As Polystyrene homes planned for Afghans explains, the same material used in disposable coffee cups could make cheap, well-insulated, earthquake-resistant homes for Afghanis:
Polystyrene foam is a great insulator. It keeps cool things cool, and hot things hot. And it is also resistant to moisture, mould and mildew.Mr Haddock uses the foam to make insulated building panels, which he says can endure extreme conditions.
We built our first house in 1984,” he said. “It was a 2,000 square foot house in Alaska, where we have the highest wind loads, the most earthquakes, and the heaviest snow loads.
“That house, I stayed in it the last two weeks, with my daughter. It’s performing perfectly, no problems with it, and we do have buildings all over the world, pretty much, and it sounds like we may be going to a lot of other places.”
The Federation of American Scientists wants to export Mr Haddock’s method to Afghanistan.
Of course, no one in Afghanistan currently produces polystyrene, but they do in nearby Pakistan.
(Hat tip to Boing Boing.)