The Earthship Concept
What is it all about?
The Earthship Concept has been described in many ways, from houses built from garbage to pure genius! However, it is really more about a concept for living not just the types of materials one can use to build a house. It is the brainchild of Architect / Biotech Michael Reynolds; Mr. Reynolds has been developing means for sustainable living since early 1970 in Taos, NM. Over that past 30+ years, he has developed a low tech method of building that is sustainable in just about every sense, from low impact materials to a stress free life style. All Earthships are inherently designed for functioning Off-Grid and have been built all over the world in just about every type of climate.
The Earthship Concept has been described in many ways, from houses built from garbage to pure genius! However, it is really more about a concept for living not just the types of materials one can use to build a house. It is the brainchild of Architect / Biotech Michael Reynolds; Mr. Reynolds has been developing means for sustainable living since early 1970 in Taos, NM. Over that past 30+ years, he has developed a low tech method of building that is sustainable in just about every sense, from low impact materials to a stress free life style. All Earthships are inherently designed for functioning Off-Grid and have been built all over the world in just about every type of climate.
The 6 Principles that define an Earthship:
These links will open a new window and take you to more details found at the earthship.net website
Earthships have been constructed from used tires, bottles, cans, and cardboard just to name a few building materials. These materials are found in abundance as they are byproducts of our society and generally considered a waste problem. With little to no additional energy, the product's longevity is increased many fold by simply recycling them as building materials to provide sustainable housing and help clean up the planet. If using these types of low impact materials is not your cup of tea, an Earthship can be easily constructed using traditional materials as well.
Iowa alone generates 3 million waste tires per year (IA-DNR) and the recycling process requires additional energy be used.
This method provides a practical solution for low impact / low cost housing and reduces the depletion of resources.
