Imagine a self-sustaining dwelling that seems to have a life of its own—sheltering its inhabitants, providing food, supplying energy needs, and transforming waste. Are you in love yet? An Earthship is much more than a home; it’s an integration of harmonious systems akin to those in the human body.
Made largely of natural and recycled materials, Earthships have been more than forty years in the making. According to their creator Michael Reynolds, they can be built in any climate.
The need for heating and cooling in an Earthship is drastically reduced (or even eliminated) by the earth-bermed, passive solar design. The north side of a traditional earthship is constructed of stacked earth-filled tires, which are then earth-bermed. This significant amount of thermal mass keeps the interior temperature relatively stable. The tires are stacked in U shapes, each forming a room. Interior walls can also be constructed out of recycled material—cans in cement. The front of an Earthship is comprised of greenhouse windows with planters immediately inside. Planters serve a triple purpose—their vegetation cleanses the air; they provide growing space for food; and they serve as a greywater treatment system.
An Earthship’s roof is designed to collect water which is then channeled to a cistern. Once filtered, it is used four times:
- For regular household use, excluding the toilet.
- Passes through the interior botanical cells (planters).
- Flushes the toilet.
- Passes through to exterior botanical cells (outside plantings).
The exterior botanical cells are contained and work in concert with a conventional septic tank to satisfy many code requirements.
Part of the appeal of Earthships is that they can be owner-built. Although the process of filling and stacking tires is undeniably labor-intensive, it is relatively straightforward and does not require years of experience.
As with any basic housing design, an Earthship can be as sustainable as ingenuity and budget allow. Some homeowners are connected to the grid and have traditional drywall instead of can walls, while others stay more faithful to the original design.
This enthusiastic overview barely scratches the surface of all things Earthship. Ready to get your hands dirty? To learn more, visit http://www.earthship.net.
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