TLS 78

Call for Pitches

If you missed our email last week, here’s our call for pitches again. For the next issue of The Last Straw, we’re looking for explorations and proposals of reusing the buildings we have. Reuse, repair, and retrofit; in a time with an insatiable appetite for concrete and glass and profitmaxxing five-over-one yuppie dorm extrusions, these maneuvers offer a way out of the 50-year-lifespan (if you’re lucky) build/raze/repeat cycle. Sometimes the best choice is not to build at all: vacant and underutilized structures abound. Send your pitches to editors@thelaststraw.org by September 16th!

Some questions that might shake loose your ideas:

• How much impact can design and material selection have on redeveloped buildings in a gentrifying neighborhood? What does building reuse look like when redevelopment is led by the existing community?

• How might historic preservation practices move beyond recreating a static phase of a building’s history and engage buildings as ever-changing spaces?

• How might building repair and reuse help people understand and enjoy more the spaces they interact with everyday?

• How do regenerative methods increase access and lower the barrier to entry for more kinds of people to participate in the act of reuse and repair?

• How can buildings be designed for adaptability or disassembly (or circular waste “disposal”)?

• Building information modeling (BIM) has allowed people to design new buildings in less time, but what new constraints and assumptions does using BIM add?

Fire and ICE

We’ve uploaded one of our interviews from TLS issue 77, about how a natural building cooperative jumped into action after one of their own was abducted by ICE. Read it here.

ECOTECHNICS

Concrete Deconstruction

This paper from Rosa-Lux in Germany highlights the financial and climactic costs associated with the production and deconstruction of concrete. It also details the political lobbying of the cement industry, and in chapter four goes into alternatives to concrete construction.

PROJECT FEATURE

Hunter College Deconstruction Project

CO Adaptive, based in Brooklyn, New York, worked on a massive deconstruction project at the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing in Manhattan. Their scope included salvaging ceramic blocks, wood paneling, and auditorium seating, all of which have begun to filter into new projects in restaurants and music venues around the city. A great example of delicate demolition that keeps good building materials out of the landfill.

EVENTS

2027 International Straw Building Conference

Save the date of the first international straw building conference to occur in 11 years! Carbon-sequestering, climate-healing, bio-based building materials are coming into the spotlight, and the leading edge will convene in Nantes, France, in February 2027. The Last Straw will be there to chat all things bio-based materials over the 5 day conference. Click below for the announcement video!

PROJECT FEATURE

Rammed Earth Sports Complex - Evry-Courcouronnes, FR

The French architecture firm HEMAA recently completed a large scale sports complex outside Paris. Featuring large spans of rammed earth and mass timber elements, it’s a great example of the variety of structures that can be built with natural materials.

BIOSPHERICS

Heat Waves in Europe

This summer has been absolutely brutal for many parts of the world. The Mediterranean has been hit with devastating wildfires and crops everywhere have suffered immensely. Bill McKibben outlines how exactly the climate crisis is manifesting itself, as well as the strategies that are emerging on the other side of the Atlantic.

That’s all we’ve got for now. If you haven’t gotten a copy of Issue 77, grab one here! And consider becoming a member: it’s the best way to support The Last Straw to allow us to continue doing what we do.

With gratitude,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

THANK YOU TO OUR CURRENT SPONSORS

TLS 78

Call for Pitches

For the next issue of The Last Straw, we’re looking for explorations and proposals of reusing the buildings we have. Reuse, repair, and retrofit; in a time with an insatiable appetite for concrete and glass and profitmaxxing five-over-one yuppie dorm extrusions, these maneuvers offer a way out of the 50-year-lifespan (if you’re lucky) build/raze/repeat cycle. Sometimes the best choice is not to build at all: vacant and underutilized structures abound. Send your pitches to editors@thelaststraw.org by September 16th!

Some questions that might shake loose your ideas:

• How much impact can design and material selection have on redeveloped buildings in a gentrifying neighborhood? What does building reuse look like when redevelopment is led by the existing community?

• How might historic preservation practices move beyond recreating a static phase of a building’s history and engage buildings as ever-changing spaces?

• How might building repair and reuse help people understand and enjoy more the spaces they interact with everyday?

• How do regenerative methods increase access and lower the barrier to entry for more kinds of people to participate in the act of reuse and repair?

• How can buildings be designed for adaptability or disassembly (or circular waste “disposal”)?

• Building information modeling (BIM) has allowed people to design new buildings in less time, but what new constraints and assumptions does using BIM add?

We’ll get back to the regular newsletter next week! If you haven’t gotten a copy of Issue 77, grab one here! And consider becoming a member: it’s the best way to support The Last Straw to allow us to continue doing what we do.

With gratitude,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

THANK YOU TO OUR CURRENT SPONSORS

Happy June everyone!

We recently stumbled upon the idea of the ignorosphere. This is what some scientists call the mesosphere, due to the density of air at 60-85km: too thin for weather balloons, too thick for satellites. For this reason, it’s one of the least studied parts of our atmosphere. This got us thinking about all sorts of things: data collection, surveillance, what gets counted, sensed, and recorded. So this month, here are some ignorosphere inspired ideas.

BIOSPHERICS

Space Trash

Part of the concern about the ignorosphere is that, increasingly, human activities are reshaping the Earth’s atmosphere. We know that a recent SpaceX failed reentry has produced a considerable amount of debris in the lower stratosphere, and regulations and guidelines for commercial space activity are only voluntary at the moment. This article gets into the details about the uneasy frontier of space pollution.

BIOSPHERICS

Atmosense: Airborne Military Surveillance

The US Military’s Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has recently begun a program called AtmoSense, which seeks to use the Earth’s atmosphere as a giant sensor to “understand the propagation of mechanical and electromagnetic energy from the surface of the Earth.” DARPA’s other projects aimed at predicting complex human behavior (MAGICS), combined with AtmoSense, create the foundation for a vast surveillance network.

FIELD NOTES

Creative Reuse (Fascist Style)

In this article for The Nation, Kate Wagner outlines the Trump administration’s plans to convert logistics warehouses to ICE detention facilities. This is on the heels of acting ICE director Tood Lyons’ proclamation that “we need to get better at treating [immigration] like a business.” Logistics warehouses are notoriously harsh environments for workers at companies like Amazon, and built to be ignored. The poorly ventilated, windowless concrete buildings are designed only to process packages: converting them to detainment facilities is a reminder that the horrors of fascism can slide by unnoticed in the banality of infrastructure.

ECOTECHNICS

Making Traffic Visible

On a more positive note, check out this article on sneckdowns. Named with a portmanteau of ‘snow’ and ‘neckdown’ (neckdowns are also called curb extensions), this is the phenomenon of making traffic visible when there is snow on the ground. The negative space then highlights possibilities for bigger sidewalks, bike lanes, and other pedestrian safety measures. With cities like Philadelphia adopting this as an urban design tool, we are seeing human scale interventions made possible by visualizing what is usually unseen. All thanks to a little snow! For more, here’s a short video from Streetfilms.

LORE

An Accidental PSA from Saturn

In an attempt to spotlight how people are the real priority for Saturn, the car company released an ad in 2002 titled “Sheet Metal.” But they also accidentally visualized how inefficient car-centric design is: all that wasted space, all the goofy infrastructure to prop it up. Sometimes we just have to see things a little differently, and this poster from 1925 is a good reminder about the basic constraints of urban geometry.

FIELD NOTES

Project Feature: Tuckey Design Studio

This home in rural Wiltshire, UK, demonstrates the possibilities of scaling rammed earth to the size of, well, a compound. Built by Stonewood Builders, the Studio also collaborated with a range of natural building experts and, as it’s on the site of a former brickworks operation, it carries continues a legacy of building with what’s close at hand.

That’s all we’ve got. If you haven’t gotten a copy of Issue 77, grab one here! And consider becoming a member: it’s the best way to support The Last Straw to allow us to continue doing what we do.

With gratitude,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

EVENTS

• June 12-13 Biblioteka Art Book Fair - The Warburg Institute, London, UK

  Come see us in London! We’ll have a table amongst an exciting array of publishers, book dealers, artists, and librarians.

THANK YOU TO OUR CURRENT SPONSORS

First, we have a new way to support The Last Straw: memberships! Just like a subscription, becoming a TLS member will set you up to automatically receive the magazine as we publish them. Depending on the tier that you choose, you can also get a special gift from us each year and formal thanks in the magazine. See below for tier details:

Memberships are the best way to support TLS, and a gift to yourself (or a special someone) that keeps on giving. Our refreshed website with the memberships and expanded archive will replace the subscriber content from our Substack. Payments from paid Substack supporters will be redirected to a membership instead. That monthly email newsletter will remain active and free, but we’ll direct all current and future donors to our membership sign-up.

We hope this new program will grow The Last Straw beyond a scrappy all-volunteer operation into a significant counter to the toxic, carbon-belching, ecosystem-disrupting, greenwashing, business-as-usual conventional construction industry’s propaganda! As part of this shift, we’ve beefed up the annual magazine to over 100 pages of gripping and inspirational stories and images.

