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technologies such as straw-bale construction, sod roofs, and compostingtoilets."John and his family look forward to moving into their "healthy house" in May, adream that has taken over seven years to realize. Since his children were born,John has developed a strong interest in preserving the natural environment, andleaving a healthier world for Ian and Claire to grow up in. The natural warmthof the sun will heat the house, while a sod roof and straw bale walls protect itfrom the heat of summer and the cold of winter.Early settlers in Nebraska first used straw bales to construct homes in the late1800s. Faced with no trees to mill and soil too sandy to use for sod homes, theyturned to the abundant supply of prairie grasses and their recently inventedbaling machines. Many of these turn -of-the-century homes, schools andchurches still stand today. Modern straw bale construction uses the same basicprinciples applied by the Nebraskan pioneers, but updated to meet currentbuilding code requirements. Straw bale homes offer insulation values more thandouble that of standard frame homes. Environmentally, the use of straw balesreplaces the majority of the framing lumber, manufactured insulation and plasticbarriers with an annually renewable, agricultural waste product. Straw balehomes consistently use less than one half of the heating and cooling energyrequired by standard frame homes.The straw bale post and beam house has been designed by award winningarchitect Martin Liefhebber, to compliment its natural surroundings andcapitalize on readily available resources, such as the energy of the sun, thenatural slope of the land, and protection of the trees. The living roof will growlow -maintenance plants typical of the surrounding area. The house is structuredto maximize passive solar heat with concrete floors that also have hydronictubing as a back -up heat source. Composting toilets will allow the recycling ofhuman waste without polluting the environment.Straw Bale HappeningOne of the best things about building with straw bales is the opportunity to involveothers, whether amateurs or experts, in the construction of your home. Withminimal instruction and supervision, a team of inexperienced family, friends, andother enthusiasts can help you to erect your straw bale walls in just a few days. Wecall it a straw bale happening.253