What do college students talk about with their roommates? Sex. Twenty years later, what do they talk about with their friends? And with the same gleam in their eyes? Real estate. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, Marjorie Garber joins us to talk about her new book "Sex and Real Estate – Why We Love Houses." Also, with apologies to the three little pigs, it turns out you can build a terrific house out of straw – or even paper: the latest in ecological home design.

Sarah Susanka is a practicing architect and author of "The Not-So-Big House" and "Creating the Not-So-Big House." She tells Jim Fleming houses ought to be built on a scale that reflects human needs and activities, and that a cozy house will be more comfortable than a palatial one. Also, Marjorie Garber teaches English at Harvard and is the author of many books, including most recently, "Sex and Real Estate: Why We Love Houses." She tells Anne Strainchamps that we use the same language to describe houses and potential life partners, and admits to attending open houses with no intention of buying.

Dan Chiras lives in a straw bale and rammed earth house in Evergreen, Colorado. He's the author of "The Natural House" and tells Steve Paulson about some of the alternative building materials you can use to construct an environmentally friendly house that's also beautiful. Also, Laura Chester tells Jim Fleming about her travels across America investigating worship spaces designed and built by the people who use them. She's written a book about them: "Holy Personal: Looking for Small Private Places of Worship."

Architect Samuel Mockbee is the founder and director of the Rural Studio at Auburn University. Rural Studio students design and build houses for some of the poorest people in one of the poorest places in America - Hale County, Alabama. Mockbee tells Steve Paulson how the program works, and describes some of the structures built and the materials used to make them. Their work in on view at www.ruralstudio.com.

Distribution dates:

• week of 02/25/2001 - hour 1