Some of you may have noticed this series come out in parts. I'm sure it was hard to catch them all, and if there is one series that needs a compilation it is this one! This post will now make up the content of my second book, that is now close to completion! I will be looking for a publisher very shortly, and hope to avoid using the dreaded Amazon and their centralised model of commerce.. which can be hard to do as these behemoths get bigger and more powerful. So, if any of you know of a good ethical publisher who covers ecological themes I'd love to hear from you!

This book is also a fundraiser for my gift-economy community project! If it does well, it will speed up the process of buying land so I can then look at getting a group of people together who want to be a part of this new paradigm. With that said, here is the full list of 99 Reasons Why I have spent the last 21 years of my life almost totally devoted and directed at promoting Earthship Biotecture

 

1. Earthship Biotecture really is a movement

More than simply an approach to sustainable building, Biotecture is our answer to the capitalist system, and the only option for us to be able to step out of the rat race and just live our lives. As more and more people step out of the modern paradigm of life, a movement is starting to happen as people band together to help each other Jump into a whole new self sufficient world.

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2. There is no other building model that can deliver a negative carbon footprint, even in hot or cold climates.

This is due to the incredible amount of thermal mass from the tyre walls, the 5 foot thick earth-berm behind the house, a totally sealed building, a greenhouse on the front side to buffer the inside and outside temperatures, orienting the building south to pick up most solar gain (sunshine), stable and cool underground temperatures are used to naturally cool incoming air in hot climates with no use of power or moving parts. The carbon footprint becomes more negative as you reuse waste in the build, and use of renewable energies such as solar power that can feed back into the grid if you live near one.

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3. Heat your living space just with your laptop or even body heat

Even your own body heat is enough to bring the room temperature up to 22 degrees, even on freezing cold nights. This is because earthship are so well sealed and insulated, and then heated naturally from the high thermal mass walls.

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4. Virtually No Bills, Period.

Relieving yourself from the burden of bills just to survive is one of the tenants of Biotecture. Keeping warm in winter or cool in summer is no longer an issue or concern because an earthship will do this for you. Earthships are autonomous homes that will provide power, water, water heating, and some food production indefinitely with no cost.

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5. Virtually Zero maintenance.

Most systems are designed to be low tech, low maintenance with no moving parts and as long a lifespan as possible. They are also designed to run autonomously. The main thing you need to do on a daily basis is open and close windows or curtains.

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6. A solution to a global waste problem, car tyres.

There are billions of used car tyres stored in toxic dumps around the whole planet. Some of them are so big that you would literally look like a pin in a huge mountain. When these dumps catch fire they cause a huge toxicity problem, and can not be put out. On the flip side, when a used tyre is used as a building brick as in Earthship Biotecture, you could not design a better brick suited to purpose, even if you spent 10 millions dollars trying to design one. It just so happens that car tyres make the absolute perfect building brick, and offer so many benefits... not least that they are also earthquake resistant, the foundation of the house, the heating system, the cooling system, are fireproof, and will last for thousands of years.

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7. Can be built anywhere

Earthships can be made using any kind of dirt or none compostable earth material. Earthships have been built with sand, sandy soil, clay rich soil, limestone, stones, and just about any other kind of dirt. If you can pound it into a tyre, it works!

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8. Reliable organic year round food production.

Earthships have botanical planter cells along the entire front of the home. These planters cells are part of the home, and protect the plants from the harsh outside climate. They tend to flourish and produce fruits and vegetables year round, and feed from waste grey water from the kitchen sink or shower and bath.

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9. Overcome water scarcity in any part of the world

Earthship can cope with just 8 inches of rainfall a year, even with dry spells that can last months! Since earthships reuse water 4 or even 5 times, they are extremely resource efficient. Toilet flushing is done with second hand water after treatment in botanical cells, and enough water for year round use is ensured by sizing your cisterns to store enough to get you through your longest periods without rain. It is simple math, and cisterns are usually built underground behind the home and buried and protected out of site. Water caught and stored in this way will stay clean indefinitely, and is treated before use using water filters.

