall distribution of wealth. Even small changes in these policies can have a large effect on building the assets of the poor and reducing poverty.

In today's political climate, benefits that are paid for by the people are being cut for the sake of lining the pockets of the elite. At this point, there is probably no sense in fighting to have this reversed. What we need to change is ourselves through reducing our dependence on corporations and government for our health and welfare. Regarding those who live in poverty during this time, we need to simply work towards neglecting the government while helping those in need through programs created by people that exhibit passion about the welfare of the people they love.

Community Rebuilds is such an organization of people.

Community Rebuilds aids low income-qualifying families in building affordable and ENERGY-EFFICIENT STRAW BALE HOMES . The organization is a nonprofit that provides assistance during all stages of the build. Before breaking ground the members of the organization act as free consultants for interested families, by connecting them with loans with low interest rates while supplying stamped architectural plans free of cost. During the build they then manage the building process and budget, while providing a labor force of unpaid volunteer interns. After construction is complete, they provide the families with free consultations in home maintenance and repair.

Thus the goal is to make the families self-sufficient. The organization is taking serious the philosophy that if one wants to feed the poor, teach them how to fish or her how to hunt, gather and grow healthy foods in their own yard or community garden.

Community Rebuilds reduces building costs by recruiting volunteer student interns to complete the bulk of the construction labor. This team then sticks to a simple architectural plan for each build, thereby limiting architectural and engineering costs. Local, "dirt cheap" building materials are used, especially straw bales. They also reduce cost by using as many recycled and donated building materials as possible. With this structure, they are able to reduce the cost of construction greatly. The homes cost $100,000, but would cost almost double without their services, particularly in the organizations home-base in Utah, where housing costs are high.

Emily Niehaus is the executive director of the organization. According to her, they've chosen straw bale as the main building material, because it's a locally available, highly insulative (R-value=40!), and very renewable resource. Moreover, especially using it in a south facing passive solar design, they are able to significantly limit future heating and cooling costs. Repairs are easily made with extra putty donated to the family by the builders. Home maintenance, heating, and cooling, thus remains affordable long after the structure is built.

Emily and Child by Emily Neihouse

Emily Neihouse with her child

The utilization of straw bales has been reported to have a huge impact on natural resources and air pollution. Each year, the United States burns or disposes of 200 million tons of "waste straw,' producing massive amounts of carbon dioxide. The use of straw as insulation furthermore reduces the need for initial energy outputs in regards to manufacturing. There is less embodied energy in straw as it is available in almost every local market, thereby reducing transportation costs and efforts. Straw is a renewable resource that has a one year growth/harvest cycle. By using this local, agricultural by-product as a building material, one is able to reduce energy expenditures, the amount of straw burned, and the use of fossil fuels needed for material transportation.

According to the Strawbale website (link below), a typical straw bale wall is roughly three times as efficient as conventional framing. Over the life of a typical thirty year mortgage, this kind of insulation can reduce energy costs by up to 75%, saving money and vital natural resources.

Many are concerned about fire. Its common sense since straw burns easily. Yet, according to the Straw Bale website: "The straw bale/mortar structure wall has proven to be exceptionally resistant to fire." In these tests, the flames took more than two hours to penetrate the plastered bale walls. Conventional framing built to commercial standards took only 30 minutes to one hour to burn. Due to their tight compaction, bales contain very little oxygen and thus resist combustion. It's reported to be like trying to burn a phone book. "Of course, loose straw is at risk for fire and should be cleaned from the job site daily. Walls should be plastered as early as possible, to increase their fire resistance." The inclusion of lime in homemade plaster adds to the safety, weather resilience, and durability of the home. Thus the conventional framing appears to be more a fire hazard than the straw bales. The straw bale website further states that the use of straw bale is resistant to bugs and other pests due to its densely packed bales which makes it hard for these pesky pets to walk around or breathe.

One of the most important myths that straw bale housing confronts for our culture is the idea of standardization. Community Rebuilds oftentimes looks at where a house is located, and determines how it is oriented in relationship environmental factors (where the sun rises, wind directions, etc). Thus houses on the same street will not all have front doors facing the street. Some may be pointing towards the sides of their neighbor's house. Others may be in the back. Standardization, the hallmark of American ingenuity (and disdain for the different, or creative), is thus confronted in the work of Community Rebuilds. The creative edge is left intact as well as building in relation to the Earth and not to a standardized drawing. Ah, to kill the nightmare of corporate standardization while kindling the dream of creative and affordable housing!

