Blog Action Day - the environment

Today, as part of Blog Action Day, bloggers around the planet are writing on the issue of the environment as it relates to their own area of interest. Uncle Wilco has a piece on the Shedblog about sustainable wood, green roofs, and renewable energy so I'd just like to put in a good green word for shedworking in terms of how it cuts out commuting and thus is carbon footprint-friendly. And if you're really keen on zero carbon construction, why not consider growing your own shed insulation. The Building Design site has this great article by Roderic Bunn extolling the advantages of hemp as a natural fibre insulation. Here's what he says:

"Hemp is a fast-growing plant that can be used for many purposes. More importantly, it can be used as the primary material in spray, compressed block or batt insulation for buildings. Like flax and lambswool, it is carbon neutral and able to significantly reduce a building’s embodied energy...Proponents of hemp insulation are keen to point out the carbon benefits of natural fibre insulation compared with synthetic materials. They also claim that lime hemp walls actively absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, raising the possibility of homes where the embodied energy of the fabric is better than zero carbon."