Alternative Housing
Earthships
Another "green" form of living is an Earthship. An earthship does not require any outside sources for water or electricity, making it a self-sufficient home. A main component that makes these homes environmentally friendly is the fact that the home is made from recycled materials, such as used tires that are stacked like bricks and aluminum cans. Furthermore, they run off solar power. The southside of earthships are built with glass, in order for the maximum sunlight to hit the house. In many cases, the roof is made using earth for more insulation. The interior of the tires is covered with adobe or cement so they are not visible. Wooden beams are used to hold up the roof along with other wood to finish the roof and frames of the windows.
History?
The first man who is given credit for building the first earthship is Michael Reynolds, a Southwestern US architect. His wife actually came up with the term earthship for their home because it was self-sustaining and just sailed around the yard, making the name earthship.
Positives and Negatives
Some positive aspects from living in an earthship are that they provide heat when its cold and still cool when it is hot, they use natural resources, they can be built by the owner, and easy availability for resources to make home. Some negative aspects from earthships are that they may be hard to sell because they are so different, building permits (trouble with building costs), and financial issues. Furthermore, the labor involved in building an earthship is intensive and time consuming. If looking to preserve the environment, earthships would be a great way of living to do that.
$$$
The price of earthships can vary anywhere from $50,000 to multiple billion dollars. It depends on how elaborate and big the homes are.