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10. Becoming self sufficient and off-grid means you have true life long security for you and your family... for millenia to come!

It has been estimated that a tyre wall that has been plastered and sealed would last at least a few thousand years. There is almost no degradation of car tyres or compressed dirt, especially when they are thermally stable and screened from the air and light of the sun.

 

11. You don't have to nag anyone to switch off the lights anymore!

LED lights use a minimal amount of power, and you can barely notice the power consumption when they are on. When the batteries are full, which is most of the year, you can leave them on or off as you desire without having to worry about power bills racking up. It's free!

12. It's a waste to NOT have a hot shower or bath

When there is a tank of hot water heated up by the sun, it a shame not to use it. I have plenty of water from flowing rivers and that hot water will just cool down overnight, and recharge again in the morning when the sun rises. So, its almost a shame not to have a hot shower, since the water is already hot and ready to go!

13. Work because you want to, not because you have to

Since you have almost no utility bills or loans to pay, you don't need much money at all to live and survive comfortably. You could lose your job or income due to sudden job loss, or illness, or any number of reasons. If you find yourself suddenly without income you will be in a far less vulnerable position since you can still run your home and live and stay warm or cool. I have had this happen to me, and am very grateful to my Earthship for continuing to provide me with all I need to live very comfortably each and every day! Without the stress of paying bills you can choose the work you want to do, and the people you want to work with.

14. A stress free life means a happier and more vibrant life for you and your family.

Some of the main sources of stress are paying the bills and rent or mortgage, and working in job that you do not like, but have to do almost every day of your life. Being self sufficient is empowering, and gives you more choice as to what you do with your time. Not having to pay large bills each month means that you can live with much less stress, and can start to do more of the things you like. Ultimately, people who live in Earthships tend to be very happy!

15. Save money on grocery shopping

Earthships have botanical cells that are contained within greenhouse like buffer zones as part of the home. These buffer zones not only help to keep the inner home space warmer or cooler, but are the perfect climate to grow almost any kind of plants, vegetable and fruits year round. You can also extend this to the outside space around the home, and have self watered beds using waste sink and shower / tub water that has been pre treated by the treatment cells. You can grow so many things that will not only be cheaper but also tastier and reliably organic.

16. Earthquake resistant

Since Earthships don't have a concrete foundation, and the tyre walls are held together by gravity and not mortar, the walls can shake and wobble without any structural damage. In the event of an earthquake, an earthships skin may crack, but the heavy 90% compacted earth rammed tyres are able to move with the vibrations of the earth instead of trying to resist it.

17. Buy the cheapest land since you don’t need any infrastructure or level ground

You can build an earthship in a location that has no water supply, no power lines, no sewage pipes, or any other municipal connections. You just need any kind of access, even on steep and unstable slopes. These are places that traditional builds can not work with since it is too expensive to bring all these centralised systems to a new site. Theretofore you can find land in some of the most beautiful places in the world, and build where no one else can. In Taos New Mexico, the land for the Reach Community was purchased for around $100 because no one thought it was possible to build on that very steep mountain slope.

18. Low Tech means you can build it yourself

The entire approach of Earthship Biotecture is low tech in both theory and practice. You don’t need sophisticated tools or skill set to build one. Most of the thinking has been done for you, as the Global Model and now the new Encounter model are demonstrating. If you follow the basic rules outlined in the books Earthship Volumes 1-3, you can safely build a very strong and permanent home with very minimal skilled labour support. In particular the finishing stages can be almost exclusively done by yourself, and this can be a very costly part of any build.

19. Adaptable to almost any climate

The global model has been developed to suit climates that are either incredibly hot or incredibly cold. This global model needs tweaking to suit any new build, it is not a static plan but instead a foundation with which to work with. The most important rules for function are built into the Global Model, and from that you can adjust some of the parameters to suite your climate. The places where Earthships are hardest to keep warm without additional heating are where there is little to no sun and the temperatures get very low. In these cases Earthships are still the best option in terms of performance but may require a good wood burning stove or other heating solution to keep temperatures up.

