Welcome to this new series! Earthship Biotecture has to be one of the least understood sustainable building and living models around. This is not least because they offer SO many benefits that it is hard to even know them all, let alone explain them all! Let it be said that an Earthship can stay at a comfortable climate at even -20 Celsius or 40 Celsius with no power requirements for heating or cooling systems. The systems of an earthship encounter the forces of nature, mainly the sun, rain, and wind, and funnels them into your home to provide everything you need to live comfortably with annual utility bills of around $200 or less.
So, welcome to my book! I have been inspired to write this book in sections, with you all, and once it is completed I will be compiling it into a single digital and paperback book available to all to learn and be inspired. So without further ado, here is the first part of my 101 reasons why Earthship are fuc!*ing awesome! I’m so curious to see if i start to run out of reasons before the end, or if they just keep coming... let's see!
11. You don't have to nag anyone to switch off the lights anymore!
LED lights use a minimal amount of power, and you can barely notice the power consumption when they are on. When the batteries are full, which is most of the year, you can leave them on or off as you desire without having to worry about power bills racking up. It's free!
12. It's a waste to NOT have a hot shower or bath.
When there is a tank of hot water heated up by the sun, it a shame not to use it. I have plenty of water from flowing rivers and that hot water will just cool down overnight, and recharge again in the morning when the sun rises. So, its almost a shame not to have a hot shower, since the water is already hot and ready to go!
13. Work because you want to, not because you have to.
Since you have almost no utility bills or loans to pay, you don't need much money at all to live and survive comfortably. You could lose your job or income due to sudden job loss, or illness, or any number of reasons. If you find yourself suddenly without income you will be in a far less vulnerable position since you can still run your home and live and stay warm or cool. I have had this happen to me, and am very grateful to my Earthship for continuing to provide me with all I need to live very comfortably each and every day! Without the stress of paying bills you can choose the work you want to do, and the people you want to work with.
14. A stress free life means a happier and more vibrant life for you and your family.
Some of the main sources of stress are paying the bills and rent or mortgage, and working in job that you do not like, but have to do almost every day of your life. Being self sufficient is empowering, and gives you more choice as to what you do with your time. Not having to pay large bills each month means that you can live with much less stress, and can start to do more of the things you like. Ultimately, people who live in Earthships tend to be very happy!
15. Save money on grocery shopping.
Earthships have botanical cells that are contained within greenhouse like buffer zones as part of the home. These buffer zones not only help to keep the inner home space warmer or cooler, but are the perfect climate to grow almost any kind of plants, vegetable and fruits year round. You can also extend this to the outside space around the home, and have self watered beds using waste sink and shower / tub water that has been pre treated by the treatment cells. You can grow so many things that will not only be cheaper but also tastier and reliably organic.
16. Earthquake resistant.
Since Earthships don't have a concrete foundation, and the tyre walls are held together by gravity and not mortar, the walls can shake and wobble without any structural damage. In the event of an earthquake, an earthships skin may crack, but the heavy 90% compacted earth rammed tyres are able to move with the vibrations of the earth instead of trying to resist it.
17. Buy the cheapest land since you don’t need any infrastructure or level ground.
You can build an earthship in a location that has no water supply, no power lines, no sewage pipes, or any other municipal connections. You just need any kind of access, even on steep and unstable slopes. These are places that traditional builds can not work with since it is too expensive to bring all these centralised systems to a new site. Theretofore you can find land in some of the most beautiful places in the world, and build where no one else can. In Taos New Mexico, the land for the Reach Community was purchased for around $100 because no one thought it was possible to build on that very steep mountain slope.
18. Low Tech means you can build it yourself.
The entire approach of Earthship Biotecture is low tech in both theory and practice. You don’t need sophisticated tools or skill set to build one. Most of the thinking has been done for you, as the Global Model and now the new Encounter model are demonstrating. If you follow the basic rules outlined in the books Earthship Volumes 1-3, you can safely build a very strong and permanent home with very minimal skilled labour support. In particular the finishing stages can be almost exclusively done by yourself, and this can be a very costly part of any build.
19. Adaptable to almost any climate.
The global model has been developed to suit climates that are either incredibly hot or incredibly cold. This global model needs tweaking to suit any new build, it is not a static plan but instead a foundation with which to work with. The most important rules for function are built into the Global Model, and from that you can adjust some of the parameters to suite your climate. The places where Earthships are hardest to keep warm without additional heating are where there is little to no sun and the temperatures get very low. In these cases Earthships are still the best option in terms of performance but may require a good wood burning stove or other heating solution to keep temperatures up.
20. Earthships are designed down for power. This means that you can use a minimal solar power setup and have enough for all your daily needs, even in countries with minimal sun!
Most conventional homes require many kilowatts of power to run them. Since Earthships are designed down it means that they can do the same thing, if not better, using little or even no power or resources such as water. Water is heated by the sun, power is stored and delivered by photovoltaics, and all the appliances that are used in the home are selected for low power consumption. This means using a laptop instead of a desktop computer, using a cordless vacuum cleaner instead of a plug in model, it means using LED lights and 5* Energy Efficient Fridges. An Earthship that is designed down can draw just a few hundreds watts of power to run itself, which is around 10 times less than conventional homes. This means you can get by with 10 x less solar power demand and expense.
Ta Daa.. that was still easy! but did have to try a little this time.. but as I know so well, Earthships are so amazing that I'm sure im going to have no trouble finding another 81 reasons!
MUST WATCH VIDEOS
Earthship Underground House Tour- Sustainable and Net Zero Living...
