Earthships

This past week I went on a vacation with a few friends for another friend's birthday. We stayed at an Earthship. I don't know if you've ever heard of an Earthship before, but they've got to be the coolest thing in the world. Yes, there are problems with the design. Like everything that's self-sustaining, it requires some level of sacrifice. Did I say self-sustaining? Yes, yes I did. These homes are built to capture rain water as their primary water source and harvest solar and wind power as their sole source of energy. Because of the way it's designed, you can keep your home at a steady 70 degrees year round, no matter where you live. We were in Taos, where it was in the 70s during the day and 30s at night, but the main living quarters were comfortable all day.
Also, the front portion is a greenhouse, so you could grow a good portion of your own food. There's some proprietary technology involved, but most of the materials look pretty inexpensive. If you're willing to do most of the labor yourself, you could probably live off the grid in one of those things pretty cheaply.
Plus, with the way our grid system works for electricity and water, it might not be a bad idea to think of alternative ways to build homes. You sacrifice size and uniformity (these things can be a little funky, if you're not into it), for self-sufficiency and a green life-style. I'm up for it, but I don't think my HOA would let me do it. Might be time to think about moving to someplace a little less restrictive.

Check it out:

Where we stayed

More Earthships