20. Earthships are designed down for power. This means that you can use a minimal solar power setup and have enough for all your daily needs, even in countries with minimal sun!

Most conventional homes require many kilowatts of power to run them. Since Earthships are designed down it means that they can do the same thing, if not better, using little or even no power or resources such as water. Water is heated by the sun, power is stored and delivered by photovoltaics, and all the appliances that are used in the home are selected for low power consumption. This means using a laptop instead of a desktop computer, using a cordless vacuum cleaner instead of a plug in model, it means using LED lights and 5* Energy Efficient Fridges. An Earthship that is designed down can draw just a few hundreds watts of power to run itself, which is around 10 times less than conventional homes. This means you can get by with 10 x less solar power demand and expense.

21. Incredible Soundproofing

If you want to make some noise, and not disturb or be heard, do it behind a tyre wall that is buried in the earth with soundproofed triple glazed glass. The same also goes for not being disturbed by outside noise.. although this is less common since Earthships are normally built in rural areas without much noise pollution.

22. Versatile

Earthships can not only be built almost anywhere in the world, but can also utilise almost any kind of local materials and resources for the build. The main materials by weight are dirt and tyres, both of which are ubiquitous around the entire planet. Tyres can also be rammed with any kind of dirt, soil, sand, etc. which means you can build with whatever ground you have without having to test or buy the right kind of soil, e.g. clay. The final look and feel is totally up to you, your imagination is the limit!

23. Know what it really means to live in harmony with nature

It's only really when you live with the elements of nature that you start to ebb and flow with them. When it is sunny we know that we have more power, and we adjust our lives around that, e.g. a sunny day is a great time to catch up on dirty laundry. When it is very dry we may take a shower instead of a bath. It also goes much deeper than that. I will never forget the first time I charged my phone from an Earthship in the Reach Community. That feeling will stay with me forever, knowing that this energy was so direct, literally flowing in from the sun and right into my phone. Knowing that this energy was just the same, just as good, but without any of the very many negative effects of a centralised power grid.

24. Encourage LONGEVITY

Living without stress, in an environment of natural abundance, surrounded by people who may be living in the same way is a very special thing. When we have the time and space to just be with our immediate world, and enjoy life, our creativity and inspiration start to blossom. Our lives become rich and spontaneous. We don't need to sacrifice our lives to pay bills and mortgages, and very quickly realise that we don't need anything more than we already have to be happy.

25. Ideal natural environment for cellular oxygenation and natural healing. i.e. people with chronic illness or to PREVENT chronic illness

Living with plants is well known to improve the air quality, and if you select the right plants you can make a significant improvement to the air in an earthship home. Removing toxins from our air has never been more important, and using plants instead of high tech power sucking air filter machines is a perfect example of Biotecture at its best. No machine will ever clean the air as well or reliably as a plant can, period!

26. A less electronically disturbed and more grounded natural environment

Earthships are incredibly well grounded, and have no concreted foundation. I have tested the electrical charge in my own body using a grounding kit, and my internal Voltage drops to 0.0 Volts the moment I touch the floor or the walls. In this world of extreme EMF radiation it is important to ground and discharge these energies to stay energetically balanced and healthy.

27. Creating a shift to a new global paradigm. i.e. from being the problem to being a part of the solution

There is more than enough resources and power for everyone. The only issue we have today is that capitalism has no ethics and no holes barred. This means that some of the most essential aspects of life, such as health care, water, power, food etc.. have all been centralized and commercialised to such an extent that many can not afford the very basics of life. Centralization is greatest destroyer of all things sacred; as much as 70% of our fresh produce is wasted for no good reason, whilst the majority of the world struggle to afford to eat. The elderly are forced to live in freezing cold homes during winter, simply because the power bill would be too much to turn the heating up. The sustenance of people should not be subject to an economy. People should have shelter, water, food, and energy, regardless of economy.

