What follows is just a quick overview of the subject. For more information contact DCAT or the other resources listed on the other side of this page. Significant cost savings come from the energy savings over the life of the building. The building process is very owner-builder friendly, meaning that people can do at least part of the building themselves, with family and friends. There are no old growth fields of straw.
Straw is an annually renewable agricultural byproduct of growing cereal grains.
It is usually thought of as a waste product and frequently disposed of through burning, which creates serious environmental problems. By using straw instead of wood, the need for lumber is reduced thereby reducing the need for cutting old-growth forests. Some type of straw or other suitable material for baling is available in most regions of the world, making it a local or at least regional building material. The ease of building with and modifying bales opens the design and building process to creativity and individualization of even very basic buildings. This means that affordable housing does not need to be ugly or uniform in appearance, even though the costs are low and basic designs are similar.