The Conference Committee is planning another great CASBA Conference!  Please send a note to info@strawbuilding.org if you have an interest in presenting or hosting a workshop.  

Registration for the conference will open by mid-February.  We hope to see you there!

See 2017 conference and presentation details here!

One Percent for the Planet business partner Three Twins Ice Cream sweetened up our conference by donating an array of scrumptious ice cream flavors for attendees to enjoy!   Through their Ice Cream for Acres program, every time your purchase their ice cream you are helping to conserve precious habitat! You can read about it here . 

We’re happy to introduce you to MyDomino, our new clean energy partner, and to extend their offer of a free one-year membership to their energy savings concierge service. (a $99 value)

MyDomino will also make a $50 donation to CASBA when you speak with a MyDomino concierge by phone the first time! (with no commitment)  

Why has CASBA partnered with MyDomino?

MyDomino has a similar mission. They share knowledge gathered from research & practical experience to help fight Climate Change, and they help you avoid sales hype and save money! Our members & supporters deserve to know about this resource, so we're glad to spread the word. 

Your free MyDomino membership includes:

• A quick and easy energy consult for your home by phone – whether you rent or own.
• A personalized clean energy plan with advice on actions such as using LEDs, smart thermostats, heat pumps, solar power, EVs, and more.
• A customized dashboard to track your progress and get unlimited clean energy guidance.

Feel free to share this offer with your clients and other straw balers! 

Details can be found here.

Not only does this open new doors to funding for us, it also offers new networking opportunities with other non-profits concerned about Climate Change and the way in which we occupy our planet.  

Excerpted from the 1% for the Planet press release...

CASBA is now eligible to receive donations from 1% for the Planet member companies, placing them among a diverse, global network of environmental organizations. 1% member businesses fuel this nonprofit network through their annual contributions. Partnership with 1% greatly expands the potential pool of funding to which CASBA can look to for support.

"1% for the Planet member businesses donate at least 1% of their annual sales to support environmental nonprofits," says Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet.  "We believe deeply that these nonprofits play a critical role in solving the many challenges facing our planet, and our core work is to grow the corporate support that enables these nonprofits to accomplish even more."

About 1% for the Planet

1% for the Planet is a global network of businesses that donate one percent of annual sales directly to approved environmental nonprofit organizations. More than 1,000 businesses give back to a network of approved nonprofits addressing critical environmental issues.  Started in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, former owner of Blue Ribbon Flies, 1% for the Planet helps people buy better products and protect the planet we play on. To date, our network has given more than $130 million back to the planet.

To learn more go to:  www.onepercentfortheplanet.org. 

 

Register now!

Breaking News Flash(back)
[THE FOLLOWING INVITATION IS PATTERNED AFTER ONE FROM 2003]

THE
PERMANENT DANCE AND DECORATING COMMITTEE
OF THE

CALIFORNIA STRAW BUILDING ASSOCIATION

RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS THE HONOR OF YOUR PRESENCE

April 21, 22, 23, 24 - 2016

FOR THE
20^TH ANNIVERSARY MEETING, HOEDOWN, GABFEST AND CONFERENCE
CALIFORNIA VALLEY MOTEL

CARRIZO PLAIN, S.L.O. COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Personally Constructed Strawbale Shelters for your dreamtime
Dramatic Carrizo Plain views for your eyes
Gourmet food and grog for your body
Information for your mind
Music for your soul

Cost:$225.00 early bird thru March 31
$275 until April 15
$325 at the door

Lodging cost varies depending upon the tenderness of one’s bones
Conference cost includes all meals and program for the duration

The theme of this conference/meeting will celebrating CASBA’s first 20 years and plotting the course for the next 20 years of Low Carbon and Natural Building.  In addition our Keynote Speakers Athena and Bill Steen, we will have feautured speakers, panels of experts on topics including ‘Affordable Straw Bale’, ‘Insurance and Financing’, ‘Carbon Sequestration’ and ‘Plaster, Moisture & Durability’.  Plus discussion about your projects large, small, sedate or wild.

If you would like to present your project, idea or product in a 5 minute ‘Pop-Up Presentation’, send a 50 word synopsis of your presentation to Chris Prelitz: chrisprelitz@gmail.com  NOW.

Demonstrations on bale stacking, knot tying, plaster applying or of any other sort are welcome.  So inclined?  Email info@strawbuilding.org

There will also be ‘20x20’ presentations again this year, on Friday evening. 20 slides, 20 seconds each; 6 minutes 40 seconds total. Bring your slides in a single PDF, PPT or JPGs and we’ll make it happen.

The social side of the weekend will feature dancing and decorating to the baleful (sic) tones of ‘The Straw Balers’ Band.  There will be a ritualistic burning of bales, hurling of flaming projectiles with a 12’ trebuchet, drumming of drums and reminiscing to the depths of our failing memories (thank goodness for photos, which if you have to share, please send to Lesley Christiana: jchristiana@sbcglobal.net )

Finally, assistance is absolutely needed for Set Up before, During the Event, and Clean Up after.  If you are willing and able to assist with any of these, please indicate so in your registration, and/or send a note to our conference committee via info@strawbuilding.org. 

Please visit www.strawbuilding.org for registration and full schedule.

Register now!

There will be field trips!!!

Appendix AS – Strawbale Construction with Commentary

Appendix AR - Light Straw-Clay Construction with Commentary

from the 2021 International Residential Code (IRC)

Free Download  (please download only the Appendix or Appendices you need)

Appendix AS and Appendix AR as downloaded from this page are from the 2021 International Residential Code and Commentary as published by the International Code Council (ICC). These downloads are made available by agreement between CASBA and the ICC.