Second, our latest issue, TLS 77, is out.

This year, we sought out stories of bio-based building in a world on fire. As the climate crisis worsens, we are forced to confront how our building methods affect climatic cycles. Some of our contributors are thinking about rebuilding in the wake of last year’s devastating fires in Los Angeles and Australia. What can we learn about material use and combustibility? How do natural building methods respond to the acute threat of wildfires and erratic weather cycles? TLS 77 frames fire in all its complexity: a cause for concern, hope, and provocation. From the applied burning of kilns, stoves, and incinerators, to global ecological collapse, to Americans in the line of fire of their own government. The issue gathers voices that expand our understanding of how to shape buildings, energy, and daily life when the earth is the hottest it has ever been. Buy the issue online or from one of our distributors.

We’ll get back to our regularly scheduled programming soon, but for now, join us as we enter the year of fire with some timely videos below.

LORE

Video: Nonprofit Documentary About Adobe Expert, Ben Loescher

This short video features one of our new issue’s contributors, Ben Loescher, talking about how “adobe is magic”. Some adobe advocate groups mentioned include Adobe in Action, the Earthbuilders’ Guild, and Adobeisnotsoftware.

ECO-TECHNICS

Assembly Matters: Panelized System Solutions for Fire + Smoke Resilience

The world of Passive Houses and regenerative building are getting closer: gone are the days of choosing between thick foam walls and leaky buildings! This video explores the potential of Ecococon straw panels and Collective Carpentry cellulose panels to achieve high performance buildings that are also fire resistant.

We’ve only gotten this far with your support! Please join us in the next phase of The Last Straw.

With gratitude,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

EVENTS

• May 9-10 and/or May 16-17 Light Straw Clay Work Party (FREE) - Grass Valley, CA

  Learn how to install Light Straw Clay, a natural non toxic wall insulation. We will be working on a healthy home in Grass Valley, CA. This is a great opportunity to learn about a Larsen truss framing system, natural insulation and how to build and finish a home that is built to last 100 years. You will be able to observe the details of a natural home built to code and energy efficiency that promotes the health of the occupant, the planet and future generations. You will be learning from licensed builders, designers and natural building teachers with over 15 years of experience: Amanda and Myles Danforth of Healthy Homes Artisans and Muddy Hands. Register here, or contact info@healthyhomeartisans.com for more info.

THANK YOU TO OUR CURRENT SPONSORS

We are so grateful for you, and soon we’ll be able to thank you more directly and recognize y’all as the backbone of The Last Straw that you are!

In the next week, we’re going to launch a new way to support The Last Straw: memberships! Just like a subscription, becoming a TLS member will set you up to automatically receive the magazine a…

Read more

We are so grateful for you, and soon we’ll be able to thank you more directly and recognize y’all as the backbone of The Last Straw that you are!

In the next week, we’re going to launch a new way to support The Last Straw: memberships! Just like a subscription, becoming a TLS member will set you up to automatically receive the magazine a…

Read more

ECO-TECHNICS

An Open Source Library of Construction Details

OpenDetail is a nascent library of open source building info, as part of a collaboration between Henning Larsen, Erhvervs­akademi Køben­havn, and Chevrant. After making an account, scroll around through various details, like a glue-lam to glass interaction, or a green roof connection to a timber facade.

FIELD NOTES

Dive into the Historical American Buildings Survey

For the historians out there, browse through the Library of Congress’ Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey (HABS/HAER/HALS). While the site isn’t the most user friendly, it’s a vast repository of building history (apparently, it hosts 451,900 images, so buckle up).

FIELD NOTES

Delicate Demolition in Midcoast Maine

Second Story Builders specializes in the deconstruction of old New England buildings, preserving and reusing as much as they can. The salvaged materials are then used in new construction or sold, creating a circular economy that keeps age-old building traditions alive. A central part of their mission is to create “hands-on learning opportunities for local residents and youth — training the next generation of tradespeople in sustainable building practices.”

FIELD NOTES

Project Feature: École de la Clairière

This timber framed primary school, designed by Tracks Architectes, makes thoughtful use of straw bale and structural cob as central components of its design. Located near Rennes, France, the project was selected by the Breton Bio-Based Federation (FB2) to receive extra support from natural materials experts. It uses site soil in several different applications, including wattle and daub portions, load bearing cob, cob infill, earth and hemp insulation, and plaster finishes. Here’s an inside look.

BIOSPHERICS

Finally: How to Reduce Oil Consumption

Contending for the eyeroll of the month: The IEA recently released a report on “demand-side measures” to cut energy use. Trump’s war on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continue to increase oil prices, and this has prompted some to ask radical questions: what if we used less oil in the first place? These solutions include improving EV infrastructure, carpooling, avoiding air travel when possible, reducing highway speeds, and prioritizing public transit. As Lloyd Alter points out, it all feels a bit… familiar, doesn’t it?

FIELD NOTES

Darrell Owens on Transit-Oriented Upzoning in California

SB79 passed in California last year, which permits higher density housing to be built near transit stations. This is an iteration of an early idea for BART (the heavy rail system in the Bay Area), which intended to have corridors of housing along transit lines. This plan was scrapped in the 1960s amidst a wider movement against urban growth, but with this bill’s passing we see a return to the past as a way to move forward.

ECO-TECHNICS

A Giant Leap for Mass Timber

In February, Timberlab broke ground on a 190,000 square foot Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) facility in Oregon. This marks a major milestone in increasing mass timber production in the United States, as so far much of it has come from Europe. The project is a collaboration with Swinerton, LEVER Architects, the USDA Forest Service, Oregon State, the University of Oregon, and the Tall Wood Design Institute.

Stay inspired this month… If you ever find yourself near London (U.K.), Oakland (CA), or Green River (UT) let us know and let’s meet up!

See ya soon,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

EVENTS

• April 10-12 West Coast Natural Building Conference 2026 & Celebration of CASBA’s 30th anniversary! - San Luis Obispo, California

  Join us for three days of presentations, discussions, hands-on instruction, community, and celebration; all focused on practicing and scaling natural and bio-based building methods. This year’s keynote speaker is Summer Islam of Material Cultures. Online registration has closed, so contact CASBA for ticket availability.

• April 18-19 Straw Bale Stacking Workshop (free) - San Diego, California

  We’re ready for one of the most exciting phases of our Ocean Beach ADU project — stacking straw bales! Join us for a hands-on work party where we’ll be stuffing the walls of this handsome little 600SF accessory dwelling unit with this carbon storing, energy efficient, healthy, local, agricultural by-product!

  This is a fun, community-powered build day. No prior experience is necessary — we’ll provide guidance, tools, and orientation so everyone feels comfortable. You’ll learn about straw bale building techniques, sustainable construction methods, and gain insight on how natural materials can create beautiful, energy-efficient spaces. The work party will be led by Cat Odell and Erin Emslie of Earth Light Build and long time California Straw Building Association member and Architect, Bob Theis. He helped write the book on building with straw!

  Register at https://www.earthlightbuild.com/balepartyregistration

  Contact catherine@earthlightbuild.com for more information.

• April 24-26 Fibra Clay Plaster Workshop - Berkeley, California

  For this workshop, we will be doing clay plaster accent walls directly over plywood shear walls, from start to finish in just 3 days. It will be co-instructed by the manufacturer of this product and co-founder of Gold Hill Clay Plaster, Kyle Alexander, as well as by local natural building professional Darles Eaton. To ensure a high quality of workmanship, this will be a small class size with a high ratio of instruction to participants, so sign up early to reserve your space. This is an ideal workshop for both plaster professionals and plaster dabblers looking to take it to the next level, as well as designers, architects, and contractors who would like to see more natural systems that are appropriate in mainstream contexts. There will also be networking and educational events in the evenings.

  Cost: $360

  Email darles.eaton@gmail.com for registration or questions about this event.

  ---

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Community Rebuilds is hiring a Construction Supervisor for April 2026. This role leads the on-site construction of six affordable, energy-efficient homes while managing safety, materials, schedules, and subcontractors. Applicants should be able to read blueprints, multitask, and demonstrate strong leadership and organizational skills. The supervisor trains volunteers and supports homeowners in meeting USDA Mutual Self-Help requirements. Moab-based nonprofit. Compensation DOE; housing available. Email your resume to info@communityrebuilds.org

THANK YOU TO OUR CURRENT SPONSORS

DON’T MISS OUT, GET OUR CURRENT ISSUE WHILE ITS HERE!

The Last Straw Issue 76, on Natural Building Education

How do you learn natural building? How do you teach it? In this issue our contributors trace the histories and the present of natural building education to figure out a way ahead.

