[Cob] concrete coverage in the US --- dismal news

[otherfish]

Caroline & all,

Caroline wrote: 
> I am not so sure that new Cob houses improves the situation.  Cob used to
> create a house still makes an ISA on the spot where the cob house sits.

Good point Caroline, if that is the case
is comparing cob (i.e. natgural building ) vs "standard construction" a case
of apples & apples .....
or apples & oranges ........ hmmmmmm?

The BBC article cites:
"The replacement of heavily vegetated areas by ISA reduces the depletion of
carbon dioxide, which plants absorb from the atmosphere."

The inclusion of a living roof would help mitigate this plant related CO2
effect.
 
Also, I wonder, does a "natural building" with an  earthen floor have the
same impact on the environment as a concrete slab floor would?  Apparently,
an earthen floor "breathes', where a concrete slab does not.  Good for
indoor air quality ( unless you are in a radon containing soil area ).  I
wonder, does this indoor air quality extend out into to the greater
environment?  There is a logic to thinking it does, particularly if the
building also breathes, as would be the case in an earth walled building
such as cob.

Most assurredly, the reduction of the use of concrete by the elimination of
the concreet slabs typically used in standard construction WILL have an
environmental plus.

Further impact could be gained by use of permiable ground cover in lieU of
concrete or asphalt paving.

So once again, in the absence of any quantified data, I'll personally hazard
a guess & say YES, the use of natural materials and techniques in building
homes & related landscaping will result in a reduction of the effective ISA
in comparison to standard construction.

One thing that really struck me about the article was this:

"Every year, one million new family homes are built and 20,000 km (10,000
miles) of roads are laid."

If just 1% of new construction was done with cob and related natural
building elements, this would result in 10,000 cob buildings every year.
This IS something subtantial.  A far cry from the current handfull created
under the current "outlaw" mentality to which cob is relegated.

Getting cob accepted into the mainstream is critical.  The key to this is a
COB BUILDING CODE.  Why cobbers cannot seem to rally behind this issue is
both mystifying and frustrating.  Probably because Cobbers are an
independent bunch & not prone to joining.  But this is truly worthwhile.  I
and others have been promoting for a change in the codes for several years
now, but it has no $ support & hence goes nowhere.  This is the really
DISMAL news,  cob has so much to offer & WE KNOW IT, but we trip merrily on
in our isolated paths while the juggernaught of profit driven propritairy
construction does its level best to screw the planet.

I could get really bummed by this if life wasn't so interesting.

cob on
john fordice





on 6/16/04 12:23 PM, Grahams at cfgraham at starpower.net wrote:

> At 01:40 PM 6/16/2004, you wrote:
>> To: <coblist at deatech.com>
>> Subject: [Cob] concrete coverage in the US --- dismal news
>> 
>> Thought those of us on the coblist might appreciate this.
>> Not that the implications of the excessive use of concrete comes as any
>> surprise .........  still, food for thought & reinforcing the importance of
>> our passion for cob....
>> Workers from several universities and agencies have put together the first
>> ever map of the US, which shows "impervious surface areas" (ISA).
> 
> I am not so sure that new Cob houses improves the situation.  Cob used to
> create a house still makes an ISA on the spot where the cob house sits.
> 
> Caroline 
>