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A Note from the Authors

In our note to the first edition of this book, we expressed our surprise at having become professional straw bale builders. Those are four words that would have been unthinkable together a decade ago, and yet we are now joined by many others who have the same job description. In our province alone there are numerous builders and companies specializing in straw bale structures, and around the world the number has grown so that it’s no longer possible for all of us to know each other.

And yet, among the many people who now make these buildings, live in these buildings, or aspire to make and live in them, we continue to find a unique kinship and understanding. The term “straw bale movement” sometimes gets bandied about. Though it’s far from an organized, cohesive movement, there is no doubt that it is growing quickly, and that many of us involved have the same goals.

Our society is heading toward a new understanding of our built environment. For centuries, people were always closely involved with, and responsible for, the buildings they inhabited. Now we spend even more of our time in buildings, many of which are extremely unhealthy, but have lost the connection between ourselves and the places in which we live, learn, and work. As we learn ever more about how buildings work (and, just as importantly, don’t work), we understand the importance of creating buildings that are healthy, unique, beautiful, and well suited to their inhabitants.

Learning about straw bales has been a motivating factor in this education, for us and for many others. But straw bales alone are not a solution; they are part of an answer that will take more than the rest of our lives to figure out. Everybody who takes a step in this direction is merely adding to a pool of knowledge that, someday, will see the widespread creation of buildings that meet high ideals of performance, aesthetics, and environmental appropriateness.

Please accept this book as part of our ongoing contribution to this wider learning.