99 reasons why earthships are fuc!*ing awesome: Part #4 Reasons 31-40
Earthship Biotecture has to be one of the least understood sustainable building and living models around. This is not least because they offer SO many benefits that it is hard to even know them all, let alone explain them all! Let it be said that an Earthship can stay at a comfortable climate at even -20 Celsius or 40 Celsius with no power requirements for heating or cooling systems. The systems of an earthship encounter the forces of nature, mainly the sun, rain, and wind, and funnels them into your home to provide everything you need to live comfortably with annual utility bills of around $200 or less.
I have been inspired to write this in sections, with you all, and once it is completed I will be compiling it into a single digital and paperback book available to all to learn and be inspired. So without further ado, here is the fourth part of my 101 reasons why Earthship are fuc!*ing awesome! I’m so curious to see if i start to run out of reasons before the end, or if they just keep coming... let's see!
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!
Phewph! im almost half way!, I still haven't had to do ANY Googling yet but I have to admit im having to start to try now!
So HOPEFULLY I'm going to be able to find another 61 reasons!
MUST WATCH VIDEOS
Earthship Underground House Tour- Sustainable and Net Zero Living...
Derek "Deek" Diedricksen visits an Earthship (the architectural brainchild of Michael Reynolds) in Taos, New Mexico. The particular model, like many others, features earth berm air intakes, a water recycling system for its grey water, and the luxury of two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and even a two car garage! Ashley Turin gives us a full out tour of this, one of the newest Earthship builds on the Taos compound. This sustainable and passive solar home just may give you a few ideas for your own future designs.
WATCH THIS TO SEE AND UNDERSTAND THE GLOBAL MODEL IN ACTION
WITH GREAT EXPLANATIONS
MEET A COUPLE WHO ARE NOW LIVING FREE. THIS VIDEO SAYS IT ALL!
BE INSPIRED AND SEE THE TRUTH OF WHAT FREEDOM LOOKS LIKE!
Super Efficient Off-Grid Earthship Built for Early Retirement Plan
PREVIOUS PARTS
Final Earthship Seminar Transcription Table Of Contents: + Incredible Earthship Video To Truly Educate and Inspire.
Living off-grid in an Earthship home is about many things. It is not just an ethical choice or a building type choice, it is also a lifestyle choice. When you start to live off-grid, and self-sufficiently, you embark on a break out from the matrix/zeitgeist. You start to unplug yourself from the normal, dependent, vulnerable, and highly controlled way of life that many people are used to in cities and highly developed countries. When you are truly self-sufficient and out of debt you take away some of the main sources of stress: buying food, paying the bills, covering the mortgage or rent, and needing to work full-time to allow this to continue. We can also look at environmental issues and great need to build smarter and in a more connected way, especially in the face of climate change. Our global population is rising and with it the poverty level and inequality of wealth in all forms. To compound this issue, the cost of living is also hurtling up! We are moving toward a very unsafe and unsustainable future if we continue to build and live in the same way that we have been doing.
Did you know, I built four Earthships in India as well as being instrumental the creation of the first Earthship in the UK, Earthship Brighton. If you are also on this path and would like to read my story, I have recently published a book. It is not only a great story, but a valuable resource for you to learn from. I had no experience or training when I embarked on my mission, but managed to successfully build a gorgeous home called Earthship Karuna.
You can buy this book with Steem on the homesteaders co-op. Whilst you are there please do have a look at some of the other products as there are all kinds of great things there!
https://homesteaderscoop.com/product/earthship-chronicles-ebook/
If you don't have any Steem you can also buy the ebook and paperback on amazon.
http://mybook.to/Earthship-Chronicles
or
https://www.amazon.com/Earthship-Chronicles-sufficient-luxurious-experience-ebook/dp/B07MYCBXYB
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I thought the natural daylight was the big selling feature from this post but no.... it's #40. Holy Heck!! That's soooo cute and 2 weeks and I suddenly see eco holiday cabins and indigenous families having houses and a whole lot more....!!! I'm LOVING this series, BTW. More please!
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Thanks! Yes that is earthship ananda.. my first attempt at a tiny home on a shoe string budget.
Yes isnt she cute!! 1000 whiskey bottles in those walls! ;)
1000 bottles. I'm gonna need help drinking that much! LOL... Best come over for a visit... ;) I'd love to see a couple of posts about the Tiny Earthship - actually, a whole ebook. !! I know a great editor... ;)
Your wish is my command! Heres part 1
https://steemit.com/homesteading/@eco-alex/my-eco-build-workshop-challenge-build-a-tiny-earthship-in-2-weeks-on-a-usd3-000-budget-with-30-unskilled-volunteers
Heres the tie up which also includes 2 more workshops! Inc rishikesh yoga ashram
https://steemit.com/earthship/@eco-alex/a-compilation-of-all-my-eco-building-and-workshop-posts-on-steemit