(updated April 19, 2010)

Mud, Hands, a House" natural construction documentary

1ST PRIZE – CATEGORY FILMS AND DIDACTIC VIDEOS

This educational documentary is directed to training through the contents and explanations by Jorge Belanko in Natural Construction techniques. It was produced in El Bolsón, a mountain village in Patagonia, Argentina. The complete version is 1 hour and 55 minutes. It has subtitles, menus and graphs in English. To purchase, send an e-mail to: barbara@elbolson.com

Let's Build an Orphanage in Kenya

Thank you

More info on: laboa.org

Experience for Labor Trade

Native Coloradan now living in the bay area looking to come back to CO for the summer and learn about natural building - particularly straw bale.  I have a certificate in sustainable design, am a LEED AP, and have taken numerous green building courses, but would like more hands-on experience.  I'm willing to work on a project anywhere in CO, but would prefer the four corners, or front range area. Please contact me for more information. Thank you.  Beth Moore   silvercranedesigns@gmail.com

An update from Mark Schueneman, our esteemed former leader

Hey you straw bale building enthusiasts...check out what's on you tube, thanks to Catherine Wanek. It's a structure we did in the shadow of the capitol building last summer...pretty cool !! Mark. Click here.

Listen to the Straw Bale Greats, Friday Nights

Looking to hear some of best of the straw bale building world on a Friday night? Every Friday, there will be a new audio recording of a session from the 2006 International Straw Bale Building Conference hosted by the Ontario Straw Bale Building Coalition and held at Camp Kawartha in Lakefield, Ontario, September 24—October 1, 2006. Listen to the pioneers, like Bruce King, Matts Mhryman, Judy Knox, Chris Magwood and many more.

Register your home in the International Straw Bale Registry

It has become apparent just how important it is to have a database of straw bale homes in our state. Those looking to purchase a straw bale home must find a "comparable" for their lenders. A comparable is a home that has sold or been appraised in a particular county. The best database on the internet is the International Straw Bale Registry Project. California has nearly twice as many homes registered as Colorado. This situation must not stand! Please do your part to spread the word by registering your home. Builders and designers, please encourage your clients to do the same.

Opportunity -- Host a workshop

Sensibly Sustained of Golden, Colorado is seeking qualified home or property owners considering constructing a straw bale and mud structure or addition on private land. They will provide conceptual design & engineer's stamp at a reduced cost, materials, and the cost of labor supplied by straw bale workshop students. Work and construction will be monitored by straw bale and mud master builders of the San Luis Valley. Contact Sensibly Sustained – Scott M. – 310-866-2587 – scottmastro@gmail.com

COSBA News

We need your support! Did you know your membership must be renewed annually? Please join the association or renew your annual membership and help us spread the word about sustainable building. All proceeds go directly toward our mission. We are also working on getting discounts for COSBA members to conferences and workshops hosted by a variety of organizations. COSBA membership

Colorado Straw Bale Association represented in Washington D.C.

On June 20, 2008, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) hosted a Congressional briefing in Washington D.C. about straw bale construction and how it can help address some of our most serious national policy challenges, such as record energy prices and unemployment, inadequate supply of affordable housing, the threat of climate change, and pressing needs in transportation and infrastructure funding. Longtime COSBA Member Laura Bartels, along with David Eisenberg of the Development Center for Appropriate Technology and others discussed the benefits of using this American invention, the regulatory barriers and institutional biases against straw-bale construction, and the role of the federal government in resolving these issues.

Update: Laura reports that she recently received a letter from the Executive Director of the Institute "She wrote to say that "it turns out that we have had more than 1500 unique visits to our strawbale briefing information since it was posted -- making it the most popular briefing for pulling down information after a briefing.' If you look at the breadth of topics they cover, the amount of briefings and the kinds of speakers they host, it makes this really astounding."

"The influence that the briefing has had has reached to federal agencies, national organizations and non-profits among, obviously, many individuals. One immediate impact was that the Department of Interior subsequently funded a Straw Bale Housing Symposium in South Dakota along with the Intertribal Council on Utility Policy that several of us presented at. There is now interest from USDA to repeat the symposium for a wider audience in the same region. That is just one example, and there are more brewing and in process."

You can listen to Laura, David, Bob Gough of the Inter-Tribal Council on Utility Policy and Sandy Wiggins of the U.S. Green Building Council brief Congress members and view their visual presentations by clicking here. Good job, Laura and David!

Bartels	Eisenberg

Visit www.strawbaleconference.com to stay up to date on next year's conference and send us your thoughts and suggestions.

Please check out the events page for more information on green remodeling, HERS integration, plastering and more!

And for anyone whose been wondering what Mark Schueneman, the former head of COSBA has been up to, well, he's been enjoying the fruits of his labor -- his own straw bale home. Just take a look at this great video of his wall raising party (provided courtesy of James at CU's Division of Continuing Education). Thanks to many willing volunteers and two beautiful days, the walls of Mark's future home are up and he's moved on to finish work. (And while Sven and Sarah kept the crew moving, the crew didn't actually work as fast as the video indicates! Check it out.)

Things for Sale!! (may or may not be available by the time you call)

Straw bale home for sale. Magnificent passive solar, SB home for sale.  Located a few miles from downtown historic Salida, this 3 bedroom, 2 bath home sits on two acres and features 2000 sq ft of heated living space, 3 covered porches equaling 740 sq ft, an oversized two car garage and terrific views of the Collegiate Peaks and the Sangre De Cristo Mountains.  The open floor plan is flooded with light and showcases cathedral ceilings, stained concrete floors and an exposed post and beam structure.  A few of the many special features include: water rights allowing irrigation, natural plasters and an indoor/outdoor fireplace. This house is currently under construction with an anticipated finish date of August 2007. Check this one of a kind gem out at www.solarwisellc.com and contact Timbo Scursso for more information. (posted 4/3/07).

Wildfire Prevention Techniques

We all know that bale homes stand up well to fire, but for those of you who either have built, are building or are even considering building in any of the forested areas of our dry state, consider contacting Kristine and Ryan Borchers at Fire Ready for some tips in safe-guarding your home. They can be reached at 970-749-7267 or info@fireready.com and more info is listed at www.fireready.com. Let's hope for a cold, snow-filled winter!

Why straw bale? We have an answer!

Do some of your friends still give you funny looks when you mention building a house out of straw? Do you feel the need to explain yourself when they ask why you can't just have a "normal" house? Check out the response Brian Fuentes, architect and COSBA member, came up with at http://www.fuentesdesign.com/buildings/projects/why_straw_bale.php. Based on both fact and personal experience, his reflections on our favorite building material will provide plenty of answers to that timeless question.

Older News

The Last Straw Back Issues
If it's time to start planning your own straw bale house, look no further than The Last Straw and the accumulated wisdom found in their past and future issues. Back issues are available on paper and CD-Rom and current subscriptions can be received as hard copies or on line. Visit them at www.thelaststraw.org and order now. And of course a TLS subscription makes a great gift idea, too!

International On Line Straw Bale Forum Launched
A bale builder from across the pond (UK) has just begun a forum that touches on all sorts of straw bale topics. He's welcoming input and putting together a panel of "experts", so check out the site at www.strawbaleforum.com/forum or send an email to Trevor Cryer. His own bale pages are at www.strawbale.co.uk.

Straw Bale in Siberia
Jeff Ruppert has returned from a successful trip to the Altai in Siberia - read about his experience and check out his photos here.