Am I Going Green?

I never was one for "going green." Not because I hate the environment (we are called by God to be good stewards of the land). No, mostly it's because going green is expensive. Free roaming chickens cost more, organic milk is like twice the price, and it just doesn't fit my budget. There are some things about going green that I do like though. Hybrid cars, or even fuel cell cars, heck any cars that are going to save me gas money. The thing is, once again, those are expensive too.

Now that I am married I am looking forward to the day of buying a house. Fortunately for me there is a green house option that is actually cheaper than a regular house. It is called the cob house.

For those of you who know a thing or two about cob houses you might be thinking that I have fallen right into the hippy, granola-eating, give up on society pit. This would not be true (though they are such interesting people). Cob houses are made from mud, basically. It is a combination of clay, sand, and straw. The movement is big in Oregon, and my best friend Mike told me all about it. Cob houses are beautiful and can be made for under $5,000.

There are some pros and cons to this whole endeavor though.

Pros

-cheap

-good for the environment (I am partly green)

-easy to heat
-beautiful
-different
-get to build (and design) yourself
Cons
-building codes
-small usually only about 200 sq ft (not easy to build large)
-have to build yourself (which could take a long time)

So who knows, it might become my next house. I'll have to wait for Mike to go to Oregon in the summer for a workshop. After he comes back and builds his cob oven we'll see where we are. Let's just say I am mildly optimistic!