The Last Straw

What The Last Straw does

The Last Straw is a privately held, Tucson, Arizona-based magazine and online publication founded in 1992 that serves as the leading English-language reference for natural building and alternative design. Its core product is a print and digital magazine covering construction techniques including straw bale, adobe, cob, hempcrete, light straw clay, rammed earth, and earthbag, alongside plaster systems, foundations, roofs, and finishing methods. The publication distributes a free monthly newsletter via Substack, operates a Discord community, and maintains social profiles on Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter, and Facebook, producing editorial coverage of projects and practitioners worldwide.

The business generates revenue through four primary streams: recurring magazine subscriptions (print and digital), one-time shop sales of current issues, archive issues, and merchandise through thelaststraw.org, membership programs providing content and community access, and donations and sponsorships that the organization describes as essential to covering operating costs. The publication serves a global audience of owner-builders, natural building professionals, and sustainability enthusiasts, and has published at least 77 issues as of 2026, maintaining continuous operation through a small editorial team following co-founder Matts Myhrman's passing in November 2024.

Name

The Last Straw

Legal name

The Last Straw

Website

https://thelaststraw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Last Straw is a Tucson-based magazine and online publication, founded in 1992, that covers natural building and alternative design methods (straw bale, adobe, cob, hempcrete) for a global audience of owner-builders, professionals, and sustainability enthusiasts, supported by subscriptions, memberships, shop sales, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural Building Publication

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

Keywords

• Natural building magazine
• Straw bale construction
• Alternative design publication
• Sustainable building methods
• Earthen building techniques

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: The Last Straw generates revenue through magazine subscriptions, offering both print and digital access to its publication covering natural building topics. Subscriptions provide ongoing access to issues, with current and archive issues available for purchase.
2. Shop Sales: Revenue from selling current and archive magazine issues, merchandise, and related products through the organization's e-commerce platform at thelaststraw.org/shop.
3. Memberships: The organization offers membership options that provide access to content, community features, and other member benefits. Membership supports the publication's ongoing operations.
4. Donations and Sponsorships: The Last Straw relies on donations and sponsorships from supporters to bridge the gap between subscription fees and operational costs. The organization describes this support as essential to keeping operations running.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Last Straw is a print and digital magazine publication focused on natural building and alternative design, published continuously since 1992. It sells magazine subscriptions, individual issues, digital archive products, and merchandise, covering topics including straw bale construction, adobe, cob, hempcrete, light straw clay, rammed earth, and earthbag building techniques.

Product overview

The Last Straw is a single-magazine publication focused on natural building and alternative design. The core offering is the print and digital magazine published since 1992, which covers topics including straw bale construction, earthen building, hempcrete, cob, light straw clay, and related sustainable building techniques. The publication is supplemented by a free monthly newsletter, membership programs, and archived digital products. The magazine serves as both an educational resource and community platform for natural building practitioners and enthusiasts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Last Straw Magazine The core print and digital magazine publication covering natural building and alternative design, featuring articles on straw bale construction, earthen building, hempcrete, cob, light straw clay, rammed earth, and related sustainable building techniques for owner-builders, architects, designers, and practitioners.
• Membership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Published Issue 77 in 2026, demonstrating continuous publication for over three decades

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Journal of Light Construction: Trade publication for residential building contractors with practitioner-focused editorial on building techniques, materials, and code compliance. Compares on subscription revenue model and professional construction audience, though scope is mainstream construction practice.
• Mother Earth News: Long-running subscription magazine covering homesteading, DIY building, renewable energy, and sustainable living. Compares to The Last Straw on subscription print-plus-digital model, sustainability audience overlap, and multi-decade editorial archive — though broader topic scope than the natural-building focus.
• Green Building Advisor: Online resource providing expert Q&A, articles, and building-science guidance on energy-efficient and high-performance construction. Overlaps with The Last Straw's sustainability and natural building audience and shares the mission of educating owner-builders and pros on non-mainstream methods.
• Fine Homebuilding: Trade publication for residential construction professionals covering building science, materials, and craft. Directly comparable on subscription print/digital distribution, professional practitioner audience, and project-focused editorial coverage, although its scope is mainstream construction rather than natural materials.
• Permaculture Magazine: UK-based print and digital publication covering permaculture design, sustainable building, and regenerative living. Highly comparable on niche sustainability editorial, subscription model, and owner-builder/DIY audience overlap, with strong relevance across The Last Straw's international readership in the UK and Europe.
• Shelter Publications (Lloyd Kahn): Shelter publishes books, the Shelter magazine, and online content on natural building, owner-built homes, and tiny dwellings — a near-identical niche to The Last Straw, founded around the same era with a similar small-team, community-driven print/digital model. Lloyd Kahn has been directly interviewed by The Last Straw, underscoring peer overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Taunton Press: Publishing company behind Fine Homebuilding, Fine Woodworking, and Threads — a portfolio of enthusiast trade titles for builders, makers, and craftspeople. Directly comparable trade-magazine publishing business model, though at much greater scale and across multiple titles rather than a single natural building niche.
• Dwell Magazine: Mainstream architecture and design magazine reaching a much broader audience on modern and sustainable residential design. Comparable subscription media model and interest in innovative building, though Dwell is significantly larger and oriented toward design aesthetics rather than natural materials.

Emerging players

• TreeHugger: Digital-first sustainability publication covering green building, low-carbon materials, and design. Audience and editorial overlap with The Last Straw's sustainability enthusiasts, but operates at much larger scale as a digital-only outlet rather than a niche print magazine.
• Make: Magazine: Print and digital publication and community platform covering DIY, makers, and hands-on building/fabrication projects. Peer overlap with The Last Straw in the owner-builder/DIY ethos, event-adjacent community model, and subscription publishing business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/the_laststraw_
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheLastStrawJournal
• Instagraminstagram.com/thelaststrawmagazine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-last-straw-journal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Last Straw