Editor's note: This post is part of a series. We'll be releasing one of Worldchanging ally Andy Lubershane's original comics each week until the end of the year. While many of the issues covered in the comics have been discussed on Worldchanging in the past, we hope that you'll be able to use this new medium in a different way … whether it's in your classroom, on your office wall, or to help explain ideas to friends and family.

This week's cartoon describes Straw Bale Homes. Straw bale is one of several leading renewable materials used in natural building. Made from mechanically compressed bales of straw, it offers flexible strength, a functional advantage that makes it a good choice for building in earthquake-prone areas. And the material, which holds pockets of air throughout, also supports energy-efficient passive heating and cooling systems. You can read more about building with straw bale in this Worldchanging Interview with architect Daniel Smith. Or read Sarah Rich's post about another new way to use straw for construction.

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Andy Lubershane researches, writes and cartoons about sustainability from his home in Boston. He can be reached at alubershane[at]gmail[dot]com.