Great topic. This is one of the most important issues we all should be discussing and sharing ideas on.I am clearing out of sips even though I can recognize the upsides such as fast enclosure and good "conventional" insulator. Way to many downsides such as waste stream, toxicity in manufacture and off-gassing, and non-localized construction.
I am a big proponent of the "alternative" enclosure systems. Straw-bale is my personal favorite, but woodchip and clay and others can also work well. It's also important to remember to research the design and implementation of alternative methods of construction as they can seem deceptively simple.
For our next project we are fabricating panels that are essentially basket walls with dense pack cellulose to 4.2 lbs per sq/ft. The basket walls which are common to the wood-chip and clay as well as other alternative methods deals with the thermal bridging aspect of insulation value without wrapping the entire exterior in foamboard(which would kind of defeat the purpose). The cellulose is post industrial(not post-consumer) and is non-toxic.
I am going in this direction to try and do my small part to bring well insulated and airtight homes to a broad market. I applaud and encourage all who continue in the alternative enclosure field but feel that there can be a danger in sacrificing the worthy when holding out for the ideal.
I am looking for ideas and knowledge in connecting electrical in panel systems(with minimal or no chasing) and non-toxic alternatives to standard construction materials.