Today we bring you an old tale. It's the story of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf that blew down a house made of straw and one made of sticks. The only house left standing was the one made of bricks. Now there is new evidence to suggest that houses built with bales of straw can be very strong. They are also very environmental. 

Pete Walker is a professor at the University of Bath in Britain. He and a team of researchers there have built a house made out of straw bales and hemp material. During the next twelve months the team will study the effectiveness of these materials in home building. Professor Walker says there are many good reasons for using straw. 

Professor Walker: "One of the benefits is it's a relatively inexpensive renewable material that's readily available." He also agrees that straw takes in carbon dioxide as it grows and helps the environment in other ways. So it can be seen as having no harmful effects on the environment. 

Professor Walker: "The straw bale walls are relatively thick and so all that straw provides very good thermal insulation. So we make buildings that require very little heating in the winter or indeed very little cooling in the summer. So they require very little additional energy." 

Professor Walker says this reduces home operating expenses. It also reduces the effect on the environment. He says the current interest in straw bale houses is a direct response to the problem of climate change. 

David Lanfear owns an eco-friendly home building service in the United States called Bale on Bale Construction. He says he laughed when some friends first told him about houses built of straw. But after doing his own research, he learned that building with straw bales made a lot of sense. He has now helped to build more than ten straw bale houses and says the building material is becoming more widely accepted. 

To build the houses, he fills a wood frame with tightly packed bales of straw. Next he coats the walls inside and out with layers of clay plaster. He says the common ideas about straw houses continue, including stories about the threat of fire. Mr. Lanfear says straw bale houses have done well when tested for fire resistance. And he says his builders use the same building methods as traditional builders to keep out rain. 

David Lanfear: "We use what we call good shoes and a good hat, and that would be a solid foundation and a really good roof."
Who is Pete Walker?
At what school?
Where?
What did he make?
With what materials?
Did he work alone?
Who helped?
Are they planning to study the house?
What about it?
For how long?
Is straw expensive?
Does it damage the environment?
Who owns Bale on Bale Construction?
How did he feel about building with straw at first?
Has he accepted the building material?
How many houses has he used it in?
Are they a fire hazard?
What kind of frame does the house have?
What are the straw walls coated with?
Does Walker feel these houses make the cost of operating a home less?
a professor
 a professor
University of Bath
University of Bath
Britain
Britain
a house
a house
straw bales and hemp material.
straw bales and hemp material.
No
 He and a team of researchers 
a team of researchers
a team of researchers
Yes
During the next twelve months the team will study the effectiveness of these materials 
the effectiveness of these materials
the effectiveness of these materials
twelve months
twelve months
No
 it's a relatively inexpensive renewable material
No
So it can be seen as having no harmful effects on the environment. 
David Lanfear
David Lanfear
he laughed
he laughed
Yes
But after doing his own research, he learned that building with straw bales made a lot of sense.
more than ten
more than ten
No
have done well when tested for fire resistance.
a wood frame
a wood frame
clay plaster.
layers of clay plaster.
Yes
One of the benefits is it's a relatively inexpensive renewable material 