From Guest Blogger Andre: A Beautiful New Way to Live Off Grid

Concern for the future of the planet is growing. Being a member of the world population amidst an ever teetering global economy and the seemingly infinite growth and effective weight of climate destruction can create an unparalleled pressure and fear of the future. For most of us, the problems have become clear. There is an ever growing mountain of evidence illustrating a dire picture of the future. For many, a shift has become detrimental, and the spirit of resourcefulness must span across all areas of our lifestyle if there is any intention of creating a happy, successful, sustainable future. When speaking in these realities, there has to be room for individual creature comforts as well as a truly positive consequence for the greater good. In order to create enough incentive to effect change, we have to accept the realities of the everyman and marry those with an ecofriendly lifestyle.

One of the best overall living solutions generated in response to large scale climate change and a progressively more desperate economy is to find a way towards self-sustainability. The idea of traditional homesteading isn’t suitable for some, however. There is now a growing industry devoted to innovative technology and building methods that create a negative carbon footprint while providing a lifestyle that is still imaginable, even incredibly desirable, for the average American citizen. One vicissitude worth mentioning is Earthships, which are one of the most practical as well as creative and well-rounded solutions currently in existence.

These incredible homes are created and designed by a New Mexico based company called Earthship Biotechture who has been developing them for more than 40 years. The revolution involved in this design, if it were to become large scale, could literally change everything. Earthships combine an eco-friendly, alternative building method with self-sustainable forms of power, sewage, and water, temperature control and integrated food in an extraordinary design capable of endless customization and more benefits for the owner than can be truly counted. In addition, because Earthships are built completely of recycled and natural materials, their construction leaves a negative carbon footprint. Earth ships are normally built with rammed earth tires.

There are over 2 billion scrap tires throughout the U.S. There are so many, in fact, that it is possible to be paid to take them away, which begins the building costs of an Earthship both environmentally and economically in the green. By using an alternative building method which essentially turns these old tires into bricks by filling them dirt and compacting it we can create a maintainable home encompassing any imaginable shape and size with the need for very little specialized knowledge about building or construction. This is truly something anyone could build. Not only does building with used tires provide all of these benefits, but they have also been shown to be fireproof as well as providing a load-bearing capacity much higher than that of conventional building. This method is also the key to the thermal control in an earth ship. By building with packed earth this way, one is easily able to maintain a comfortable temperature within the home year round, in nearly any climate, with very little or no fossil fuel use. This in itself is a truly amazing feat.

The project integrates some of the most resourceful systems known to date. Within a brilliant design, water is contained, stored, treated, and used a full four different times before being released back to the earth. After being captured on the roof, rainwater is channeled into underground cisterns where it is then gravity fed and processed through a pump and filter to wherever it is needed. After the water is used for conventional things like bathing or washing dishes, it is then pumped to the botanical cells which are providing food inside the home. Upon being filtered through the plants, the water is sent to the toilet, where it has no smell, and after flushing, is contained and treated before being used a fourth time in exterior botanical cells. Water is heated with the solar power system that is also incorporated into the home. This water system meets conventional code requirements and also provides independence from the grid. Earthships produce electricity through photovoltaic (solar) and wind power.

By using a POM, a power system designed by Earthship Biotech, the homes are generally designed with enough power resources to sustain themselves, but can also be connected grid-intertie if desired as a backup resource. By focusing on specific location factors during the building process, these power systems can be optimized, though they have been shown to function completely in nearly any location on the planet. One of the most interesting and unique aspects of this home design is the included food system. One of the fundamental concepts of Earthships is the gray water from conventional use being recycled and purified by feeding it into an indoor planter before being used to flush the toilet. Through this method, not only is an aesthetic environment created, but the plants within the home contribute to the health of the environment. Most importantly these indoor planters provide the ability to grow large amounts of organic food (enough to sustain one’s family) year round.Literally anything can be grown inside an Earthship with the proper attention, from common herbs to citrus trees.

The design possibilities for an earth ship are literally endless. Creativity is given a place to overflow through beautiful interior and exterior design. Perhaps the single most surprising fact about Earthships may be that overall they generally cost no more to design and build than a conventional home does. The benefits of being able to live independently and produce an incredible amount of food shared with all the sustainability aspects of an earth ship, and the knowledge that after completion there is the ability to truly provide security for yourself and your family can be something incredible in these times. It is projects small to large, from companies like Trailer Trash in Australia encouraging a resurgence in up cycling all the way up to projects like Earthship Biotech’s that must be the puzzle pieces of for a bright future. The shift in perception about the way we live is a requirement if we would like to continue to do so. This design is just one detailed example of many possibilities for the interested person. Off grid living is quickly becoming a necessary choice for true sustainability, and this concept has managed to develop a strong connection between living cohesively with nature and having all the comforts of modern society.