This is a great project – the straw bale house being built by researchers at the University of Bath a hop and a skip west of London. 
The straw bale house is called the balehaus@bath and has set out to demonstrate the effectiveness of smart design and the use of renewable materials to decrease a home’s carbon footprint.
Straw – Renewable & Insulating
Straw is exceptionally renewable and has excellent insulating properties so it is a very energy-efficient building material when considering both production and the operation of the home. Additionally, hay (straw) can generally be grown locally (in most places) so carbon emissions from transportation are reduced as well.
Panels Resists Fire
Flammability tests of the pre-fabricated panels showed that they resisted fire very well – 4 times as long as required. Read more about that here.
See for yourself. Here’s the image gallery and you will also see a link to the “straw cam” where you can watch some videos of the construction.
The house is about more than just the straw bales. Design and other factors are considered as well. This might be one of many great options researchers find to develop greener homes for a “carbon-neutral” future.