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Straw bale construction can help to reduce the environmental impact of a building project in several ways:

• reduction of energy needed to heat and cool bale buildings

• annual renewability of straw resources

• low embodied energy

These factors combine to make a persuasive environmental argument for the use of straw bale wall systems. Reduced energy consumption for heating and cooling means less fuel is required and fewer emissions are produced from burning finite natural resources. Straw harvesting is much less energy-intensive than lumber harvesting and the manufacturing of insulation and other products used to build frame walls. The energy expended in straw production is already producing grain crops, resulting in a two-for-one energy saving. Straw is available locally in a wide variety of climatic regions; using locally produced bales saves energy that would otherwise be consumed in transportation.

Straw can be grown and harvested annually — unlike forests that take upward of 40 years to re-generate and rarely return to their former levels of production. Straw needs little processing to be used for building, and straw production is very decentralized; there are few regions that are not within a reasonable shipping distance of a straw supply.

1.4: By bringing the straw bale walls into the living space, you can wrap yourself in the warm, comfortable contours that attract so many people to bale building.

Using straw bales for building could also reduce the amount of straw that is burned off each year, considered waste. While many North American jurisdictions are starting to ban the burning of straw, tonnes of straw are still burned, adding un- wanted emissions and particulate to our atmosphere.