Unusual Material

A couple years ago I was driving down the street in Albuquerque, New Mexico and two weird looking structures caught my eye. After looking at them for a bit longer, I realized they were homes. The layout was nothing like your typical house and was made from all different kinds of materials. I was later informed these homes were called “earth ships”, a greener way of living.  Albuquerque is not the only location with these green buildings and not one looks like another, each has its own unique style and layout.  Below is one of the two earth ships I have physically seen.

Earth ships are unusual but efficient homes. They come in many different shapes, sizes, and materials. These houses are custom built and self-sustainable. Recycled and natural materials are the main resources used to build each and every earth ship. Almost like the Amish, earth ships are unconnected from any power lines or running water. Choosing to live in one of these homes calls for a different lifestyle, but makes a good footprint in the global environment.

An earth ship has almost all the same luxuries as a regular home, but they function much more differently. Water, electricity, and climate are three systems an earth ships maintains individually. Water is used for many important reasons in a household and in this case is obtained from nature. Water is caught in a container and used in four ways: showers, dishes, sewage, and garden. Toilet water is separate from the water used for dishes and showers. Dirty toilet water is used to water the outside and clean water is recycled and reused for dishes and showers.  Hot water is heated from sun and a back up generator. Electricity is also produced from the sun and wind. Solar panels and wind turbines or windmills are used to create the energy needed.

Although these energy efficient homes are unique and interesting architectural wise, I would not want to live in one. They seem like they require more maintenance and who has time for that. Now days, we all love the instant gratitude of convenience and with earth ships, you have to give to get.

Reynolds, J., 2012, Earthship Biotecture,http://earthship.com/