- Posted by: Christopher Ahern
- Category: Architecture, Building, Environment, Material Alternatives, Material Scrap, Materials, Recycling, Salvage, bioplastic, material, material research, plastic, plastics, reclaim, recycle, residential
Low Cost Housing Made from Loofahs
If you think the humble loofah should only be used in the shower you’d be sorely mistaken. The current iteration of the loofah is actually derived from a cucumber-like vegetable (of the same name) that is dried to yield a scratchy sponge for cleaning. This seemingly simple crop is destined for more than the shower or sink and is now poised to greatly help poor communities across Paraguay. Thanks to the efforts of social activist Elsa Zaldívar, the loofah is transforming impoverished areas throughout Paraguay. Elsa discovered that the Loofah is an ideal cash crop and formed a collective of women to grow, harvest and sell the vegetable. Paraguay’s organically grown and harvested loofahs now boast an environmental and competitive advantage over many plantation-grown loofahs from China and other countries and provide a necessary source of income and opportunity to the people of Paraguay.
Not only has the loofah been able to bring in money for those that grow it, the loofah is now helping to address Paraguay’s housing problem as well. Working with industrial engineers, Elsa Zaldivar has combined readily available waste from the loofah with plastic waste to form strong, lightweight building panels. The panels can be used to create furniture and construct houses, insulating occupants from temperature and noise. This innovation addresses a real need in Paraguay, as around 300,000 Paraguayan families lack adequate housing. When the panels break or fall apart they can easily be broken down and recycled back into new panels, greatly easing the demand for wood in Paraguay’s over-harvested forests. Because of Elsa’s inspiring work she was awarded a Rolex Award for the creation of a low cost housing material. Rolex is now partially funding her effort and Elsa hopes to provide her sustainable and low cost housing throughout all of Paraguay.
To find out more click here
Related Posts
The Box Office
Get thee Building Materials to a Reclamation Center!
How to Make a Home Out of Shipping Containers
Reusing one Tree at a Time
How ZO_loft Brings New Thinking to Portable Shelter Design
on December 23rd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Build more quality homes faster better for less with moladi plastic shutter formwork construction system – http://www.moladi.net
Contact us to see if your mix (loofah) will work with moladi.
on July 14th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
This is a really cool idea. Something that helps others, saves the forest and helps our environment. So neat, glad I saw this today.