Properly compressed straw bales are fire resistant. There are enough air pockets remaining to create the high insulation value, but not enough to sustain rapid combustion.

A Carlisle-based building materials distributor has entered into an agreement to supply EcoCocon straw wall panels.

Straw might seem like the last product you'd use if you wanted to protect your house from fire, but these straw panels, made from waste material, are a secret weapon against flames.

The compressive strength of straw bales is high when they are stacked. Long threaded steel rods run from a horizontal roof plate down to a concrete foundation or slab.

Family Handyman reader Jim Kucharik attaches a drinking straw to a can with glue, but you could use duct tape. The air straw goes inside the larger drinking straw. Now you've got someplace to put ...

Straw bale house walls can be self-supporting. Long threaded steel rods run from a horizontal roof plate down to a concrete foundation or slab.

Straw’s uses are not confined to construction, either. Other start-ups are exploring its potential as a source of paper and packaging, reducing the need for wood pulp and plastics.

Most people know that you can replace a lost compressed air straw with a coffee stirrer, but if you don't have one nearby, there is another option.

Another major concern might be fire, but the tightly compressed straw bales would burn very slowly, said Bruce Glenn, a designer and builder of straw-bale homes.

Smaller two-string bales yield up to R-32. Properly compressed straw bales are fire-resistant. Enough air pockets remain to create the high insulation value but not enough to sustain rapid combustion.