It’s starting to feel like it’s all bad news these days. Last month, the Trump administration repealed the EPA’s endangerment finding. In short, the finding stated that carbon dioxide and other gasses are an endangerment to human health, and this formed the legal basis for the EPA’s regulation of those pollutants. We are also beginning to see symptoms of ‘day zero droughts’, or periods of unprecedented water scarcity in hotspots across the world. At the same time, infrastructure for AI-driven data centers continues to grow, which may contribute to a seven fold increase in water consumption by the middle of the century. And with OpenAI’s recent deal with the Pentagon, we can expect this resource scarcity to increase as the United States continues to make war on the world.

But we are also seeing municipal governments acting swiftly to curb toxic material use, creative strategies to reuse concrete, innovative straw bale panels, and independent energy grid alternatives. It’s likely that we have all the answers we need to solve the climate crisis; amidst this stormy sea of climate demise it’s important to remember that there are lighthouses everywhere (for those with eyes to see).

FIELD NOTES

Concrete Corruption and Something New From the Rubble

It’s fair to say that the concrete industry has a checkered past and present: concrete’s use is so widespread that competition for control of its production has produced some unsavory tales. The world’s largest cement manufacturer, Lafarge, recently plead guilty to routing six million dollars to ISIS in exchange for permission to operate a plant in Syria. In the demolition of Syrian neighborhoods around Damascus, allies of the Assad government were uniquely positioned to benefit: those with concrete factories and metalworking facilities were promised the spoils of rubble.

But the ubiquity of concrete means that some people are getting creative. Usually, when debris is reused, it is ground back into aggregate to form new concrete mixes. Maxence Grangeot at the EPFL had a different idea: scanning chunks of rubble to tetris into wall systems which use far less mortar than building anew.

FIELD NOTES

Beyond the Bale into Bio-Based Panels

Back in Issue 75 (Beyond the Bale), we looked into the companies producing prefabricated straw bale panels. These SIPs, or structural insulated panels, are easily patched into established construction methods, yet avoid much of the embodied carbon associated with conventional insulation. Check out this list of producers from far-flung corners of the world. And now a new prototype of compressed straw panel is available from Agriboard, based in Marked Tree, Arkansas. Their structural panel measures a familiar size of 4’ x 8’ x 3 ½” and is available for purchase at $128 per panel. They recommend testing it in mock-up or pilot home applications before scaling up.

ECO-TECHNICS

Paris is Bio-Based

In November 2024, Paris passed the PLU (Plan Local d’Urbanisme) which aimed to lower carbon emissions and create livable mixed use neighborhoods. They have since refined the plan to include bioclimatic elements. Check out this map of projects across the city which employ alternative materials and renewable fuel sources.

FIELD NOTES

Project Feature: Quinta de Adorigo Winery

This Portuguese winery was designed by Atelier Sergio Rebelo and is nestled into a hillside in the Douro Valley. It makes beautiful use of sweeping glu-lams and an organic curvilinear gabled roof. Designed by Atelier Sérgio Rebelo and built by Portilame, it houses the wine operation, tasting rooms, and a hotel.

BIOSPHERICS

New Renewables or Less Demand?

The Last Farm thinks we don’t need more renewable energy; we need to use less energy in the first place. Building out renewable energy infrastructure doesn’t decrease carbon emissions, it hypothetically lowers those emissions as compared to meeting the same demand with fossil fuels. This false binary is “like telling a healthy person they must [choose] between losing an arm or a leg.”

Sulphur hexafluoride, or SF6, is an odorless gas used to prevent electrical fires in high voltage systems, like those used in wind turbines and electrical substations. The big yikes? SF6 is 23,500 times as potent as carbon dioxide in terms of warming potential. As the world continues to electrify, leaks of the gas are increasing substantially, creating an unintended consequence in the effort to curb fossil fuel emissions with wind and solar.

BIOSPHERICS

Spain kicks off 3.2-GWh pumped-storage hydro project in Tenerife

Hopefully we can scale back our resource use, using fewer raw materials and pollutants. In the meantime we need electricity, and Spain has recently invested more in a pumped storage hydroelectric system on Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. When power is cheap, either at night or when paired with overproducing solar panels, water is pumped uphill to a reservoir. This then feeds a hydropower generation system to provide a steady stream of electricity for the island. Renewables now make up more than a fifth of the power grid in the Islands.

Back in the U.S., pumped storage is the largest form of energy storage in the electrical grid (with the largest systems outside of China and Japan). While this old D.O.E. video mentions how this capacity could easily double, the future looks dim: the Trump administration has shared a cartoon piece of coal named “Coalie” saying “mine, baby, mine” and natural gas is apparently still the dominant heating fuel, as shown by this map from the Housing Assistance Council.

GREENWASH OF THE MONTH

Is The New American Home for 2026 “a model of efficiency and sustainability?”

Each year, The New American Home competition seeks to “maximize housing performance and energy efficiency.” But as Lloyd Alter points out, this year’s selection is all smoke and mirrors. At over 9,000 square feet, and featuring a 17-car garage and home theater, the home makes good use of the energy-use-per-square-foot metric. The concrete laden design is full of steel, spray foam, and refrigerant. Nice try.

Stay skeptical this month… If you ever find yourself near London (U.K.), Oakland (CA), or Green River (UT) let us know and let’s meet up!

See ya soon,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

EVENTS

• March 14 Cob Garden Wall Finish Plaster Workshop (free) - Sunset District in San Francisco, California

  We’ve built this lovely garden wall out of heavy clay straw over repurposed old fencing, with a thick base-coat of clay horse manure. We’ve added a living roof for some added protection to the wall, complete with urban arbor-salvaged live-edge redwood. Now, we’ll be perfecting our details with the finish coat. For this portion of the project, we’ll be using hawks and trowels, so prior experience plastering, including plaster workshops, is recommended. For those completely new to the plastering process, you can come check it out anyway—chances are high you can come get muddy and learn a thing or two. Please register with the owner-builder, Shari: shasamsf@yahoo.com

• April 10-12 West Coast Natural Building Conference 2026 & Celebration of CASBA’s 30th anniversary! - San Luis Obispo, California

  Join us for three days of presentations, discussions, hands-on instruction, community, and celebration; all focused on practicing and scaling natural and bio-based building methods. This year’s keynote speaker is Summer Islam of Material Cultures. Online registration closes on March 22, so get your tickets soon!

  ---

(ad)

Community Rebuilds is hiring a Construction Supervisor for April 2026. This role leads the on-site construction of six affordable, energy-efficient homes while managing safety, materials, schedules, and subcontractors. Applicants should be able to read blueprints, multitask, and demonstrate strong leadership and organizational skills. The supervisor trains volunteers and supports homeowners in meeting USDA Mutual Self-Help requirements. Moab-based nonprofit. Compensation DOE; housing available. Email your resume to info@communityrebuilds.org

THANK YOU TO OUR CURRENT SPONSORS

DON’T MISS OUT, GET OUR CURRENT ISSUE WHILE ITS HERE!

The Last Straw Issue 76, on Natural Building Education

How do you learn natural building? How do you teach it? In this issue our contributors trace the histories and the present of natural building education to figure out a way ahead.

FIELD NOTES

The Line, a Saudi Megaproject, Is Dead

The Line is no more. Neom, the Saudi Arabian megaproject, made quite a splash when it was announced a few years ago. Perplexing claims about sustainability, high speed rail, urban planning, and sideways-ification made most people who watched the goofy press release scratch their heads. While forced displacement, human rights abuses, and environmental concerns are all reasons compelling enough to stop the project, the plug has been pulled mainly for financial concerns.

FIELD NOTES

‘They’re trying to get rich off it’: US contractors vie to rebuild Gaza, with ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ team in the lead

After years of genocide and destruction in Gaza, western leaders are jockeying to control the rebuilding process and profit off the billions needed for construction and logistics. Gothams LLC, the same contractor used for the notorious ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention center, is a frontrunner for these plans led by the so-called Board of Peace. Trump unveiled more detailed plans, which involved no consultation with Palestinians, at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos. We see yet another cycle of colonialism, warmongering, and capitalist extraction.

ECO-TECHNICS

Schools, airports, high-rise towers: architects urged to get ‘bamboo-ready’

We’ve all heard of mass timber, big glulams, and CLT panels – but rarely does one see structural bamboo. This tropical staple of low-carbon building is shooting into the mainstream and we think that’s pretty cool. It’s yet another way to ditch concrete and steel, can be grown quickly and widely, and doesn’t need intensive chemicals or fertilizers. The Institution of Structural engineers has published a manual to get architects, designers, builders, and engineers prepped for the technical aspects of structural bamboo construction, check it out here.

ECO-TECHNICS

Video - Farm to Wall: Building Sustainably with Arkin Tilt Architects

A quick intro to our friends over Arkin Tilt Architects: straw bale, high performance systems, localized building systems, and a true grassroots approach to architecture. As founding members of the California Straw Bale Association (CASBA), David and Anni have worked tirelessly to advance straw building as a viable and scalable model for decarbonizing the construction sector.

