[Greenbuilding] seeking greenest homes

[billc]

At 11:20 AM -0400 3/23/07, Michael Henry wrote:
>Hi, I'm a sometimes-straw-bale-builder in Ontario as well as a writer
>(my first book, on old-growth forests will be out later this year). I'll
>be driving across North America this summer and I wanted to seek out
>some of the "greenest" houses to visit along the way (and out of the
>way), to see what has been done, and to write a magazine article about
>the houses / the trip, to help spread the word.
>
>So I'm writing to ask, what are the greenest houses you know of / have
>worked on? I'm thinking in terms of low embodied energy, high energy
>efficiency, use of renewable energy, and also the aesthetic and
>integration into the natural / cultural landscape. I'm looking for
>houses that incorporate radically new, radically old and common sense
>ideas for sustainable living. I'm also seeking "0-energy" homes,
>especially in colder climates - I'd like to know what's possible.
>

Specifically for strawbale structures, check out the Straw Bale 
Building Registry at http://sbregistry.greenbuilder.com .  When we 
originally conceived the idea, it was because we got so many people 
asking "where can I see one (in my state or near my city)".  But we 
also realized that it could be an excellent tool for future research 
into the long-term viability of straw bale structures, a reporting 
mechanism on various problems encountered, a pool of information on 
availability of mortgages and insurance, etc, so we worked in a bunch 
more questions.

Check also with various green building programs along your route.

PS:  We'd be interested in extending the SBRegistry concept to other 
types of alternative construction - rammed earth, earthship, 
papercrete, and many others - if someone wanted to pony up some money 
to do it.  It could also become a useful resource for the inevitable 
resale market, as appraisers currently are unaware of other 
alternative structures in the area.  Think about it and let me know 
if the concept interests you.


-- 
Bill Christensen
<http://greenbuilder.com/contact/>

Green Building Professionals Directory: <http://directory.greenbuilder.com>
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Straw Bale Registry: <http://sbregistry.greenbuilder.com/>
Books/videos/software: <http://bookstore.greenbuilder.com/>