In the Kitchener-Southern Ontario area, a retrofitted century home and a Santa Fe Style Straw bale home, are among those welcoming visitors,together with close to 40 others across the province. A $10 passport (available on-line at www.naturalbuildingcoalition.ca) provides admission to as many places across the province as you can visit in the day.. Directions and other tour details are available at www.naturalbuildingcoalition.ca

This tour is the perfect opportunity to step right inside some natural buildings, see what they are like, and get honest feedbackfrom the owners about all aspects of their homes. Most structures feature other "green" technologies as well, including solar and wind electricity, composting toilets, earthen plasters, green roofs, natural finishes and more innovations.

Natural building may be the housing equivalent to the increasingly popular 100 mile diet–living in energy efficient homes and additions that are crafted from minimally processed, renewable and local materials. People choose naturalhomes for reasons ranging from energy efficiency, to the healthiness of the materials, to a desire forarchitecturally interesting and unique homes and additions.  There is an appeal for every interest and the demand continues to grow.

Captivated with the idea of strong, durable, super-insulated and beautiful homes that cost no more than conventional construction and which offer remarkable environmental benefits, more than 500 natural homes, offices, additions and even institutional buildings have been constructed in Ontario over the last several years. 

Source: Ontario Natural Building Coalition