28. Re-green barren areas of land around your home to create a virtual oasis

Since water treatment happens outside in dry areas, you can have large beds that will blossom and flourish in the nutrient rich grey water. These outdoor beds feed automatically, by gravity, from the overflow of the indoor botanical cells. These give an initial clean up before being routed outside for further treatment and release back to the land.

29. Live in a community of like minded people and foster deep full-filing relationships that are not based on acquisition or personal gain

Earthships lend themselves to community living because a community will not be burdened with having to pay bills to run it. This means that there is much less need to work and earn too much money, and you end up having far more time on your hands. When your neighbour also has this freedom, and the whole community does, wonderful things start to happen, and we can then witness human nature express itself without the pressures and stresses of the centralised system.

30. Protect yourself and your food from extreme weather and climate change

Extreme weather is on the rise, and the storms are getting bigger and stronger. Earthships are one of the most robust building models, and are usually bermed into the ground, giving it a very aerodynamic profile to the wind when compared to a normal sticking out house. Also just the shape and slope of the front facing glass windows and kicker will cause wind to fly over your home instead of into it. I you grow your food in botanical cells, they will also be protected as part of the home, and so your food production is also safe. You will also not have issues with power cuts, or other disruptions that can and do happen in cities around the world during and after fairly regular storms.

31. Power efficient. Earthships can run on just 1KW, 10 x less than a conventional home

Since Earthships are designed down, it means that every element of every system has been chosen to work efficiently and in harmony with other systems. Since Earthships heat water with the Sun, don’t have inefficient appliances, and can heat and cool themselves without any power, they are able to run on a minimal amount of Solar power. Solar power works best in an earthship because of this low demand, and I am able to run my home with only slight adjustments to my behaviour even on very cloudy days.

32. Anyone of any age can help you to build one.

I have personally had volunteers from as young as 6 years old and as old as 72! Everyone has a way to help, and it is so easy to teach by demonstration.

33. Get pure water from the rain rather than dwindling polluted underground wells

Ground water levels are only decreasing in most parts of the world, and the water itself is becoming more toxic as we pour ever more chemicals and pesticides into our land and rivers. Rain water is the best solution to avoid most of the toxins found in ground water, and it can be stored safely for many many months in underground cisterns.

34. Re-use glass bottles to create a beautiful stained glass window or even wall!

One of the common design features of an Earthship is the use of discarded glass bottles to create bathroom walls and other partition walls within the home. They are very easy to make, and you can design your own patterns and shapes with just about any colours that you desire. The added benefit is that the bottles replace about 50% of the cement or plaster that you would otherwise use, and also means that the glass bottles are re-purposed instead of recycling them which has a much higher carbon footprint.

35. Have your home filled with natural light during the day time

Since Earthships are glazed along the entire length of the home, and are designed to let light into the very back wall, you will find that during the day you never need lights, and can enjoy the natural light of the sun. As I'm sure you will agree, no light build compares to natural light in any room!

36. Earthships walls are Fireproof!

It has been discovered that earth rammed plastered walls do not burn, even in a house fire situation. This is because the tyres are entombed in the wall due to the huge amount of compressed dirt inside of them. The final plastering on top of the tyres means that they are not exposed to air or oxygen, and the heat simply dissipates into the high thermal mass earthen walls. In the event of a fire, you will need to re-plaster the walls, but there will be no structural damage.

37. Treat black water locally using reed plant beds instead of toxic chemicals like chlorine

Your toilet water is sent to a digester that lives in or near your greenhouse, and sends the effluent to black water botanical treatment cells. The plants in these cells clean up the sewage and convert the black water into grey water. This grey water is then sent outside (it may also be located outside in dry climates), to grey water treatment plants which create a green space around your home.

38. Have a regular flush toilet even in dry climates using waste grey water

It is possible to have a flush toilet even in areas with just 8 inches of rainfall per year! This is because Earthships flush the toilet using grey water from the kitchen sink and shower that has been partially treated in the greenhouse botanical cells. The water is pumped by a DC pump when you flush to refill it. This is why the bathroom is normally near the greenhouse, so that the plumbing and pipes can be easily installed with good flow gradients and minimal pump requirements.

