Looks like a structure I'd love to play in and maybe even spend an adventurous winter or two 'experiencing'...but would I consider as a viable option for long term living? At first looks, no way!
I gotta admit, after a several years of living with 'hippy communities' in the mountains, I harbor a degree of skepticism for much of the so-called "sustainable movement" currently expressed in today's contemporary societies, primarily within western cultures.
Here is a direct re-post defining what an Earthship is:
An Earthship is a type of passive solar house made of natural and recycled materials (such as earth-filled tires), designed and marketed by Earthship Biotecture of Taos, New Mexico. The term is a registered trademark of Michael Reynolds.
Earthships are primarily designed to work as autonomous buildings using thermal mass construction and natural cross ventilation assisted by thermal draught (Stack effect) to regulate indoor temperature. Earthships are generally off-the-grid homes, minimizing their reliance on public utilities and fossil fuels. Earthships are built to utilize the available local resources, especially energy from the sun. For example, windows on sun-facing walls admit lighting and heating, and the buildings are often horseshoe-shaped to maximize natural light and solar-gain during winter months. The thick, dense outer walls provide thermal mass that naturally regulates the interior temperature during both cold and hot outside temperatures.Other elements to note are that the homes are designed to create their own utilities such as:
Complete Water collection and recycling-
Climate stability
Electricity
Food Production
EarthShip Biotecture
"Radically Sustainable Buildings.
...the Earthship is the epitome of sustainable design and construction.
No part of sustainable living has been ignored in this ingenious building."
The Documentary
Though I was very hesitant to watch at first, I feel that I my perspective has increased for the better. This is a story of how a group of radical & defiant women and men, lead by a brilliant architect and visionary "hippy", went from building there own communities (based on a model of sustainability), getting shut-down almost entirely by local government, to regrouping and changing strategy in order to continue. A journey that ultimately forced them to become more sustainable, meaning, practicing an alternate living method that can co-exist in today's global standard and expectations. Further, they win credibility and the needed experience to pass their viable technology where it is needed around the world.Awesome.
They have since successfully applied their methods to many of the areas in the world that are experiencing some of the hardest consequences of the extreme climate in recent years.
Here is a video covering the current project opportunity in the Philippines post-Typhoon Yolanda
What are Earthships? -Wiki
Article- Permaculture Research Institute
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