The Use of Plants for Building Purposes in the Popular Tradition

Designing, building and operating a “green” building means that it considerably reduces the negative impacts and increase the positive ones on the climate and the natural environment. Thanks to green buildings it is possible to preserve natural resources and improve the quality of people’s life. Ethnobotany is a science that describes the relationships between humans and plants, in particular by describing and analyzing the traditional uses that are made of them. In addition to the most common food, medicinal and religious uses, there are artisanal ones and in particular for building purposes. The main goal of this work is to present a synthesis of the traditional uses of plants as a building material, useful for constructing ecologically sustainable buildings. Among the most common species for this last purpose are two species belonging to the Poaceae family: Ampelodesmos mauritanicus (Mauritania grass) and Arundo donax (giant reed). These species have very strong fibres and a high potential in carbon sequestration too: therefore, in addition to representing a valid natural resource that can be re-evaluated in modern and more technological terms, they could guarantee a valid aid for the abatement of greenhouse gases. Even ethnobotany, therefore, can actively contribute to determining environmental policy choices that guarantee an effective fight against climate change.