“Whenever I drive past a new building on the edge of every town, I wonder — why aren’t they building straw bale? But the word is spreading, and staw bale buildings are becoming a more common sight around the world. Want to take a little tour?” Read more from > 8 Great Straw Bale Projects From Around the World

“A video survey of urban agriculture and community gardening in Atlanta. This story was featured on “This is Atlanta with Alicia Steele,” a Telly Award-winning and Emmy-nominated magazine show on PBA, Atlanta’s PBS Station. View more from “This is Atlanta” at http://www.pba.org/atlanta.” Read more from > Urban Agriculture in Atlanta

Decorative glass block adds light to bathrooms while maintaining privacy. It’s easy to set glass block in earthbag walls and other thick walls made of strawbale, cob, stone, adobe, etc. Here’s how I added glass blocks to our Earthbag Roundhouse Studio. Read more from > Glass Block Windows in Earthbag Walls

Question: What are some good natural material options for tiny trailer homes?

Owen: Good options include cellulose or wool insulation (especially in the roof), straw/clay wall insulation with wood siding or paneling on both sides. Exterior grade vertical groove plywood siding is a popular choice (T-111). On top of this you could add trim boards to create a more pleasing batt and board appearance. Read more from > Natural Building Options for Tiny Trailer Homes

From Angela, a reader in Alaska: “I just wanted to add some updated info. I have been searching high and low for scoria. Alaska doesn’t have readily available sources. I have contacted a long list of people and while we can find the volcanoes and a scoria pit even, there’s no way to get it to the general public. Which really frustrates me because I’m been hot on the trail for a long time trying to build an earthbag home for us. If anybody gets any bit of updated info, please share.” Read more from > No Lava Rock/Scoria Available in Alaska

From Temperate Climate Permaculture: “If you read my article on building an intentional community, you’ll see that I am strongly recommending bypassing the traditional mortgage path and promoting build-it-yourself, alternative housing. I have shared a few posts on some of the alternative housing options, but I thought it would be fun to give a brief overview of the more common (of the overall uncommon) alternative housing options that are available today. Read more from > An Overview of Alternative Housing Designs: Part 1