BIOSPHERICS

Rethinking energy-efficient buildings, from the ground up

Check out this article on the recent Bakar Labs symposium on low-carbon materials. Bruce King, of BuildWell, delivered a keynote on shifting dependence on traditional concrete to alternatives using hay and algae.

This study from UC Berkeley’s Center for the Built Environment outlines the cost effectiveness of several key low-carbon building materials, documenting their embodied carbon specs and potential for emissions reductions. While the study is specific to California, it’s a helpful roadmap in the effort to decarbonize the construction sector.

FIELD NOTES

Project Feature: Nairobi Waldorf School

Check out this school in Nairobi, built as a series of disconnected classrooms in the forest. The walls are made of two sheets of polycarbonate filled with leftover soil from the site excavation, giving students a front row seat to a dynamic world of bugs, plants, and roots.

As bad as things are getting, there are cracks opening up everywhere! Hold on to hope this month. If you ever find yourself near London (U.K.), San Francisco or Oakland (CA), or Green River (UT) let us know and let’s meet up!

See ya soon,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

(ad)

Community Rebuilds is hiring a Construction Supervisor for April 2026. This role leads the on-site construction of six affordable, energy-efficient homes while managing safety, materials, schedules, and subcontractors. Applicants should be able to read blueprints, multitask, and demonstrate strong leadership and organizational skills. The supervisor trains volunteers and supports homeowners in meeting USDA Mutual Self-Help requirements. Moab-based nonprofit. Compensation DOE; housing available. Email your resume to info@communityrebuilds.org

THANK YOU TO OUR CURRENT SPONSORS

DON’T MISS OUT, GET OUR CURRENT ISSUE WHILE ITS HERE!

The Last Straw Issue 76, on Natural Building Education

How do you learn natural building? How do you teach it? In this issue our contributors trace the histories and the present of natural building education to figure out a way ahead.

This month we’re taking our annual break from the regular round-up to share a bit on how we're doing and what we’re aiming for in 2026. The Last Straw has been a community-produced publication for 33 years now, and we like to take a small moment each year to be transparent about what we’re doing and where we’d like to go.

2025 WAS A HONKER

Though a lot of the news we shared in the roundup this year was disheartening, and the road to an equitable and sustainable future still looks bumpy, we have been so grateful to have you with us. Whether you read, shared, contributed, or are just joining today, every little bit helps us continue the work of The Last Straw. 2025 was largely a year of preparation at The Last Straw HQ: our small team of volunteers (Gavin, Kenny, Kevin, and Zoe) has been working hard this year behind the scenes on making the The Last Straw more financially sustainable for as long as it’s needed. The result of this work will be a membership program that will not only help TLS keep going, but also hopefully help make TLS more useful to everyone. We’ll share more about that program soon. And don’t worry, The Monthly Roundup will stay free and in your inbox. But even with all the back-end work that this has required, the number-crunching and the website editing, we still did a bunch this year including:

• Hosting two live online curated conversation sessions: our inaugural TLS Talks

• Expanding our reach with new brick-and-mortar stockists like: Ken Sanders Books in Salt Lake City, Milkmaid Mercantile in Taylorville, Maria’s Bookshop in Durango, Lithic Books in Fruita, and William Stout Architectural Books in San Francisco

• Taking our show on the road (virtually) and presenting to a class of architecture students at Mount Holyoke College - which was a lot of fun and we’d love to speak to your class or company too

• Getting sooooo close to completing our largest and most issue ever (over 100 pages!) This is our most ambitious issue to date. It’s packed with art, includes stories from around the world, some gorgeous buildings and some heart-wrenching stories. We can’t wait to share it with you.

2026 IS VERY LIKELY ALSO GOING TO BE A HONKER

This year our main priority is to cultivate community in person and across multiple platforms. Along with the release of our next issue we will be sharing stories, and hosting events around the theme of fire and its relationship to buildings and people.

We also plan to:

• Finally bring back subscriptions to the print magazine in the form of paid memberships, to make it easier to stay in the loop and support The Last Straw (Don’t worry, we’re still finishing out current subscriptions!)

• Make regenerative building resources more accessible and widely-known

• Host more events in real life and have more TLS Talks

• Expand the TLS team

While we’re not a nonprofit, we sure act like one! If you’re able to, please consider donating to or sponsoring The Last Straw so that we can help scale up regenerative building and open the crack in conventional construction even wider.

We wish you a peaceful new year and please hit us up if you’re passing through London (U.K.), San Francisco (California), or Green River (Utah)!

With love,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

(ad)

Community Rebuilds is hiring a Construction Supervisor for April 2026. This role leads the on-site construction of six affordable, energy-efficient homes while managing safety, materials, schedules, and subcontractors. Applicants should be able to read blueprints, multitask, and demonstrate strong leadership and organizational skills. The supervisor trains volunteers and supports homeowners in meeting USDA Mutual Self-Help requirements. Moab-based nonprofit. Compensation DOE; housing available. Email your resume to info@communityrebuilds.org

THANK YOU TO OUR CURRENT SPONSORS!

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor email us at admin@thelaststraw.org

DON’T MISS OUT, WE STILL HAVE COPIES OF OUR LATEST MAGAZINE!

The Last Straw Issue 76, on Natural Building Education

How do you learn natural building? How do you teach it? No one told us the one catch-all trick to natural building education, but in this issue our contributors trace the histories and present to figure out a way ahead.

BIOSPHERICS

Takeaways from COP30

November brought with it our annual reminder that global efforts for climate policies at the COPs are fraught with intervention from fossil fuel lobbies. The three biggest global polluters (the US, China, and India) were notably not even in attendance. And despite efforts from over 80 countries, a roadmap away from fossil fuels was left unresolved with some oil-producing countries in attendance unwilling to even negotiate on it. A roadmap! The least-binding document known to humankind.

BIOSPHERICS

When I image the earth, I imagine another

This project by Open-weather and Rectangle from 2021 (taken on the first day of COP 26) in some ways embodies the collective effort that the COP conventions lack. Through a global network of people using “DIY satellite ground stations” they were able to take an instantaneous snapshot of weather systems around the earth.

FIELD NOTES

How To Survive

“Gather with 3+ people, and go through this page together” That’s the opening of How To Survive, the toolkit for reducing your reliance on the things that “won’t save us.” Learn how to collectively utilize your local resources for food, energy, housing, and political change with the help of this digestible little website.

BIOSPHERICS

Estimates For Global Water Scarcity

As this paper states “more proactive water strategies are urgently needed to avoid severe societal impacts.” This analysis by Korean climate physicists Vecchia P. Ravinandrasana and Christian L. E. Franzke predicts water scarcity over time with our changing climate. By measuring water availability as an interdependent event relying on a number of criteria which are all being constrained by climate change and the interests of capital, they predict about 1/3 of the world could be facing extreme drought conditions by 2030.

BIOSPHERICS

The Light Won’t Dim

This 30 minute documentary, created by Fossil Free Media, offers a rousing case for a renewable energy transition. It’s got interviews with heavy hitters like Bill McKibben and Bernie Sanders along with experts and stories from around the US and its territories. It also gets into our dire political situation including the difficult blow of ending all clean energy tax credits this past summer.

FIELD NOTES

Why Does Habitability Matter?

This November series from Shelterforce focuses on the conditions of our existing building stock in the US and why it matters so much. With stories from New Orleans, Massachusetts, and New Mexico, they examine how life-threatening the condition of our buildings are, and how different challenges are across climates and state governments.

ECO-TECHNICS

Brussels eyes a bio-based future

Soon it will be much easier to buy and sell bio-based products in Europe, thanks to proposed legislation from the European Union promoting their growing “bioeconomy.” Exciting!

And that’s all for now. May this truly be…a December to remember. If you ever find yourself near London (U.K.), San Francisco (CA), or Green River (UT) let us know and let’s meet up!

See ya soon,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

THANK YOU TO OUR CURRENT SPONSOR

DON’T MISS OUT, GET OUR CURRENT ISSUE WHILE ITS HERE!

The Last Straw Issue 76, on Natural Building Education

How do you learn natural building? How do you teach it? In this issue our contributors trace the histories and the present of natural building education to figure out a way ahead.

FIELD NOTES

Remnant of Typhoon Halong floods rural Alaskan towns made vulnerable by climate change

Earlier in October, the remnant of Typhoon Halong devastated dozens of rural and remote communities in western Alaska. The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, the traditional home to the Yup’ik people, is particularly prone to flooding due proximity to sea level and increasingly melted permafrost. This op-ed in the Anchorage Daily News traces the cause ultimately with climate change and capitalism’s inability to mitigate it: “We are witnessing the first wave of climate change refugees in the United States…their displacement is not just a loss of land; it is a loss of language, tradition, and the rhythm of life itself.” Here are some ways you can help those affected by the storm.

