I have read several articles lately about how recycling has slowed down along with the economy. Even things like metals and paper have slowed as their (monetary) value decreased in the marketplace. It reminded me of two home building techniques I am fascinated by.

Paper Log Houses:

• Elis Steman House  Mr. Stenman was the mechanical engineer who designed the machine used to make paperclips.The wall material, roughly an inch thick, is made out of pressed newspapers, glue and varnish-which keeps it waterproof. He began construction in 1922 on his vacation home in Rockport, Massachusetts and completed it in 1924. It was turned into a museum in the 1930's.

Papercrete/Paper Adobe

• Papercrete is often called fiber reinforced lightweight concrete and consists of varying proportions of recycled paper and Portland cement. Some people have also added recycled Styrofoam to the mix which increases the insulation value and makes it even more lightweight. Here is an example at a B&B in Texas Here is another article about this house.

Here is a link to a pretty extensive MOTHER EARTH NEWSarticle about building houses with papercrete.