Have you found yourself having to decide between Organic or Locally grown when purchasing food? If so, perhaps you understand the issues of finding healthy choices for your family and your community, balanced with the impact of the carbon footprint of shipping items from far away places.
These issues are true with our housing material choices as well. For centuries, people built with the materials that were found in nature from their own region. We have so many rich choices in the Pacific Northwest – wood, stone, clay, straw – that we can build well and still have a deep Sense of Place.
This entryway is a reminder that building with local, natural materials can render a look that appeals to even the most discerning taste. The stone was gathered from the client’s own site, the wood door is Douglas Fir, and the round columns are Port Orford cedar. Inside, reclaimed wood floors and clay plasters continue the Local, Natural theme.
The Living Building Challenge sets distance restrictions for materials based on their weight, with 500 miles as the furthest shipping allowed. We have so many material options within that radius – we prefer to use them instead of something from far, far away! What local and natural materials would you like to have in your home?
The Media Cafe
Living Shelter Design Radio
For our ongoing audio programming, follow The Eco-Logical Home on its own website.
