I stumbled on these a few years ago, and I've been fascinated by them ever since. Earthships are intended to be self-sufficient, self-sustaining, off-the-grid homes. They require little to no heating or cooling technologies, relying instead on a thermal mass to regulate internal temperatures. Most commonly this thermal mass is the back and side walls of the structure, the load-bearing walls, which are constructed of stacked recycled tires, filled with hard-packed dirt, which is then covered by plaster for a finished wall.
In winter months the sun rides low in the sky, and the thermal mass is heated by sunlight streaming in from the all-glass front wall. The thermal mass then radiates the collected heat back into the home at night. During the summer, the more acute solar angle feeds less heat into the structure, and the hard-packed earth surrounding the structure creates a heat sink, effectively cooling the interior to comfortable levels.
Throw in solar panels for electricity,a rain collection system and a gray water system for treating and reusing wastewater, and you have a fully sustainable, energy independent structure.
I'd love to build one out in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in Arizona, and have it as a vacation home. With a satellite dish, of course. I want to live off-the-grid and away from civilization sometimes, but I don't want to be the unibomber. I'd go a little crazy if I couldn't stay connected with the rest of the world somehow. All I'd really need is an internet connection and I'd be happy.
No comments:
Post a Comment