[Cob] building sustainably

[Damon Howell]

	The word sustainable means using a resource so that the resource is  
not depleted or permanently damaged. By definition all building  
techniques are sustainable because it is unlikely we would ever use  
all of any particular resource. There's always new trees, steel,  
sand, and rock being made, but turning those raw materials into a  
bedroom requires hard work and is usually very wasteful. It makes  
sense to use a round log. Is it actually easier to use a square board  
when you factor in how much effort it takes to make it square? Build  
smaller, longer-lasting buildings from locally harvested materials  
with as few tools as possible so they have less embodied energy,  
that's the answer. If the economy doesn't turn around people may do  
just that instead of building 3,000 sqft. gaud (they're not homes).  
Really, who's to stop them when there are so many people doing it?