OT Sustainable Building Materials Clarified

[gardenbetty@earthlink.net]

Thanks to those of you who have offered your help in this matter. From some
responses it seeds I need to clarify my home-building intentions. (Sorry):

I hope to produce a home which is not only environmentally sound, sustainable,
beautiful and comfortable, but palatable to the more mainstream visitor we
might have. The general plan is to have lots of natural light, passive and
active solar energy and heat convection, non-toxic sustainable interior and
exterior materials, minimal use of metal, water catchment and greywater
filtration. We can also recycle materials from our old buildings.

The house will be strawbale, but beyond that, I am trying to assess the best
plastering, roofing, flooring, insulating materials, etc. I am
familiar/experienced with many types of sustainable building materials and am
pretty sure what is least impact, but I need hard numbers to produce a
convincing publication to give to visitors and regulators.

Thanks again in advance for your assistance. (--and the assistance many of you
have already offered:)
--
dawn 
aka gardenbetty

We will be known by the tracks we leave behind... —Dakota proverb