There are many different types of building out there that are MUCH more efficient than your typical post and beam house.

For example, after a cereal grain harvest, farmers cut and bale straw. It's a waste product, and it's normally used for animal bedding. Used for building though, it's about 400% more energy efficient, is extremely fire and earthquake proof, and gives a nice, comforting feel to the house. It lends the same effect to heating and cooling that a cave would. The house stays at a near constant temperature year round.

Cordwood (leftover, small pieces of wood about the size that would fit in a fireplace) can be plastered and stacked like hay bales. Rasta (sp) is a foam board that is stacked and cut to shape, and then filled with cement.

If we have such effective and inexpensive methods of building out there that could save so much energy it's nutty, why aren't we using them? Why is it so hard to gain permits for alternative building methods? Why isn't it promoted as a way to save waste materials and to save energy? Would you use an alternative method to build your family a home?

The problem is all about industry. Construction and materials (especially forrests) are huge lobbyers...they represent a large portion of blue collar jobs also.

The secondary problem is people are skeptics. They fail to adopt newer ideas because they don't want to buck the status quo.

Some other interesting 'alternative housing' things I had heard about were roof top gardens and temperature color changing paint. THe roof top gardens are eco friendly and help reduce heating/cooling costs by providing green insulation.

The color changing paint is another way to regulate temperature as well.

Funny thing is, there is nothing new about most of the 'alternative' building methods. Strawbale homes have been built in Canada and parts of the US for over a hundred years. Guess what? Even the 100 year old buildings are still standing and in great shape. Same thing with cordwood and cob (earthen) buildings.

The rooftop gardens are pretty cool. Not only does it insulate the roof, but it means more plants to clean the air around you. I've never heard of temperature sensitive paint, though. Mother Earth News has some pretty cool articles about this.