The complete  IRC and Commentary is available for purchase from the ICC here: 

The 2021 IRC without  commentary is also available as read-only (not downloadable) for free on ICC’s website at  https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IRC2021P2

Appendix AS and Appendix AR sometimes reference sections of the IRC, so access to the complete IRC is important for full understanding and full use. The IRC applies to one and two-family dwellings, their accessory structures and townhouses.

The IRC is a model code with no legal standing of its own, but it is the basis for the residential code in virtually every state and local jurisdiction in the United States. However, many jurisdictions have not yet adopted the 2021 IRC, and some may not adopt Appendix AS or Appendix AR. Jurisdictions that do adopt Appendix AS and Appendix AR may also amend them. Consult your local building department to understand which edition of the IRC is the basis for its current building code and whether Appendix AS and Appendix AR are included.

Project applicants who wish to use Appendix AS or Appendix AR for a project where the state or local jurisdiction has not adopted the 2021 IRC or the Appendix, can propose their use on a project basis with the local building official.

The Commentary describes intent, and gives compliance examples for the Appendix code requirements. This is especially helpful for design professionals, builders, building owners, and code officials with little or no experience with strawbale or light straw-clay construction.

Appendix AS and California

Appendix AS from the 2021 IRC is included with minor amendment in the 2022 California Residential Code (CRC) and was adopted by the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for mandatory statewide use. The 2022 CRC took effect January 1, 2023 for permit applications dated Jan. 1, 2023 through Dec 31, 2025. If a local building department or official claims their jurisdiction did not adopt Appendix AS or otherwise refuse to use Appendix AS, please contact Martin Hammer (see below).

Appendix AR and California

Appendix AR from the 2021 IRC is included in the 2022 California Residential Code, for voluntary use by local jurisdictions. Unlike Appendix AS, it was not adopted by a state agency for mandatory statewide use, but it can be proposed for use on a project basis.

Other Editions of Appendix AR or AS(2015, 2018 and information re: 2024) can be obtained through Martin Hammer (see below). Past editions could be in force for current or past projects depending on the State or local jurisdiction and the project application date. The 2024 IRC and appendices have been finalized through ICC’s code development process and will be published sometime in 2023. They will go through State and local adoption in subsequent years.

Questions or Comments regarding IRC Appendix AS and Appendix AR can be directed to their lead author, Martin Hammer, at mfhammer@pacbell.net .

Appendix AU – Cob Construction (Monolithic Adobe)

Appendix AU is available for free download through the Cob Research Institute (CRI) at https://www.cobcode.org/code-download

Consider a Donation to CASBA

CASBA is happy to offer IRC Appendices for free download, but also encourages donations that help fund our ongoing agreement with ICC, and help allow CASBA members to periodically revise the appendices and advocate for other sustainable advances in the building codes. Please donate here https://strawbuilding.org/donate

We have a draft schedule available for the Spring Conference. Check it out, and don't forget to register!

We are incredibly excited to report the near-completion of our web and administration systems refresh!

We are now utilizing a service called Wild Apricot, which offers website hosting to clubs and non-profits, along with contact and membership management services. While the look and feel of our website has remained essentially the same, Wild Apricot will allow us to significantly streamline our administrative processes, and to communicate with our members and those interested in straw building much more efficiently and effectively.

New Features

Here are just a few of the things that we hope will improve your experiences with CASBA:

• Email management: Anyone on our mailing list -- both current members and people on our email list -- can log into their account to update and manage their email subscription settings.
  
  
• Member profiles:  Visible to members only, member profiles include things like your town/city and whether or not you currently own a straw bale building.  There is also a privacy option to make yourself "invisible" to other CASBA members if you so choose.
  
  
• Member Contact Form: Also visible to members only, the Member Contact Form allows you to be emailed by other members without initially revealing your email addresses. In this way, members can be contacted while still maintaining  privacy (Note: only the email sent from the form is private; if you respond to an email you will use your regular email program and will thereby share your email address).
  
  
• Group Membership "Bundles": We now have the ability to easily include the various members of our group memberships -- so the family or business colleagues associated with your membership can create their own accounts and receive emails if they wish. (If you have a group membership, see "To Log Into Your Account" below to add members to your "bundle.")

We will also shortly be launching a new straw building Forum (replacing our current Google group) for members to ask and answer questions of each other.

Your Status with CASBA

Many of our new features are "self-service," meaning you can log into the site at any time to manage your account and settings. While we have some people on our list who are simply interested parties, and have opted into our email lists, we of course encourage you to become a member (or re-up if your membership has expired). You can log in to see the status of your membership.

Log Into Your Account

To log into your account, you must first set up a password. Click the link below to receive a temporary password which will let you log into the site and create your own password.

http://www.strawbuilding.org/Sys/ResetPasswordRequest

Then use the form in the left-hand column of this site to log in.

As We Move Forward

As with any new software system, there is a learning curve and we know that we will likely run into a few issues here and there, and we appreciate your patience as we work out the kinks. All of CASBA's activities are managed by volunteers, so we hope you will forgive us some bumps and bruises in this process. And as always, we are grateful for any feedback so feel free to contact us with any comments or questions.

We look forward to providing you with even more straw building resources in the coming weeks and months!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsMjM1--8NTd1EN_aksfVNAjXIFZD1doP