Biotecture - from Trash to Shelter 
Just think -- a house made of discarded garbage; used tires rammed with earth, soda bottle walls. And the cost to heat? $40 per month in the 'dead of winter'.
The brainchild of architect Michael Reynolds, earthships are truly the homes for the future.
An Earthship is a type of rammed-earth house, sort of a modern version of a Native American pueblo dwelling. It is a utopian type of passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials such as earth-filled tires.
The home is "bermed," meaning that dirt is gently placed, from ground to roof line, on the northern, eastern, and western sides of the home. The berm is about 15-20 feet deep. They’re much more than houses -- they provide shelter, heating, cooling, power, water and sewage. In these very tough economic times, there are people in America living very comfortably with a zero, yes, zero utility bill. They live in Earthships, beautiful homes made out of recycled tires and bottles, built completely off the grid.
Architect Michael Reynolds
The Earthship, as it exists today, began to take shape in the 1970s. Architect Mike Reynolds, founder of Earthship Biotecture, a company that designs Earthships, wanted to create a home that would be sustainable, rely on natural energy sources and be economically feasible for the average person with no specialized construction skills.
Eventually, Reynolds' vision took the form of the common U-shaped earth-filled tire homes seen today. As a concept, the Earthship was not limited to tires - any dense material with a potential for thermal mass, such as concrete, adobe, or stone could theoretically be used to create an Earthship. Unlike other materials, rammed-earth tires are more accessible to the average person. Scrap tires are ubiquitous around the world and easy to come by; there are an estimated 2 billion tires throughout the United States.
Michael Reynold's newest brainchild is the "Volkshome" . Volkshomes are smaller earthships, about 1,000 square feet of usable space and are made of earth, wood, and pumice blocks.
Interview with Michael Reynolds
Walls of discarded bottles allow light to filter into rooms
Wintertime temperatures reach a low of about 50°F at dawn, but rise to around 70° by 8:00 a.m. . . . Monthly utility costs normall consist of a "whopping" $40 electrical bill . . .
Really isn't it a great thought to live a more eco-friendly way of life. Just some regular and easy steps to start your own way by harvesting rain water, or producing hot water from solar power also you could even generate your own electricity so that you can live an independent 'off-grid' life in an eco-friendly-house.
http://www.greenliving9.com/eco-friendly-houses.html
Posted by: jade smith | Tuesday, November 02, 2010 at 02:40 AM
Leiolani, You make a great point about the financial aspects of earthships in alleviating the housing shortages. Great point! ~ Nancy Mehegan, co-founder Vaboomer
Posted by: Nancy Mehegan | Friday, December 04, 2009 at 07:29 AM
We send our Aloha & deepest respect to you, your ohana (family) & any association that focus on eco-friendly projects that help the environment & educate the children.
I live in Hawaii & saw a clip of Earthhip project on planet green. We have been thinking of ways to recycle Hawaii & interested in the Earthship concept...it is a sound way to alleviate the waste going to the landfills & or being dumped in lava tubes . More importantly, it could help with providing affordable housing for family(s) that can't afford to buy a house package.
My family has property that is presently donated for a community garden. Many family(s) are living in their cars because they can't pay the rent.
These type of homes could be constructed at the farm to provide needy family(s) with a place to stay that's affordable & be able to tend to their gardens.
Can anyone help us solve this problem?
We would sincerely appreciate your assistance!
Posted by: Leiolani Kanaka'ole | Monday, November 30, 2009 at 11:27 AM
Amazing home - I am always heartened when I find articles that focus on environmental awareness. I like the wall they are building.
Marlene,
It is heartening to find concerned and caring people like you. Come back and visit us often. We write about environmental issues all the time--especially from a Boomer POV. Look at other articles under sustainability and environment or Heart living. You'll see many. Welcome and visit again.
What suggestions do you have for another post?
Virginia and Nancy
Posted by: Marlene Affeld | Thursday, April 02, 2009 at 07:20 PM