Ask Kevin: Straw possibilities
14 May '07 from Kevin Contreras
Kevin,
1. Can you have fireplaces in a straw built home?
2. Straw built homes, do they have an increase affect on people with allergies?
3. What are the resale values/market value pro and cons of a straw built home?
4. Is marble and granite amenities considered green.
Thanks Kevin, Happy Green Day.
Lucky & Mari Taylor
Hi Lucky and Mari,
1. Sure you can have a fireplace, although fireplaces are not environmentally friendly. They burn wood which causes temporary, localized, unhealthy air, when the wood could be decomposing into the earth to supply nutrients for future plant growth.
2. No. The bales are encapsulated in plaster so there is no evidence of any straw, except where one decides to add a “Truth Window” to show off the interior of the wall. Even if the walls were left un-plastered, allergies are caused by pollens and dust and not by the fibrous shafts that once contained grain.
3. Cons: ignorance of potential buyers. Pros: more beautiful homes with much greater insulation, resulting in reduced energy costs.
4. Not really. Though they are organic, those products have high embodied energy, having been blasted with dynamite, sawn into slabs, and shipped around the world. Locally made materials, from natural or recycled ingredients are better.
Good luck!
Kevin
Bookmark/Search this post with:
are fireplaces environmentally friendly?
In response to Kevin's recent comment that fireplaces aren't environmentally friendly because "They burn wood which causes temporary, localized, unhealthy air, when the wood could be decomposing into the earth to supply nutrients for future plant growth..."
I agree that a fireplace isn't environmentally sound, but not because it burns wood. It is because it burns wood inefficiently (to the tune of 10% efficiency). Kevin is correct that localized pollution occurs, mainly in the form of particulates, with a fireplace.
However, an efficient, sealed wood stove can be a very resourceful, responsible way to heat a home. EPA rated wood stoves have efficiencies as high as 78%, with particulate emissions of less than 5 grams per hour. Unlike oil, coal, or natural gas, wood is a renewable resource, and often locally sourced.