How long does it take to grow that back (ecological footprinting)?
It takes a season to grow the straw, but keep in mind that you only need to grow straw for an alternative purpose, mainly food. What I’m trying to say is that using straw to build your house actually has a negative ecological footprint, or a positive effect on the ecology. Farmers would otherwise burn the straw in the field, releasing carbon and pollution into the atmosphere. Most farmers grow grains as a cover crop between other rotations. But grain farmers will combine (COM-bine) the grain and have the chaff left as a byproduct. They have a continuing supply of straw bales, for which house building is a great use. In other words, it’s better to find a supply of straw bales that would otherwise have little or no use than to interrupt a crop rotation for the sole purpose of growing building blocks for your house. A couple of footnotes: Farmers will use herbicides in the rotation process to get rid of weeds before they plant their money crop. It is good to be aware of that and discuss h