39. Biotecture really is a movement, more than simply an approach to sustainable building

It is our answer to capitalism system, and the only option for us to be able to step out of the rat race and just live our lives. I have lived in an earthship for 12 years, and luckily for me I have almost no monthly bills whatsoever. Despite that I have more power than I can use via solar panels, boiling hot water for a solar powered jacuzzi with water heated by the sun, plants and food growing from grey water botanical cells both inside and outside the house. I am comfortable in summer and winter time and don’t even need to turn the fireplace on year round.. The Earthship just encounters all the forces of nature and stores and funnels them right into my home, with nothing to do or maintain on my part.

40. A tiny Earthship home can be built with just 400 re-used car tyres

Building small has so many benefits, and 400 tyres is a relatively small number to pound with a team of 5-10 people. You could easily finish in 2-4 weeks depending on the team, which is not much considering this is your foundation, load bearing walls, heating and cooling system for life, and the ultimate protection from the elements. In the image above we completed this tiny earthship with 15 unskilled volunteers working half the day in just under 2 weeks

41. Create sculpted walls using mud and re-used cans or plastic bottles

The use of cans and bottles not only remove a waste source from the environment, but also allow you to form partition walls, decorative walls, and even staircases! You quite literally can sculpt the finishing features of your home to your hearts desire!

42. Reusing / Recycling Waste. Finally find a use for all those old glass bottles!

Many people hold on to hundreds of glass bottles because they are too good to throw away. I have never seen a better use than as a beautiful stained glass wall in the bathroom, or around a window to add colour and vibrancy. It is easy to do, and you can use them with cob or cement depending on the situation.

43. Earthships Use Water 4 times

Earthships can cope with minimal rain because they use the water up to four times. First in the shower, second in the botanical cell, third in the toilet to flush, and fourth in the outdoor reed planters to create an outdoor oasis, even in the desert!

44. Vast Water Storage. Store 50,000+ litres of rain water in underground cisterns

It doesn’t take much rain to fill up large cisterns, especially because every drop of water that hits your roof will be filtered and funnelled into these buried cisterns. One heavy rainfall could fill your tanks up on a wet week, and that could last you weeks or even months if you need! Many people in very dry areas create larger cisterns, so that when the rain does come you can never have to lose any from overflowing cisterns.

45. Clean water with no chemicals. Drinking water is filtered using mesh filter systems for reliable non toxic water

Whilst rainwater is already very clean when compared to most tap water around the world, it does need a little polish up so its safe to drink. There is no shortage of choice for water filters, and the Earthship Biotecture Water Organising Module filter uses a low power DC pump to drive the entire system, on demand. Having reliably clean water is important, and often hard to find. You can not see toxins in tap water, or even bottled water and so there is no safer way than to be in control of your resources.

46. Layered Thinking

Every system and detail of an Earthship is designed to interact with the other systems in a positive manner. As you think about sewage you're also thinking about electricity. As you think about water you're also thinking about sewage. As you think about water sewage and electricity you're also thinking about structure! This is critical to Biotecture and sustainable building in general. Layered thinking is the cornerstone of efficient planning and design. It is a way of thinking and is the reason why Earthship Karuna for example consumes only 150 Watts during the day on average, which includes my fridge, laptop and anything else that is needed to run the house! That is also why, despite it being a very cloudy day I am still able to avoid any power cuts and carry on as normal.

47. Be in control of your life

Being in control of your resources, and the quality of those resources is necessary for real security. Being in control of your life means being self sufficient, especially when resources are being sold to us at extremely high prices. Earthships put you in control of you life in so many ways, because we can always trust the sun will shine and at some point the rain will fall.

48. Solar Hot Water. Easily get 250-500 litres of boiling hot water from the sun most days for free

Solar water heaters are very good at heating up a lot of water with even just a bit of sun. Even on cloudy days there is enough sun to heat up the water to piping hot, and it all happens seamlessly and with no maintenance. A solar water heater is one of the cheapest systems, with prices from around $250 upwards. They will provide decades of hot water at no further cost!

