The Hidden Treasure of Earthship Homes
How eco-friendly houses are taking the spotlight of off-grid living
By Dani Csaszar, Online Editorial Assistant
The desire to go off-grid living has become more popular in recent years. With the feeling of impending doom for our planet, the only people we can truly depend upon are ourselves, making it most beneficial to learn how to be as self-sustaining as possible. With these new possibilities for more eco-friendly living, one of the biggest challenges is finding a home that is environmentally friendly. Fortunately, new developments in architecture are opening doorways for these ideals of living.
Earthship homes are a type of architectural structure, more specifically a passive solar house, made of both natural and recycled materials. They are actually thermal mass homes first, because the house interacts only with the sun and earth for heating, cooling and providing comfort for all year round (Earthships - Pangea Design | Build, n.d.). Earthships can be partially or totally off-grid, and provide a bohemian-chic interior for outdoorsy, open-minded people. Most off-grid homes or communities are in places where nature plays an important part in their everyday lives. (Treehugger, 2017).
The ring-leader of this architectural concept is Michael Reynolds, founding Earthship Biotecture in the 1970s, Reynolds wanted three things to have in a home (Earthship Biotecture, n.d.):
The ability to utilize sustainable architecture. The materials used for the home should be indigenous to the local area and use recycled materials whenever possible.
The home should rely on natural energy, making them independent from other centralized buildings that use “the grid.”
Feasible for a person to build with no specialized skill in construction.
Reynolds's inspiration for the creation of Earthship homes was inspired by television news stories about the lack of affordable housing in the United States (Earthship Global). Reynolds is the founder of Earthship Biotecture, a construction company that specializes in designing and building Earthship homes (What is Earthship?, n.d.).
With the versatility and accessibility of this architecture, Earthships are located around the world. These homes are able to withstand any climate and still be able to provide electricity, potable water and sustainable food production (Earthships - Pangea Design | Build, n.d.). There are Earthship homes in almost every state currently, and many countries in Europe and the UK are beginning to implement their own construction projects.
Earthships' ability to work in such a sustainable way is what makes them so unique. They implement multiple forms of sustainable food, water and energy production that are healthy for the environment. For water, catch water treatment is most commonly used, which involves collecting water from the sky (rain and snowmelt). The water then can be heated by the sun, which prevents the pollution of underground water aquifers. Earthships even have their own production of electricity with prepacked wire power systems called photovoltaics. Energy is stored in batteries and supplied into electrical outlets (Earthships - Pangea Design | Build, n.d.).
Food production comes from local and homegrown food, which creates the possibility for interior greenhouses. With the ability of indoor thermal heating, Earthships are able to withstand interior greenhouses for the purpose of growing your own food. The concept of solar gazing involves the whole front of the home structure to allow the sun to heat the floors and walls (Earthship Biotecture). This thermal industrialization brings opportunities for in-home grown food, giving control over what you grow and how it is maintained.
The costs and timing of producing these homes are much different than the production of a conventional one. For a typical two bedroom, one bathroom, it takes about four months with experienced Earthship construction crews (Earthships - Pangea Design | Build, n.d.). Without an experienced crew, timing can range anywhere from six months to two or more years. Either way, you do not need professional construction experience in order to build this home, but doing it as an independent contractor can require years of research and implementation.
The most commonly used way to build insulation in these homes is by packing tires, anywhere from 700 to 1,500, depending on the size and style you are building. Other materials such as concrete, stone and adobe can make this home for similar results, but tires are great materials for a solid thermos mass construction of recycled materials (Earthships - Pangea Design | Build, n.d.). Tires are thereby the most efficient material for regulating the indoor temperature and making sure the home is able to follow three systems of water, electricity and climate.
What makes Earthships so reliable is that all systems have conventional backups. For example, using city water as an alternative to rainwater, if needed. Earthship systems can also be added to existing conventional buildings, whether as a renovation project or implementing new systems. The beauty of these up-and-coming ways of living is that these systems are extremely adaptable and can be revolutionized and incorporated into current systems of home architecture.
Earthships power systems give homeowners little to no utility bill, and cut off the use of fossil fuels completely. The physical way in which these homes are structured makes them less susceptible to natural disasters. Earthship homes have a positive impact on the environment just for the basic reason alone of using local, recycled materials. Earthships live in harmony with the outside environment and are freed from modern shelters who rely on centralized utilities (Environment-Ecology).
Earthships have gained a label as a home of the future based on environmental conservation capabilities and qualities of sustainable living that are extremely affordable and accessible. Living with sustainable “off-grid” systems enhances lives, and is a better investment than conventional buildings (Earthships - Pangea Design | Build, n.d.). Their compatibility with off-grid living reemphasizes the eco-friendly qualities of this way of living and how freeing and beautiful it can be to truly live off the land, in a more modernized and versatile way.
Sources:
Earthships - Pangea Design | Build. (n.d.). Pangea Builders.
Earthship Biotecture. (n.d.). Taos, New Mexico.
History — Earthship Biotecture Michael Reynolds. (n.d.). Earthship Biotecture.
What is Earthship? (n.d.). Environment - Ecology.
Twitty, A. (2021) Why More people are Going Off Grid Full Time. RealityBizNews.
Platt, J. (2017) Going off the Grid: Why More People are Choosing to Live Life Unplugged. Treehugger.