ECO-TECHNICS

Cob building in the mainstream

Is cob having a comeback? Grand Designs revisited one of their more unique projects: Kevin McCabe’s Dingle Dell cob mansion. And this series of articles from Dezeen might be a sign of things to come: more designers and firms are designing for cob and CobBauge, a thinner and more insulative version of the ancient material. Younger designers are interested in its low carbon impact and local sourcing, as Cella design collective member Millicent Green is quoted, “It’s about letting our geology dictate how we build…the landscape is telling you how to build”.

ECO-TECHNICS

Poured Earth is a sustainable construction method modelled on concrete casting

At first glance, “poured earth” might look like another variation on low carbon (slightly less bad) concrete, but this smooth look-alike contains no cement or binders! Assemble co-founder Lewis Jones has made a prototype using deflocculants, “a type of chemical agent commonly used in ceramic slip-casting” that could include sodium silicate, soda ash or bark tannins. The result is a promising material that is as workable as concrete but with the carbon impact of cob(!).

FIELD NOTES

How Trump cuts may have hindered a key way of preventing future wildfires and how emergency language in wildfire bill splits environmentalists

In other parts of the U.S., long-term drought induced by climate change and colonialist forest policy has led to increasingly frequent wildfires. Despite the urgent need for holistic fire prevention, Grassroots Wildland Firefighters found that as of the end of September, U.S. Forest Service work to reduce fire-fueling debris was down nearly 40 percent on this date compared with where it has been on average over the previous four years. This drop is likely mostly due to Trump’s federal workforce cuts, despite promises that wildland firefighters would be exempt.

Another effort to address the threat of wildfires is making its way through Congress as the “Fix Our Forest Act”. This bill has mixed support, with critics pointing out the potential handouts to large timber companies that have little to do with fire prevention, and the removal of some public comment requirements. Some of its hesitant supporters wrote a letter saying “We believe the wildfire crisis our country is facing…is too serious and too dangerous for us not to engage in this important bipartisan forest management and wildfire proposal”.

BIOSPHERICS

Climate Milestones: Planet’s first catastrophic climate tipping point reached, report says, with coral reefs facing ‘widespread dieback’, but coal burning is outpaced by renewables, and green turtle bounces back from brink in conservation ‘win’

A recent study has found that coral reefs face a long-term decline so much so that “we can no longer talk about tipping points as a future risk,” said Prof Tim Lenton at the University of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute. “The first tipping of widespread dieback of warm water coral reefs is already under way.” There’s some disagreement about whether some reefs might survive at higher temperatures, but the overall outlook is not great. Despite this, there are still some bright spots to remind us that it’s not too late to mitigate the worst effects of climate crisis: renewable energy generation is growing larger than coal-burning energy production, and green sea turtles are no longer endangered!

ECO-TECHNICS

Demain Architecture Paysage design straw leisure centre as part of the Jules Ferry School Group

This new straw building reconfigures the entrances, playgrounds, and walkways of the nursery and primary schools on a tight site in Cébazat, France. A new timber frame holds straw insulation while interior partitions of hemp blocks and earth plaster complete the low-carbon material palette.

FIELD NOTES

Last week we were honored to talk to architecture students at Mount Holyoke College about The Last Straw and natural building media! We took a deep dive into the history of the natural building revival and the issues facing construction today: more and more carbon and ecologically intense buildings helped along by feel-good greenwashing. Let us know if you want us to speak about these issues, and some ideas we have for a way forward, to your class or group!

RESOURCES

Two new books offer a critique of grandiose climate “solutions” technology along with ideas for reviving older techniques for a new climate. Julia Watson’s Lo-TEK WATER continues the thread of her previous book, Lo-TEK, by examining how traditional ecological knowledge might inform climate change-adapted water management. The methods she explores could help mitigate farming, water purification, waste treatment, and homes to better withstand droughts, flooding, sea-level rise, and extreme storms. Take a look at a preview here.

Wim Carton’s and Andreas Malm’s book The Long Heat focuses more on critique: they expose the thin (or non-existent) science and weak arguments for the large scale geoengineering proposals gaining traction recently. According to them, these solutions only seem reasonable when one assumes that existing carbon emissions and carbon-intensive lives are necessary and eternal conditions. For them, carbon capture technology and climate adaptation will only be meaningful when paired with lowered carbon emissions. This review tempers this bleak outlook: “It may be too late for 1.5 degrees C, but it is also, as Carton and Malm write, ‘too late to give up.’”

EVENTS

• November 22-23 Ray and Roman’s Clay Plaster Finish Coat Workshop ($225 fee) - North Fork, California

  Prior participation or experience necessary! The workshop is being led by experienced clay builders Darles Eaton and Chris McClellan aka Uncle Mud. During this weekend they’ll review how they’ve prepped to make the finish coat as successful as possible, including how to tape and mask for a clean and precisely executed finish plaster, how to plaster the field as efficiently and proficiently as possible, troubleshooting for blending seams, and differing application styles. If you’re on or near the U.S. West Coast, check the CASBA Calendar for future workshops of all kinds!

We hope you have interesting water-cooler small talk about the weather this November. If you ever find yourself near London (U.K.), San Francisco (CA), or Green River (UT) let us know and let’s meet up!

See ya next month,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

DON’T MISS OUT, GET OUR LATEST MAGAZINE NOW!

The Last Straw Issue 76, on Natural Building Education

How do you learn natural building? How do you teach it? In this issue our contributors trace the histories and the present of natural building education to figure out a way ahead.

ECO-TECHNICS

Podcast: Building Resilience - The Future of Adobe in Fire-Prone Areas

This podcast episode features a fascinating interview with earth building leader Ben Loescher. Over the course of a conversation, Loescher explains why he thinks adobe and earthen construction are one of the best ways to rebuild in fire-prone areas: it dampens the intensity of wildfires and urban fires, and the intensity of having to burn a lot of carbon to create building materials such as concrete. He also mentions what kinds of things need to change in building codes to remove barriers to better, safer buildings.

ECO-TECHNICS

From the Magazine: Community College Dreams

Are you fired up about earthen building after that interview?! If so, check out this article from The Last Straw Issue No. 76 all about Sante Fe Community College’s adobe building program. In addition to describing the structure of the program, author Mateo Salinas Clarke issues a call to action to participate at your local affordable community college: they may hold one of the keys to expanding regenerative building knowledge and practice.

FIELD NOTES

Domaine de Beaucastel

A historical bio-dyanamic vineyard gained some newer buildings designed by Studio Mumbai and Studio Méditerranée, “primarily made from the earth excavated, compressed and relocated in a balance of cut and fill”. The new complex also makes use of rainwater reuse and a passive ventilation system to cool underground wine cellars.

FIELD NOTES

Leaders promised to cut climate pollution, then doubled down on fossil fuels while Trump called climate change a ‘con job’ at the United Nation

While we’ve previously shared research that Paris Agreement greenhouse gas reduction goals are no longer possible given the lack of progress, the Stockholm Environment Institute’s 2025 Production Gap Report actually shows that “the 20 most polluting countries, including China, the U.S. and India, actually plan to produce even more fossil fuels than they did two years ago, when the report was last updated.” This news comes at the same time Trump tells the United Nations “This ‘climate change,’ it’s the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion”. PBS has shown how hollow his claims ring here, but in many ways his words are merely the latest attempt to cover over an agreement that international leaders never intended to follow. As always, it’s up to the global majority to fight for a livable world.

BIOSPHERICS

Video: The Demolition Drama

This half-hour video explores the massive carbon-reducing potential of prioritizing building renovation over demolition. Architects from Herzog & de Meuron and Lacaton & Vassal join a growing chorus of practitioners that unpack what it might mean to value buildings as places for people to live over buildings as speculative financial objects.

BIOSPHERICS

As Land Used for Agriculture Shrinks, Building with Biomass Might Offer New Rural Futures

This article highlights an unexpected trend: even as world population grows, the amount of land used for agriculture has decreased. Many reasons are offered: more efficient farming technology, the rise of lab-grown meat, and the replacement of natural materials with synthetic, often oil-based, alternatives. Sometimes this allows areas to become wild again, but often this land becomes timber plantations (essentially monocrop forests with little biodiversity and less carbon storage than healthy forests). The decline of fossil fuel-intensive monocropping is a step in the right direction, but is not nearly enough to mitigate the ecological crises.

A report from earlier this year explores how we might go further in capturing carbon in buildings with materials we can grow. RMI’s “Harnessing Carbon Removal Opportunities in Biomass Residue Building Products” report shows just how much existing waste biomass can supply our building needs. What’s more is that building with rapidly renewable grasses would cycle more carbon into the ground and buildings without abandoning the rural places already suffering from the consolidation and optimization of agriculture.

BIOSPHERICS

New Hybrid Bird Created by Climate Change Discovered in Texas

Two bird species, the Blue Jay and the Green Jay, might now be interacting for the first time in millions of years as climate change pushes their ranges to overlap near San Antonio, Texas. That’s where a scientist found the first wild “Grue Jay” after being tipped off by a hobbyist birding group and studying it long enough to learn its true nature. Hybrid species will likely become more common as climates change more rapidly, underscoring the importance of everyone keeping an eye out as we all try to adapt.

