Designer Dirt

The NY Times on the latest in "natural building". These devotees are so refined they are beyond mundane considerations of saving energy, though let it be noted they are on the fringe:

They are part of a small movement interested in “natural building” on the fringes of green architecture. But they consider green architecture to be overly focused on energy efficiency, while they are concerned with the eco-friendliness of the entire process. The idea, according to Lloyd Kahn, a former shelter editor of the Whole Earth Catalog, is to use “materials that have as little processing as possible, like dirt, straw and bamboo.”

The Times feels compelled to instruct its readers:

It is hardly a new or chic movement: millions of poor people around the globe use natural materials like dirt for their homes whether they want to or not. But with the growing environmental awareness in this country, Mr. Kahn said, there is greater interest in natural building materials like dirt.

Imagine that. Right now it remains a Left Coast phenom, as "the East Coast tends to be much more conservative". Well that is news.

And the dirt is dirt cheap. But I'm sure some enterprising soul will come up with some designer dirt. Maybe someone from flyover country.