Who knows what an Earthship is? No, its not a ship that travels the earth, but they are as cool!! The definition of an earthship is “a type of passive solar house that is made of both natural and recycled materials such as earth-packed tires. I first heard of these a couple years ago when I designed a logo for a guy in Boulder trying to create an earthship village outside Colorado Springs.
So, when I read that the first earthship community started in Taos I was excited to visit and learn more. They are beautiful structures, most with greenhouses indoors, unique building materials and all off grid!!
The most interesting fact I learned was their use of water. The communities annual rainfall averages 7-8 inches, and they use that water 4 times over….
“Water is used in a conventional way such as bathing or washing dishes, except for the toilet. The water is used and cleaned a second time in interior botanical cells. The flush toilet is the third use of the water. After the toilet, the water is contained and treated, and used a fourth time in exterior botanical cells.”
Started by Michael Reynolds, founder of Earthship Biotecture, these houses are now just like any other, that you can get a mortgage like you would if you lived in the city. You can have your earthship built, or save money and build one yourself, as they come in kits to build your very own. There are earthship communities now all over the world with an academy to learn construction.
If you want to learn more here is a link to their site…cool stuff if your into sustainability and earth friendly building. I really just touched the surface of all these structures provide and can do for the earth!!
Last modified: June 16, 2016