We hope you stay grounded in good communities this October, maybe with mud between your toes. If you ever find yourself near London (U.K.), San Francisco (CA), or Green River (UT) let us know and let’s meet up!

See ya next month,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

DON’T MISS OUT, GET OUR LATEST MAGAZINE NOW!

The Last Straw Issue 76, on Natural Building Education

How do you learn natural building? How do you teach it? No one told us the one catch-all trick to natural building education, but in this issue our contributors trace the histories and present to figure out a way ahead.

Thank you to our sponsor:

BIOSPHERICS

Climate models reveal how human activity may be locking the Southwest into permanent drought

A new study seems to show that the current drought won’t be letting up anytime soon. The Pacific Decadal Oscillation, or PDO, is one of the major weather patterns over the ocean that influences weather across the U.S. southwest, in part determining when wetter or drier years occur. “The PDO was thought to be a natural phenomenon, governed by unpredictable natural ocean and atmosphere fluctuations. But new research published in the journal Nature suggests that’s no longer the case.”

Climate Realpolitik: Review of “What’s Left” by Malcolm Harris

Malcolm Harris’ new book offers a hopeful follow-up to depressing climate news like permanent drought. “In the months after it’s been written, What’s Left has already seemed prescient in foreseeing the failure of mainstream climate politics [of business as usual with token gestures].” It instead explores how advocates for market reform, partisans for a Green New Deal, and communists seeking revolution might work together with little compromise of their own values. Don’t fall for the narrow-minded defeatism of another review: there’s still a lot that could be done to mitigate the effects of climate crisis and this book offers some steps forward.

ECO-TECHNICS

Why we need to re-learn how to sail out buildings, and also dress and undress them

In this piece Lloyd Alter flips the usual energy retrofit paradigm to consider older ways people kept comfortable inside, before the rise of air conditioning. His inspiration? A new study uncovering old “sophisticated methods to control how much heat was drawn from the body into the surroundings”, some going back to ancient times. Farfrom from a set of quaint rules, movable insulation and fabric radiant barriers have a rich history and scientific merit. Air temperature, the number on your thermostat, isn’t the most important stat to track for comfort; something called mean radiant temperature is, and you generally can’t control it with an air conditioner.

Bauhaus Earth announces 2026 Experimental Fellows

Bauhaus Earth, the German “make” and think tank has announced next year’s Experimental fellows, Ha Nguyen of arb architects in Vietnam, and Hojung Kim. Their fellowship, titled “Situated Regionalism”, will “unfold between Vietnam and Berlin, combining fieldwork, prototyping, and digital research to advance regenerative earthen construction rooted in local knowledge and ecological sensitivity.” Current fellows Maria Lisogorskaya and Kaye Song focused on bodily relationships to earth plasters, performance, and play.

FIELD NOTES

MN Moves to Adopt Hempcrete, Strawbale in Residential Building Codes

Minnesota will likely be the first state to approve the latest hempcrete and straw bale residential building codes! While the state currently has few straw bale buildings, the Lower Sioux tribal community has become a hotbed of hempcrete construction, proving the method’s value in the harsh northern climate. A local team of builders, designers, and homeowners, supported by natural building code advocates Martin Hammer, Anthony Dente, and David Eisenberg, and Canadian building scientist John Straube, convinced the initially-skeptical state advisory group to approve both code appendices.

Field Notes

We had a great time hearing about and thinking through running regenerative building businesses at out second-ever TLS Talk last week! We’ll be sharing some notes and highlights soon, but in the meantime, check out the cool things the panelists get up to:

Emily Wang - natural building work, writing, and classes in the Northeast at Biolithic Builds

Myles Danforth - natural building design, construction, and consultation on the West Coast at Healthy Home Artisans

Seth Dunn - building design at Praxis Architecture and Integrative Design

Ian Svilokos - building design at PIE and something big coming soon from Regenerative Rebuild Collective

Simon and Arielle Gonzalez - natural building design, construction and classes in Texas at Texas Cob Company (check out their free weekly workshop, Dirt Church)

EVENTS

• September 13 Cob Garden Wall Workshop (free) - Sunset District in San Francisco, California

  No Experience Necessary! Learn how to use clay, straw, and sand to create a beautiful garden fence—6’ tall spanning 41’ feet, complete with an arch above a gate and embedded glass bottle art, to be finished with weather-resistant clay plaster and a living roof. Breakfast (8am), lunch, and refreshments provided. RSVP with Shari at shasamsf@yahoo.com

• October 3-5 Ray And Roman's Clay Plaster Brown Coat Workshop ($250 fee) - North Fork, California

  No Experience Necessary! The workshop is being led by experienced clay builders Darles Eaton and Chris McClellan aka Uncle Mud. During this weekend a mix of instruction time and hands-on experience will provide you with the basic knowledge of clay plasters and how to apply them on straw bales walls and other surfaces. If you’re on or near the U.S. West Coast, check the CASBA Calendar for future workshops of all kinds!

• September 18-20 Rocky Mountain Natural Building Conference, presented by the Natural Building Alliance - Bozeman, Montana

  This essential conference offers superstar keynote presentations, project tours, breakout presentations, and hands-on workshops and demonstrations. The event will focus on natural building materials, methods, and philosophies, including but not limited to: strawbale, cob, earthblock, hempcrete, straw-clay, timber framing, natural plastering, low-carbon and low-energy construction, sustainable rainwater use, and more. Check out their website for a detailed schedule.

  

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We hope you keep the good fire going in September. If you ever find yourself near London (U.K.), San Francisco (CA), or Green River (UT) let us know and let’s meet up!

See ya next month,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

DON’T MISS OUT, GET OUR LATEST MAGAZINE NOW!

The Last Straw Issue 76, on Natural Building Education

How do you learn natural building? How do you teach it? No one told us the one catch-all trick to natural building education, but in this issue our contributors trace the histories and present to figure out a way ahead.

Thank you to our sponsor:

Join our second ever live video call and hear from Emily Wang, Seth Dunn, Myles Danforth, Ian Svilokos, and Arielle and Simon Gonzalez, who have carved their own careers in natural building with design, construction, education, and more. Tune in to learn about their experiences in other careers, how they started their own businesses, and ask your own questions. Register for free (donations encouraged) here.

We hope to see you on Zoom this Thursday and if you ever find yourself near London (U.K.), San Francisco (California), or Green River (Utah) please let us know and let’s meet up!

With love,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

DON’T MISS OUT, GET OUR LATEST MAGAZINE NOW!

The Last Straw Issue 76, on Natural Building Education

How do you learn natural building? How do you teach it? No one told us the one catch-all trick to natural building education, but in this issue our contributors trace the histories and present to figure out a way ahead.

FROM THE MAGAZINE

Three Decades of Natural Building Workshops

Featured in Issue #76, the one and only Michael G. Smith reflects on his long history of hands-on workshop leadership. Michael has taught all sorts of natural building methods to all sorts of folks, and his workshops tend to focus on energy efficiency, the empowerment of people through simple, accessible techniques, along with the regenerative use of local materials.

FIELD NOTES

No Justice, No Shade

“Extreme heat, particularly in cities… kills about 489,000 people worldwide… Today, more than 600 million people are exposed to temperatures above 85ºF for life-threatening periods of time. By 2070, that number could rise to 2 billion. In other words, a heat-related holocaust is upon us, unfolding in broad daylight.”

WTF and more in this Baffler review of San Bloch’s 2025 Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource. A good-to-read, hard-to-read book documenting problematic pasts of shade and heat and promising choices for our future. “We could have embraced shade. Instead, we doubled down on AC.” What are your thoughts?

ECO-TECHNICS

Earthbound Farmer’s Almanac

We are big fans of the Earthbound Farmer’s Almanac who just published a new website hosting their new issues, archival PDFs, news, and more. Their latest issue (cover above) is available now for purchase. Check out this interview with them and The Final Straw Radio (notice a trend?).

ECO-TECHNICS

Notice for Comment: Adoption of Energy Efficiency Standards for New Construction of HUD and USDA Financed Housing

The Trump Administration has opened a Request for Information on the energy code, which means that minimum energy code requirements could be eliminated. Please comment saying why we need these requirements to remain!

“HUD and USDA (the agencies) published a Final Determination on April 26, 2024, adopting the 2021 IECC and ASHRAE 90.1-2019 energy codes as minimum requirements for programs covered under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA). The Final Determination found that adoption of the energy codes would have no negative impact on the affordability and availability of EISA-covered housing. The agencies plan to review the analysis contained in the Final Determination and are seeking public comments to inform the review.”

BIOSPHERICS

A Sleeping Monster In Canada

Vipal Monga at the Wall Street Journal interviews locals and experts to present a conundrum situation for NW Canada, and a serious lesson for current political extraction fetishes. This is an issue for the land, animals, water, and people. In Yellowknife “scientists estimate a 12-square-mile area around the mine has high levels of arsenic contamination, and locals are warned not to eat fish or pick berries and plants near the city.”

