 | When I delicately run my hand over a newly plastered wall, I like to think to myself... |
My name is Emily Niehaus. I am the founding director of a small nonprofit in the American desert southwest called Community Rebuilds. My relationship with straw bale construction is a dirty one. I got into this mess as a loan officer looking for the cheapest house on the block…for families struggling to afford a home in my small tourism-based community of Moab, Utah. We are home to beautiful public lands and extremely high property values.
| In my search for inexpensive housing, I met a dirt bag named Doni Kiffmeyer. He introduced me to straw bale construction. I quickly learned that this type of housing was literally dirt cheap, as the principle building materials are clay, sand, and the agricultural bi-product straw. But labor costs can drive the price of a straw bale home out of the range of affordability. And, there are very few natural building experts in our world. |  |
So I started scheming. A few years (and tears) later, I founded Community Rebuilds to build affordable straw bale homes with working families and dedicated students all interested in unpacking the crazy idea of building with dirt.
Today, Community Rebuilds has built homes in Utah, Colorado and Arizona, and educated over 150 student interns.
Today, Community Rebuilds has built homes in Utah, Colorado and Arizona, and educated over 150 student interns.
 | Our mission is to build energy-efficient housing, provide education on sustainability, and improve the housing conditions of the workforce through an affordable program. |
I am so excited to attend the ISBC in New Zealand in March 2016, share success and horror stories with other straw bale builders, and present my humble story of how Community Rebuilds has been building affordable straw bale homes and young natural builders.
communityrebuilds.org
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communityrebuilds.org
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