This is not your ancestors’ straw hut! Straw bale homes are the new wave in green home building. Why not? Straw is natural, highly renewable, energy efficient, mold & allergy resistant, fire retardant (bet you didn’t know that) and one of the healthiest choices you can make for the frame of your green home. The range of designs and architectural features is unlimited. Check out the Santa Barbara dream home host Kevin Contreras built out of straw – it’s Zen modern and green to the core.