An interesting solution presented was freezing the arsenic in so much ice that “even if water did somehow enter the chambers… it would take years for the blocks to thaw and for the arsenic to get into the water table… even under the most extreme Arctic warming scenarios predicted by the United Nations.”

EVENTS

August 21 - How to Work For Yourself With Regenerative Building

• August 21 TLS Talks: How To Work For Yourself With Regenerative Building - Online

  Emily Wang, Seth Dunn, Myles Danforth, Ian Svilokos, and Arielle and Simon Gonzalez, have carved their own careers in natural building with design, construction, education, and more. Join to hear their experiences in other careers, how they started their own businesses, and ask your own questions.

  

• August 8-10 Ray And Roman's Clay Plaster Work Party - North Fork, California

  No Experience Necessary! The work party is being led by experienced clay builders Darles Eaton and Chris McClellan aka Uncle Mud. Save the date for the Brown Coat Plaster Workshop August 30-September 1, and Finish Coat Workshop in October. Californians, do stay up to date with the CASBA Calendar.

• August 15 2026 Earthbound Farmer’s Almanac Call for Submissions

  Final articles should be ~750-1500 words but pitches should be short explanations of what you want to submit! (Like a paragraph, or more if you have it but if not all good.) Email lobeliacommons@protonmail.com. As with last year, we are giving the next almanac a loose theme, this time around migration and farm work.

  

• August 20 Grow and Tell with BBMC: Building Code Updates

  Grow & Tell is a casual, community-driven webinar series from the Bio-based Materials Collective designed to share the stories, insights, and momentum behind bio-based materials. With a relaxed, fireside chat vibe, Grow & Tell invites anyone to attend. Moderated by volunteers on the third Wednesday of the month, it’s a space to connect, inspire, and grow together.

• September 18-20 Rocky Mountain Natural Building Conference, presented by the Natural Building Alliance - Bozeman, MT

  This essential conference offers superstar keynote presentations, project tours, breakout presentations, and hands-on workshops and demonstrations. The event will focus on natural building materials, methods, and philosophies, including but not limited to: strawbale, cob, earthblock, hempcrete, straw-clay, timber framing, natural plastering, low-carbon and low-energy construction, sustainable rainwater use, and more. Check out their website for a detailed schedule.

  

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Stay cool and committed this August. If you ever find yourself near London (U.K.), San Francisco (CA), or Green River (UT) let us know and let’s meet up!

See ya,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

DON’T MISS OUT, GET OUR LATEST MAGAZINE NOW!

The Last Straw Issue 76, on Natural Building Education

How do you learn natural building? How do you teach it? No one told us the one catch-all trick to natural building education, but in this issue our contributors trace the histories and present to figure out a way ahead.

FIELD NOTES

New Frameworks co-owner abducted by ICE

New Frameworks co-owner Jose Ignacio “Nacho” De La Cruz was violently abducted by ICE on June 14th, along with his 18 year old stepdaughter, Heidi, who had just graduated high school the week prior. Support them by donating to their GoFundMe campaign, signing a petition for their release, or joining with Migrant Justice of Vermont and the Vermont Freedom Fund to fight against the abductions.

As New Frameworks shows, migrant stuggles are connected to everything else: “according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the U.S. must build 1.7 million homes each year through 2030 to meet demand. At the same time, the National Association of Home Builders reports that immigrant workers make up one in every four people in the construction workforce. These realities are deeply connected.” Rebuilding after western wildfires is also slowing.

FIELD NOTES

Federal government stops sharing data that forecasts hurricanes, and Texas government approves fracking wastewater for irrigation

Climate change hits every place differently: some places are getting wetter and stronger storms, others are enduring longer and harder drought. Even our own high desert bureau is under a drought status. These extreme swings have prompted an even more extreme response from the powers-that-be: the U.S. Department of Defense will no longer share data used to forecast hurricanes (although they are still collecting it) and Texas has approved the use of potentially toxic wastewater from fracking for irrigating food crops.

ECO-TECHNICS

Most buildings were designed for an earlier climate, and we need to catch up to the new climatic regime

In this piece, Ran Boydell makes a pretty simple argument for changing the ways buildings are designed and built: the climate is objectively different than it was when most buildings were built (or at least when their design criteria was established), and they are already not working well or falling apart. In other words: do you want climate-adapted buildings, or the current catastrophes to continue? If you’re looking for how to make this happen, then the short, always-relevant book by Bruno Latour, Down to Earth: Politics in the New Climatic Regime, offers some ideas for the “climate realists” among us.

ECO-TECHNICS

Even as Trump seeks an asbestos comeback, bio-based building materials grow

Cancer-causing miracle building material asbestos was never totally banned in the U.S.: a still-thriving cottage industry of lawsuits against suppliers all but eliminated it from use decades ago. Despite this, Trump is hoping to revive its use. While you wait to see if clients will start asking for asbestos, check out these 25 new low carbon materials and the always useful Revalu materials resource website of better materials with arguments for human and planetary health.

LORE

Nonprofit group makes open-source versions of “everyday infrastructure for a new economy”

The Open Systems Lab group are working on open source house designs, mapping types of land ownership, rethinking planning processes, and more. Read more on their general projects page. Take a look at their stuff, and if you’re an altruistic techbro, maybe take some inspiration, or build something with their designs!

RESOURCE

All About: Straw bale construction in the Rocky Mountains

Lindsey Love, of Regenerative Building Solutions, recently gave this presentation about building with straw in the Rocky Mountain region at the National AIA conference in Boston. Throughout 66 slides myths are busted, fire-rating tests are listed, natural building groups are mapped, and building details are highlighted.

EVENTS

• July 12-13 Clay Plaster Brown Coat Workshop - Kelseyville, California - Your chance to plaster the interior and exterior walls of a new house with load bearing bales, earthen floors, earth plaster inside and out and *almost* no concrete. For $150 you’ll learn from Amanda Fischer and Myles Danforth of Healthy Home Artisans, and there will be tasks for every skill level and plenty of learning opportunities!

• August 2-3 A finish coat workshop for the above project will follow in August.

Stay cool this July and if you ever find yourself near London (U.K.), San Francisco (CA), or Green River (UT) let us know and let’s meet up!

See ya,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

DON’T MISS OUT, GET OUR LATEST MAGAZINE NOW!

The Last Straw Issue 76, on Natural Building Education

How do you learn natural building? How do you teach it? No one told us the one catch-all trick to natural building education, but in this issue our contributors trace the histories and present to figure out a way ahead.

And a big thank you to everyone that attended our talk last week with Ace McArleton! It was a real treat to have so many engaged participants, and such great insights. You can download a recording of the call HERE, and from the success of this event we will be hosting more talks in the future, so stay posted!

BIOSPHERICS

Earth will cross a key climate threshold in two years

While the Paris Climate Accords’ stated goal of limiting global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius was impotent at its beginnings, more and more research is showing that without limits on growth we are blowing past our modest climate thresholds faster than expected. This Washington Post article, based on new research from the World Meteorological Organization, articulates how “irreversible tipping points in the climate system — like the melting of Arctic ice sheets or the wide-scale collapse of coral reefs — are closer at hand than scientists previously believed.”

It’s a genuinely frightening time to be alive, as we enter hurricane season, and what is becoming a year-round wildfire season in the U.S. Stay safe out there.

FIELD NOTES

A hempcrete, thatch, natural timber, and rammed earth bakery

Check out this lovely natural-building smorgasbord from the phenomenal BC architects & studies. Using traditional construction techniques with a contemporary design sense, this sourdough bakery in Belgium is a great example of what can be achieved when thoughtful design is applied to renovation projects.

ECO-TECHNICS

How Wales is building a sharing economy through its ‘libraries of things’

We love tool shares and lending libraries and generally rejecting the notion that we all must be self reliant, owners of all that we use! Becky Harford says it straight: “the principle is simple: people should be able to borrow the things they need but don’t use often — from power tools to pasta makers — without having to buy them. Sharing is not just common sense, it’s community care and looking after our resources.” This article is a great source if you’re curious about starting your own sharing library. We need more Becky’s!

FIELD NOTES

The McMansionization of the White House

The excellent Kate Wagner, creator of the blog McMansion Hell, offers some cheeky historical analysis of the rococo-inspired “Dictator Chic” that Trump is so infatuated with, and which he has foisted upon the White House with gold leaf and hot glue.

Kate also wrote a great piece about HouseEurope this month, an organization which we shared in a previous roundup. Their approach to movement building and advocacy is a huge inspiration and we love to see the momentum build. This article nails it.

BIOSPHERICS

UK’s muddy saltmarshes vital to tackle climate change

Led by research from the WWF, the UKs rapidly dwindling salt marshes are part of a call for additions to the country’s greenhouse gas inventory, after analyzing the gases emitted there. In the words of Alex Pigott "The mud here is so important."