49. Fully Automated Home. Almost all systems are completely automated, sit back and enjoy!

You might think that all these systems take a lot of maintenance, or that you have many things to do to keep this machine running. This is not the case. Earthship in general run all by themselves in most respects. The main things you need to do are open and close windows, check filters once a month and maybe clean them, put some water in the batteries every few months, give the solar panels a clean! Other than you really can just let your home look after you. Those days of chopping wood to stay warm in winter are over with Earthships.

50. Planning approval in every continent and dozens of countries worldwide

Earthships have been built to meet domestic building regulations in most parts of the world. This includes USA, Canada, England, Scotland, Netherlands, Japan, Mexico, India, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, France, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Fiji, Indonesia, and China!

51. They are the best performing home in existence

You can look at cob, earthbag, concrete, wood, and even stone houses but nothing compares to the performance of Earthships on just about anything. Every other approach requires heating or cooling systems to keep the temperature stable. I have never heard of any other building using water four times. When we look around we can find many elements of Biotecture in different buildings, but it is only with Biotecture that we take ALL the elements and bring them together under one roof.

52. Earthships have redefined what a home means

Peoples expectations of what a home should provide have traditionally been very low. We have come to expect that we should put huge amounts of power into them to make them function. We have gotten used to dumping our rain water from the roof into municipal gutters and sewage systems. We accept that we have to work in any job we can get in order to pay the bills for the things that an Earthships can provide for free for a lifetime.

53. Can be used to rebuild homes and provide clean water and power after natural disasters such as storms or tsunamis

One example is the recovery work performed by Michael Reynolds in the Andaman Islands after the great tsunami devastated the region. Mike's team were able to build one small model home that could harvest clean rain water stored under the house, and gave them almost instant shelter and a way to survive whilst they rebuilt their villages.

54. They don't omit toxins or bad air into your home. Conventional homes are laden with toxins from things like paint

Conventional homes are laden down with toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that pollute the air from things like carpet, paint, and plastics. The air quality is also very poor due to either central heating or air conditioning systems, resulting in dry air or even a smoky living area from badly operated wood burning stoves.

55. Open spaces and curved walls means a natural and pleasing living environment

Living in a natural space that has more natural lines and curves make being at home a real joy! You can build and sculpt little cosy niches and shelves and little nooks in the walls, There are very few right angles in a u shaped room, and this gives you a feeling of space and freedom. Feeling like you are boxed in is not something that Earthship dwellers know about!

56. A Tiny Earthship can be built in two weeks!

Tiny homes are all the rage these days, and rightly so. I have personally built two small Earthship tiny homes in 14 days with the roof on (without finishing). This was accomplished with a team of 15 volunteers working at an easy pace in very challenging conditions and on just a few thousand dollars budget!

57. You can grow your own fish for food!

The temperature stable greenhouse of an Earthship is a perfect place to house fish in a small enclosed pond. It can source clean water from the water filter system, and provide clean toxic-free fish that you know do not contain mercury, radiation, or other poisons that are found in wild fish.

58. You can grow bananas year round!

You can grow bananas in locations that do not often yield fruit at all. Plants thrive so well in Earthships because they are under far less stress than they are outdoors. The Earthship protects them from large temperature fluctuations, wind and heavy rainfall as well as bugs and pests.

59. They can be built with volunteers.

Earthships lend themselves too well to self builds with volunteers because it is so low tech and simple that anyone can do it with minimal guidance. I have trained people without being able to speak their language just by demonstration. There are also so many people wanting to learn how to do this that it is very easy to find people who will be only too happy to come and help in exchange for learning how to build.

60. Because I've already found 60 reasons and each one of them is awesome!

I have to say, there are very few things that I could write 60 excellent reasons for so easily! Biotecture is a multi faceted approach that keeps delivering more benefits as it evolves.