The straw-built style of housing also appears sufficient to carry heavy loads. In load bearing straw bale structures, the bales themselves carry the vertical loads. High density bales and proper compression are a must to ensure the bales will not settle under the weight of the roof assembly. In-fill structures rely on the framing to carry the vertical loads. Lateral loads, or shear strength, is carried by the wall assembly as a whole. The bales, the structural wire mesh, and the plaster all play a part in the handling of lateral loads. Recent engineering has shown bale wall assemblies to be structural sound even in the most volatile earthquake zones of California.

Furthermore, in contrast to popular perception, pests are more of an imagined concern than a real threat in straw built housing. Once the walls are properly plastered or sided, there is no way for bugs or rodents to get into the bales. If pests were to get inside, they would find it almost impossible to move in the densely packed bales. Termites and other pests pose more of a problem to conventional construction than they do to straw bale structures.

Straw bale homes provide superior sound absorption compared with conventional houses. This will be especially important in the town homes. The sound absorption between units will help create separation between common wall homes.

During construction, high density bales and proper compression are a must to ensure the bales will not settle under the weight of the roof assembly. In-fill structures rely on the framing to carry the vertical loads. Lateral loads, or shear strength, is carried by the wall assembly as a whole. The bales, the structural wire mesh, and the plaster all play a part in the handling of lateral loads. Recent engineering has shown bale wall assemblies to be structural sound even in the most volatile earthquake zones of California!

Thus it appears that straw bale houses are relatively inexpensive and easy to build. As long as banks and corporations are in charge of our lands, they may provide a cost effective way to reduce housing costs and may be a way to reduce the power of banks and corporations by ultimately getting the power of having our own land and housing in our own hands and not the banks and corporate enterprises.

How many people actually pay off a 30 year mortgage? Who owns the land we live on (if ownership is even allowed in Nature's Law Book)?

More importantly, Emily Niehaus notes that when one walks into a strawbale house, one "feels hugged by it." Could it be that the psychological, spiritual and physical benefits of a warm mothering hug by one's house could result in the lessening of psychological and physical symptoms of distress? Perhaps the first step to creating a healthy and peaceful culture is to build healthy and peaceful houses. The intimate community created during a build among client, volunteer, and professional builders also increases the personal and emotional value of the Community Rebuilds home to its residents.

Straw built housing alongside other creative ways of making housing affordable, high quality' and healthy across all domains (environment and human) are imperative steps to our becoming free of the tyrannical political and corporate structure that we are enslaved in. Organizations such Community Rebuilds are instrumental to our quest for freedom...freedom from the banks, the corporations and their underling governments.

The best way to learn the art of straw bale construction is by taking a workshop (see links below).

The more organizations such as Community Rebuilds that come into existence, the quicker we can come out from under the power of the Corporate world. It does us no good any more to create unions which pressure corporations to behave themselves by giving proper wages with hours of work that are not on the verge of slavery. Nor can we count on the bought and sold politicians to legislate our freedom and well being. We in the labor classes must declare our equal rights alongside our sisters.

What is labor if not a feminine function. We need to get off our backs in a position of powerlessness and take charge of our labor, as well as who enters the depths of our Souls (e.g., the media). We need to be empowered. Not by war. Not by any savior/leader. We don't need another Patriarch. We need to change by changing our lives. Indeed, the more we can utilize the system to bring that same system down, the better. Perhaps this is the true gift of organizations such as Community Rebuilds. It is only in our communities, in our own homes, containing our own families and within the depths of our own Soul that we can take power back.

Kissinger reportedly said, "Control the oil, control nations. Control the food, control people." It's that simple. If we get control over the basics--food, shelter, water, and air--we shall take power back. Thus is the wisdom behind the work of Community Rebuilds and the passionate loving vision of Emily Niehaus.

Perhaps Emily will soon be known as one of the Mothers of the New Dawn...the evolution of consciousness within the human species!

Straw Bale House by Community Rebuilds

Links and Further Information

Community Rebuilds: http://communityrebuilds.org/

Workshops regarding straw bale: www.StrawBaleWorkshops.com

World Resources Institute: http://www.wri.org/project/equity-poverty-environment

Authors Bio:
Burl Hall is a retired counselor who is living in a Senior Citizen Housing apartment. Burl has one book to his credit, titled "Sophia's Web: A Passionate Call to Heal our Wounded Nature." For more information, search the book on Amazon.

Burl's philosophy entails the idea that "everything effects and causes everything thing else." His spirituality of Sophia i.e., Wisdom is universal as well as within each of us. He also sees the idea of Chaos as not being "all over the place" but as infinite relationships.

The question I present in my articles speak not so much towards the politicians, but how WE the people can empower ourselves within a planet that is healthy, wealthy and wise.