ECO-TECHNICS

The Single Stair Debate: NFPA Podcast

The official National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) podcast (who knew they had one?) reported back on a single stair symposium that the NFPA hosted to debate the pros and cons of increasing the allowable building height for single stair apartment buildings. As they discuss, this is potentially a big deal for creating more urban density. This podcast approaches the issue largely from a fire safety perspective, which housing advocates often brush aside, but we found insightful, if overly conservative in parts.

EVENTS

• 🌍 June 17 - join the online discussion EARTHBOUND Reimagining Construction hosted by architect Tom Morton and artist/builder Becky Little on reciprocity with nature in construction. And check out all of the other exciting parts of Architecture Fringe’s Architectures of Exchange festival which is hosting events and exhibits all month across Scotland and online.

• 🪵 June 4-July 27 Summer workshops with Material Cultures - London and Oxford - get hands on clay, wood, straw bale, weaving, and more this summer in the UK.
  

• 🎡 June 19-22 - The Petaluma County Fair will host an “Good Earth Grove” this year as a showcase of sustainable living and green inspiration.
  

• 🔨 August 4-6 - The full schedule for this year’s Deconstruction + Reuse Conference was recently announced and it looks like fun. Early bird registration ends June 20. $350

We hope June treats you right and if you ever find yourself near London (U.K.), San Francisco (CA), or Green River (UT) let us know and let’s meet up!

See ya,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

DON’T MISS OUT, GET OUR LATEST MAGAZINE NOW!

The Last Straw Issue 76, on Natural Building Education

How do you learn natural building? How do you teach it? No one told us the one catch-all trick to natural building education, but in this issue our contributors trace the histories and present to figure out a way ahead.

P.S. a cute comic - courtesy of Martin Hammer:

Tune in to our first ever live video call next week with New Frameworks co-founder and director of vision & strategy Ace McArleton as he talks about the New Frameworks SEED program! And as a primer, you could read Ace’s excellent Issue 76 feature on the program, Growing Change. On the call, we will be talking all things SEED! We’re talking program AND collaborative, so bring your questions! Register for free here.

Deadline extended: Send pitches for TLS #77

The deadline for pitching your article ideas for the next magazine issue has been extended to June 1st! Help fuel our next issue on Fire. While we hope to include literal and technical coverage, we also hope to explore abstract stories about the relationship between combustion and livelihood. We're interested in all of the ways that fire is affecting the built environment, from design and material choices to insurance and life safety. Not to mention the G-type star of fire in the sky that powers it all.

Send a proposal!

Here are some ideas to get you going, but feel free to think beyond these:

• How do we build for a world on fire?

• What are best fire ecology ethics?

• How can we design more fire-resilient buildings?

• How sustainable is burning biomass? And recycling?

• Have you taken on a fire rebuild? Share your experiences.

• What will fire’s role be in a regenerative future?

• How do we find fuel to build up when all is burning down?

• In the face of political unrest, what fires need to be fueled for a safe uprising?

• What new growth have you found on burnt ground?

• What passions do you want to fuel within the community?

• What is your favorite campfire story?

Contributors who are featured in Issue No. 77 will each receive an $100 honorarium for their work. Please send all proposals by June 1st, we can’t wait to hear from you!

Send a proposal!

We hope to see you on Zoom next week and if you ever find yourself near London (U.K.), San Francisco (California), or Green River (Utah) please let us know and let’s meet up!

With love,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

DON’T MISS OUT, GET OUR LATEST MAGAZINE NOW!

The Last Straw Issue 76, on Natural Building Education

How do you learn natural building? How do you teach it? No one told us the one catch-all trick to natural building education, but in this issue our contributors trace the histories and present to figure out a way ahead.

BIOSPHERICS

Heed the call for Issue 77!

Help fuel our next issue on Fire. While we hope to include literal and technical coverage, we also hope to explore abstract stories about the relationship between combustion and livelihood. We're interested in all of the ways that fire is affecting the built environment, from design and material choices to insurance and life safety. Not to mention the G-type star of fire in the sky that powers it all.

Send a proposal!

Here are some ideas to get you going, but feel free to think beyond these:

• How do we build for a world on fire?

• What are best fire ecology ethics?

• How can we design more fire-resilient buildings?

• How sustainable is burning biomass? And recycling?

• Have you taken on a fire rebuild? Share your experiences.

• What will fire’s role be in a regenerative future?

• How do we find fuel to build up when all is burning down?

• In the face of political unrest, what fires need to be fueled for a safe uprising?

• What new growth have you found on burnt ground?

• What passions do you want to fuel within the community?

• What is your favorite campfire story?

Contributors who are featured in Issue No. 77 will each receive an $100 honorarium for their work. Please send all proposals by May 25th, we can’t wait to hear from you!

Send a proposal!

Tune in on Wednesday May 28th at 5:30pm PT / 8:30pm ET

Tune in to our first ever live video call later this month with New Frameworks co-founder and director of vision & strategy Ace McArleton as he talks about the New Frameworks SEED program! And as a primer, you could read Ace’s excellent Issue 76 feature on the program, Growing Change. On the call, we will be talking all things SEED! We’re talking program AND collaborative, so bring your questions! Save the date with this calendar link, or save this email and join directly on the 28th with this link.

RESOURCES

Building with Biomass

This revealing report should finally put to rest any concerns that regenerative building products are still a pipe dream, because “unlike many carbon removal solutions still in development, biomass building products are already commercially manufactured in the United States and globally.” Even if you just skim this, the compelling graphics comparing conventional material carbon and monetary costs are worth a look.

ECO-TECHNICS

How Do Conservation Experts Make Their Own Homes More Energy Efficient?

We’re excited to see a couple straw wall houses in this short round-up of how “architects, policy analysts and sustainability experts… walk the talk in their own lives”, which hint at a concern for upfront carbon and energy usage. This is worth checking out to see what energy-conscious construction catches the attention of The Wall Street Journal (and what a few determined climate change-skeptical commenters are thinking below the article).

BIOSPHERICS

Project to suck carbon out of sea begins in UK

While removing carbon from the atmosphere is no substitute for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, the SeaCURE project in the U.K. is experimenting with extracting carbon from seawater before returning it to the ocean, where it can better absorb carbon from the air. The current process is energy-intensive and very small scale, and there is also research being done simultaneously to see how less carbon in the ocean might affect sealife.

ECOTECHNICS

Not Just Book Recommendations

Three (semi) recent books on the theme of using less that the editorial collective is excited about, and all three have fun ways to engage with the ideas before sitting down to read.

Half-Earth Socialism

A manifesto from Troy Vettese and Drew Pendergass on saving the planet from capitalism and overconsumption through the importance of re-wilding, socialism, less meat production and much more. To inhabit the ideas the authors also made a video game where you have to choose what resources, policies, and research projects to invest in to save the planet. Read the book, but perhaps more importantly, play the video game.

Don’t Build, Rebuild

Aaron Betsky has been writing about reuse for a while, and Don’t Build, Rebuild: The Case for Imaginative Reuse in Architecture combines many years of travels and thinking into a compelling case for the historical relevance and climatic urgency of reuse. Read the book, it’s excellent, but first listen to the author on the excellent Material Matters podcast.

A Moratorium on New Construction

Charlotte Malterre-Barthes’ brand new book is provocative, well researched, and built on a career of questioning designers role in material extraction and waste. Read the book, but start with the authors five page “graphic novel”, and her very nice interview from the Architects Newspaper that includes lots of links to other interesting reading.

FIELD NOTES

A New Reuse Innovation Center in Brooklyn

A new business cooperative focused on salvaging and reusing building materials is coming to New York City. According to project leader Dave Bennink the Reuse Innovation Center (NYC-RIC) will have “businesses that take buildings [apart], and we’ll have businesses that put buildings back together. We’ll have businesses that make products for buildings that are circular in nature, made of reclaimed and recycled content.” Use their sign-up form if you’re interested in being a part of the community!

EVENTS

May 5-11

If you’re in or around Michigan, check out this free workshop opportunity with Strawbale Studio. Work on earthen flooring and interiors with all meals and lodging provided!

May 13th

Join Bio-based Materials Collective for the online watch of their 2025 Summit! Topics will span from bioregional regenerative finance to hempcrete homes, and from carbon policy to workforce development.

May 29th

If you attend, check out their follow-up webinar here.

And if you can, donate to the Just Places project in Santa Cruz as they raise money and support to build housing for the people experiencing homelessness there. It’s an inspiring collaboration between some homelessness support groups and natural builders and we wish them success.

We also wish YOU a lovely month and if you ever find yourself near London (U.K.), San Francisco (California), or Green River (Utah) please let us know and let’s meet up!

With love,

The Last Straw Editorial Collective

DON’T MISS OUT, GET OUR LATEST MAGAZINE NOW!

The Last Straw Issue 76, on Natural Building Education

How do you learn natural building? How do you teach it? No one told us the one catch-all trick to natural building education, but in this issue our contributors trace the histories and present to figure out a way ahead.