61. Solar Power can run your entire home even on cloudy days.

In most parts of the world solar photovoltaic power is enough to meet all your power needs. In some very cloudy areas you may use vertical axis wind turbines to provide constant additional power. Since Earthships are designed down for power, drawing at least 10 times less power than a conventional home, you can run most of your appliances without having to think about it.

62. A community of Earthships can raise the water table of the area.

Since you will be sending grey and black water outdoors for final treatment you can plant trees and ground cover, and water them with nutrient rich water. If you have enough homes doing this in a small space, you will create enough shade and grass etc. to reduce water loss through evaporation and raise the water levels. This will have a positive feedback so that the more you grow, the higher the water table will be.

63. Sustainable Living does not mean going back to basics or sacrificing comfort.

Living off-grid doesn’t have to mean going back to the stone ages. Most Earthships are just as nice, if not nicer than most conventional homes, especially those that make use of the botanical planter cells. I have an avocado tree growing in the centre of my home! Since technology has advanced so much in recent years, you can run just about any appliance on Solar power. This includes a modern 5* energy efficient fridge / freezer which today can operate normally at just 50 watts.

64. Harvest water from the snow.

It is possible to use solar hot water heating to melt roof snow and have it drain into the cisterns as the rain does. This requires no power, and a simple matter of installing the water pipes around the roof during construction. As hot water passes through from the solar collector it will melt the snow and recirculate for re-heating.

65. Can be built and adapted to your local resources and climate

Earthships can make use of just about any local resource that you may have. That may be waste metal, aluminium cans, plastic bottles. In fact it is often wise to follow the use of local resources in general, as they are often the best tried and tested approach.

66. The basic global model plans are available at low cost or for free .

You can view and download dozens of global model plans that will need only slight modifications to your climate or location. These are available through basic Google searches and a few cheap books.

67. You can get a Mobile App to help you build one!

You can also now purchase the Earthship Mobile App that will give you many plan options all for just a few dollars. ANDROID | APPLE

68. The Earthship movement is motivated to solve many global issues and is not for profit.

The whole concept of Biotecture does not fit well into the normal commercial paradigm. That is to say the priorities are very different, and are aimed at comfort and quality rather than saving money and negating the actual needs of the people who live in it. Biotecture has bypassed the need for the capitalistic model, and is spreading around the world through its own merits. We are waking up to the need to take control of our lives, and our resources and more and more people just want to live without the pressures and strains of an unfulfilled money based life.

69. There are enough waste car tyres to build homes for us all. It is estimated that 3 billion tires will be to be sold globally every year.

This figure does not even include the billions of tyres that are already in landfills in every country of the world. The material are already there waiting for us to harvest and re-purpose them, and are either cheap, or free to use.

70. They are termite and bug proof.

A car tyre has a thick steel wire belts around the vulcanised rubber that you can see. That alone would stop any natural bug or even large animal from penetrating it. Nevertheless, even if a termite could chew its way through that, they would be greeted with 90% compacted dirt with no air spaces. It would be a very inhospitable environment as this dirt is compacted almost into stone and is around 1 foot wide at is minimum. It is safe to say that termites will never have issues with termites, ants, or other bug infestations in the walls.

71. Can be built on steep slopes to make multi-story homes.

Earthships are well suited to locations that would make a traditional approach difficult, if not impossible, without proper road access. In fact, if you have even a steep slop you can build with minimal excavation, and then step up with the slope to build the next level. In this way you can build an unlimited number of floors to one house that are connected by a staircase at the back. The Reach community in Taos, New Mexico was the first to do this and is now home to dozens of Earthships.

72. Can be scaled up to large community green buildings.

It is possible to use Biotecture to create a large sloping mega earthship that could within itself be a self sufficient community. It would be built on a large mound or hill that would allow for multiple and unlimited floors, with connecting corridors all being used as green house areas. The back north face that doesn’t get as much sun can be used to house most of the systems, storage, and areas that don't require natural light. You could also pioneer the use or large mirror arrays to reflect sun light back to the north side for food production.

