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Straw Bale Homes

From: Shana Weber
Series: BioSphere
Length: 02:12

Straw bale homes stand up to the test Read the full description.

Default-piece-image-2 Homes made of straw may seem like pest-ridden, moldy firetraps, but it turns out they are anything but! Straw bale homes are being built more and more in a groundswell of ecologically friendly and healthy construction.

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Piece Description

Homes made of straw may seem like pest-ridden, moldy firetraps, but it turns out they are anything but! Straw bale homes are being built more and more in a groundswell of ecologically friendly and healthy construction.

Broadcast History

Aired locally on KSCU 103.3 FM, Santa Clara, CA

Transcript

Remember that little pig that built a house out of straw? We all know what happened to THAT house. Well…the fate of straw houses in fables is not necessarily the same for modern straw bale homes; it turns out that straw is not such a bad choice of material after all. Straw bale homes, today on BioSphere.
I know what your questions are. Won’t straw attract every pest in the county? Won’t it mold, or catch fire? These nightmares are actually un–heard–of if the home is made well. In fact, in many areas of the country, straw bale construction is becoming a sort of revolution in high efficiency, and environmentally friendly housing. It can also cost a lot less.
Straw bales have insulating values two to three times better than most well–insulated conventional homes. You can bet its five or six times better than the drafty thing I live in. The thickness of the walls also provides an...
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Timing and Cues

This piece has its own music intro and out.
Suggested host intro:
Up next we have BioSphere, a special short feature by Dr. Shana Weber coming to us from Saratoga, California. BioSphere addresses the question of how to live sustainably on our planet through the decisions we make everyday.
Out: Shana Weber earned her Ph.D. in Enviromental Science from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. For more information about straw bale construction visit www.greenbuilder.com.

Musical Works

Title: The Good Red Road
Artist: Ned Farr
Album: Good Red Road
Year: 1995
Produced by Evan Richey and Ned farr
Length of excerpt: 10 sec.