Earthships: An Off the grid dream home

Michael Reynolds. Based in New Mexico, his goal is to create self-sufficient, off-the-grid communities where design and function converge in eco-harmony. He uses discarded modern by-products found locally, and integrates them into construction materials that can be used to build a sustainable home.

Earthships can be custom built or purchased, just like typical real estate through an online network of individual sellers. These homes have been built worldwide and varying environments, highlighting the versatility of this concept.

Earthship Biotecture is described as:

Earthship n. 1. passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials 2. thermal mass construction for temperature stabilization. 3. renewable energy & integrated water systems make the Earthship an off-grid home with little to no utility bills.
Biotecture n. 1. the profession of designing buildings and environments with consideration for their sustainability. 2. A combination of biology and architecture.
To specifically design and build homes that…

• Heat and cool themselves naturally via solar/thermal dynamics.
• Collect their own power from the sun and wind.
• Harvest their own water from rain and snow melt.
• Contain and treat their own sewage on site.
• Produce a significant amount of food.
• Are constructed using the byproducts of modern society like cans, bottles and tires.

Highlights of Earthship homes include:

• 100% solar with battery backup that provides power for up to two weeks without a drop of sun.
• Maintains 70F internal temperature w/o any heating or cooling system whatsoever (solar gain and passive geothermal)
• Catchwater and cistern – requires 9 inches of rainfall per YEAR to provide adequate water for home use
• Massive room for indoor plants (grow bananas in Alaska), as well as greywater and blackwater for large outdoor gardens.
• Costs less and lasts longer than traditional housing

Find out more about this revolutionary building concept at Earthship.com

People have become more and more aware of the fact that we can’t keep wasting all the natural resources of Mother Earth because in the end they will be gone, so we must start looking for some other materials to use or, even better, to start re-using and recycling the ones we already have. This is how a few open-minded people started a “green project” called Earthship. This project promotes the building of eco homes of of recycled materials, especially empty plastic bottles and old car tyres. These make very good building materials, as they are sound proof and also temperature insulating.

Used car tyres are filled with earth and then used as building materials, being the “bricks” used in building the foundation and walls of these eco homes. And, of course, you cannot connect to the normal electricity supplies if you have an eco home, so you’d better use solar panels or wind energy instead.The project was designed by Earthship Biotecture in Taos, New Mexico, USA, nut now you can find these homes all over the world.

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