73. Earthships offer us a solution to most of our current world problems.

As this 99 reasons has demonstrated already, this approach solves so many of our global issues, such as sustainable community living, an affordable self build option, life long security, no bills, protection from climate change, poverty etc..

74. They meet the Climate and Economic crisis head on.

With all aspects of our carbon footprint taken care of, that is to say the build itself as well as the lifestyle and ultra low carbon footprint of the people living in it for a lifetime. They re-purpose a huge waste issue, namely car tires, plastic bottles and other waste materials. They also take the issue of an economic meltdown by giving people independence of the economic system in order to live comfortably.

75. Tyre walls are bomb proof and stronger than a stone or reinforced concrete wall.

It has been said that if you drove a truck into a tyre wall, it would bounce off! The same can be said for a rocket or missile, I would imagine they would bounce right off! Even the most massive blast to a tire wall that is stabilised with a bond beam would simply cause it to shake and wobble, but it would not puncture or fall down. This reflects the earthquake resistance of a tyre wall. Since they are not bound together by mortar, but are held in place by gravity, they can not crack or break down in the way that concrete does. Once concrete cracks it is finished! Since tyre walls have SO much mass, at up to 100Kg per tyre, with the weight of many tonnes above it, it would take an enormous blast to shake one down. Also, if this tyre wall is bermed with 5 foot or earth in addition to the tyres you start to realise that there is no competition between them.

76. Your pets will be happy.

Pets love the warm, cosy, green and very protected environment of an Earthship. When you in the back side you feel safe like you do in a cave, and cats and dogs find that very reassuring. On the flip side, cats can be only too happy to defecate in your botanical cells rather than venture outdoors on a rainy day!

77. Tyres can be used to make huge permanent retaining walls.

The use of car tires is not limited to building your home. They are one of the very best, cheap, and quick ways to make permanent and even huge retaining walls. There is not much to compare to this approach versus a stone wall! As I have witnessed, tyre retaining walls can be put up in just a few days or a week, with minimal time since you don't need to compact them quite as much as you do in an Earthship wall. They do not move or subside, even in the heaviest rains and storms, and will last much longer than a stone wall without maintenance. You can plaster over this wall to create a natural looking edge which can overgrown with plants and grass to help bind the edge together.

78. You can create a successful Earthship community because there are almost zero running costs and bills.

One famous approach to a cashless society is the Kibbutz idea as demonstrated in many parts of Israel. It is fair to say that these communities struggle economically, and most of them have long ago had to ditch the idea of not needing money! They have bills to pay, and as a consequence the communities have become fragmented and generally don't have that community feel! Earthship Biotecture could succeed overcome this issue because the main problem is bills and overheads to run their power systems, Air Conditioning Units, etc.. A truly self sufficient community who don’t have to work externally to make money to keep things afloat will have time and less stress so that they can grow food and nurture the community instead.

79. They are still in an early stage of development in many countries, and so they will get even better!

Earthship Biotecture has been evolving since the 1970s. Every year the concept evolves, and widens its reach into new countries and climates. It takes time to build, test, and adapt this models in new climates. This is because the process itself is very difficult in the beginning, there are many legal and planning hurdles, and most importantly there are not yet that many people who are self building. Nevertheless, as each build happens, many people are exposed to it and are starting to learn and teach others. As people experiment and build for themselves in their own country we will learn how better to adapt them to suit.

uH oh! I have just discovered there is a limit to the size of a steem post! What to do, so the last 20 reasons are here to see

https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/99-reasons-why-earthships-are-fuc-ing-awesome-part-9-reasons-81-90

https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/99-reasons-why-earthships-are-fuc-ing-awesome-part-10-finale-reasons-91-99

I haven't used this word in a Very long time, but.. COWABUNGA! What a list! I hope you now understand Biotecture A Bit better, and maybe have been inspired to learn more. There is a very good movie that is quite new, and i have never linked to before. So if you want to really understand what this is all about then by the magic of Internet please enjoy the video below.

Don't Flush Your Freedom - Full Documentary HD (Sub Ita, Sub Fra) by Film&Clips