Article: Cordwood and community: over the past two years, educators Linda and Scot DeGraf have been building a one-room cottage made of natural, recycled, and local materials at the Rolling Ridge Study Retreat Community near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.(Brief article)

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

In nearly 30 years together, neither Linda nor I had built a shelf or a box without something being crooked. How did we talk ourselves into building a cordwood and straw bale cottage? The answers boil down to the twin goals of building community and committing ourselves to live lightly on the earth. Wood for the posts and cordwood walls came from the surrounding land, the straw bales from a local family farm. Scrap sawdust--mixed with lime to keep the critters out--and fireproofed recycled blue jeans serve as insulation. We've planted a living roof (that includes 6,000 pounds of compost) to keep us cooler in summer and warmer in winter. And ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!