Son, Not Just a Straw Man

"The four walls enclosing the newest structure on the grounds of St. Lawrence College don't match. One has been constructed using conventional methods - wood with pink, cotton candy-like insulation.
Two others use Styrofoam-like insulation: one is made of Lego-type blocks filled with concrete in the middle (like an Oreo cookie of the construction world) while the other features a thick chunk of hardened foam. And, the fourth is made of straw bales.

The students building this hut, located next to the schools "Energy House". are interested in knowing which wall keeps in heat the best. 'I believe the straw bale is [the best] because of the sheer thickness of the wall,' said graduating student David Ferguson (MY SON!). 'We'll see. We don't really know.'

'We really need to educate people on the perception of building technology,' said Ferguson, 25. 'Anyone who's willing to listen, we'll give them a good spiel.'

The students, who are studying in the college's renewable energy program, also plan to hold a workshop on green roofs and a campus sustainability symposium later this month. The students started building the 140-square-foot hut in September after receiving a $17,000 grant from the provincial government to erect a demonstration structure showing four different types of insulation. The Whig Standard - Ontario, CA