91¶ÌÊÓƵ

Sixteen students spent fall break helping build sustainable straw-bale homes in Moab, Utah. 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Center for Community Engaged Learning partnered with

the group Community Rebuilds to construct sustainable, lowcost, straw-bale housing. Community Rebuilds has constructed 22 homes in Utah, Colorado and on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona for low- and very low-income families.

Thick straw walls, covered in heavy layers of plaster, are energy efficient, safe and do particularly well in an arid climate. For stability and durability, the bales are reinforced with steel rods. Kyia Hill, president of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Environmental Ambassadors, helped organize the volunteer effort. She said, “Weber State has many sustainable initiatives because we want a better future.”