Looking for earth-friendly way to build walls. Simple. Take a bag and fill it with dirt. It’s cheap. It’s simple. It’s also a versatile and fun green building technology.
Filled with dirt, earthbags lend tremendous thermal mass to stabilize the temperature of the structure. Filled with lighter material such as rice hulls or vermiculite, they serve as insulation. What to use for the actual bag? Affordable propylene sacks offer superior strength and water resistance, and they can even be purchased as recycled grain sacks.
Earthbags lend themselves to both traditional and dome shapes. Because earthbags can be domed (think igloo-type construction), it’s possible to build without the wood or steel needed for framing or roofing. Earthbags also promote creativity. Curvy walls would be pricey in a stick-built home, but they represent no problem for the earthbag builder.
Once the bags are stacked, the structure is covered with plaster, which can also be made from dirt onsite. Earthbags are suited to building projects of any size. If you’re considering a small building project such as a shed or root cellar, check out the earthbag possibilities. This simple technology is accessible to anyone, and the results are surprisingly beautiful.