Derek "Deek" Diedricksen visits an Earthship (the architectural brainchild of Michael Reynolds) in Taos, New Mexico. The particular model, like many others, features earth berm air intakes, a water recycling system for its grey water, and the luxury of two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and even a two car garage! Ashley Turin gives us a full out tour of this, one of the newest Earthship builds on the Taos compound. This sustainable and passive solar home just may give you a few ideas for your own future designs.
WATCH THIS TO SEE AND UNDERSTAND THE GLOBAL MODEL IN ACTION
WITH GREAT EXPLANATIONS
MEET A COUPLE WHO ARE NOW LIVING FREE. THIS VIDEO SAYS IT ALL!
BE INSPIRED AND SEE THE TRUTH OF WHAT FREEDOM LOOKS LIKE!
Super Efficient Off-Grid Earthship Built for Early Retirement Plan
PREVIOUS PARTS
Part 1:
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/101-reasons-why-earthships-are-fuc-ing-awesome-part-1-my-new-book-in-the-making
LEARN MORE ABOUT BIOTECTURE
Earthship Seminar Transcription Table Of Contents
SESSION 1
Part 1: The Global Model:
https://steemit.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-101-learn-with-michael-reynolds-part-1
Part 2: Staying Cool: The Convection Engine:
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-seminar-with-michael-reynolds-transcribed-part-2
Part 3: The Evolution of the Global Model Earthship:
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-seminar-with-michael-reynolds-part-3
Part 4: Heating your home with body heat in Norway, about permits in USA and Europe... How to get them fast
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-pt4-heating-your-home-with-body-heat-in-norway-about-permits-in-usa-and-europe-how-to-get-them
Part 5: How to Retrofit, Getting Permits, Tire Toxicity?
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-pt-5-how-to-retrofit-getting-permits-tire-toxicity
Part 6: Bottle / Can Walls, Tyre Foundations / Snow Water
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-pt-6-q-and-a-bottle-can-walls-tyre-foundations-snow-water
Part 7: Can you insure an earthship?, the double/triple greenhouse, the global model evolution + more
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-pt-7-q-and-a-can-you-insure-an-earthship-the-double-triple-greenhouse-the-global-model
Part 8: Final: Year round fruiting trees, sizing greenhouses + more
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-pt-8-final-q-and-a-year-round-fruiting-trees-sizing-greenhouses-more
SESSION 2
Part 1: Water, how to size your roof, choosing the right materials for water catchment.
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-session-2-part-1-water-how-to-size-your-roof-choosing-the-right-materials-for-water-catchment
Part 2: Cisterns, Filtering Water, Designing Down & Layered Thinking.
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-session-2-part-2-cisterns-filtering-water-designing-down-and-layered-thinking
Part 3: Water! Be Self Sufficient Secure & Sustainable.
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-session-2-part-3-water-be-self-sufficient-secure-and-sustainable
Part 4: Botanical Cells, Using Water 4 Times, Food Production.
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-session-2-part-4-botanical-cells-using-water-4-times-food-production
Part 5 : The Solar Toilet, Making Mistakes and Evolving is Part of the Process.
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-session-2-part-5-the-solar-toilet-making-mistakes-and-evolving-is-part-of-the-process
Part 6: Black Water Treatment In Any Climate, Food Production.
ttps://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-session-2-part6-black-water-treatment-in-any-climate-food-production
Part 7: Q&A: Water, Botanical Cells, Water Treatment
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-session-2-part-7-q-and-a-water-botanical-cells-water-treatment
Part 8: About Solar Power, Doing It Yourself? Solar Vs Wind.
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-session-2-part8-about-solar-power-doing-it-yourself-solar-vs-wind
Part 9: Solar Power: Designing Down, Making Smart Choices.
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-session-2-part-9-solar-power-designing-down-making-smart-choices
Part 10: Decentralisation means security and self sufficiency
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-session-2-part-10-decentralisation-means-security-and-self-sufficiency
Part 11: Biotecture Is a movement
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-s2-p11-biotecture-is-a-movement
Part 12: Power Q&A: Batteries, Options, Power Choices.
https://steempeak.com/ecotrain/@eco-alex/earthship-biotecture-transcribed-session-2-part-12-power-q-and-a-batteries-options-power-choices
Living off-grid in an Earthship home is about many things. It is not just an ethical choice or a building type choice, it is also a lifestyle choice. When you start to live off-grid, and self-sufficiently, you embark on a break out from the matrix/zeitgeist. You start to unplug yourself from the normal, dependent, vulnerable, and highly controlled way of life that many people are used to in cities and highly developed countries. When you are truly self-sufficient and out of debt you take away some of the main sources of stress: buying food, paying the bills, covering the mortgage or rent, and needing to work full-time to allow this to continue. We can also look at environmental issues and great need to build smarter and in a more connected way, especially in the face of climate change. Our global population is rising and with it the poverty level and inequality of wealth in all forms. To compound this issue, the cost of living is also hurtling up! We are moving toward a very unsafe and unsustainable future if we continue to build and live in the same way that we have been doing.
Did you know, I built four Earthships in India as well as being instrumental the creation of the first Earthship in the UK, Earthship Brighton. If you are also on this path and would like to read my story, I have recently published a book. It is not only a great story, but a valuable resource for you to learn from. I had no experience or training when I embarked on my mission, but managed to successfully build a gorgeous home called Earthship Karuna.
You can buy this book with Steem on the homesteaders co-op. Whilst you are there please do have a look at some of the other products as there are all kinds of great things there!
https://homesteaderscoop.com/product/earthship-chronicles-ebook/
If you don't have any Steem you can also buy the ebook and paperback on amazon.
http://mybook.to/Earthship-Chronicles
or
https://www.amazon.com/Earthship-Chronicles-sufficient-luxurious-experience-ebook/dp/B07MYCBXYB
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