As our environmental challenges mount — from devastating wildfires to hurricanes and floods — one solution, largely ignored thus far, may lie in using an unlikely-sounding material for home-building: straw. Has the lowly straw bale home’s time finally come?

Straw Bale: The Ultra-Ecological House, written by M.E.A. ("Mea") McNeil, originally appeared in Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You can find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and resources on our site.

Introduction by: Summer Brown

Narrated by: Dinah Berkeley

Produced by: Larry Rosen

Music by: Mike Snowden of “The Cigar Box Guitar Maker.”