The first time I heard of an Earthship was when my friend was trying to break down the details of it. I didn't understand what she was trying to explain. I kept picturing what I imagined E.T.'s home would look like if he were to put it upon Earth. I was then shown a video on YouTube, which showed in depth what an Earthship actually looks like and why it's beneficial to own one as soon as the means are provided.
Michael Reynolds had an idea for a radically sustainable living that did something about the amount of waste that came from building design. Michael is a former architecture turned into a now self-proclaimed Earthship Biotecture who, in 1972, built his first house from recycled materials that came from everyday trash such as aluminum cans and plastic bottles. He used beer cans wired together like bricks are. Michael then mortared these materials together and then plastered over them. He later realized how any old tire or pop bottle could be a durable insulation when it's filled with dirt. This utilizes thermal mass construction to naturally regulate indoor temperature. Earthships are usually off-the-grid homes, which makes it so that they don't have to rely on public utilities and fossil fuels.
Earthships use many natural resources. One major source is energy from the sun. The buildings will often be horseshoe-shaped to heighten natural light and solar-gain during winter. In the summertime, the thick walls are effective insulation against summer heat.
Earthships uses rain water, snow, and condensation, then gets filtered so it doesn't have bacteria and contaminants. The roof of the house will collect water which will then go into a silt-catching device and into a cistern and is used for: laundry washing machines, dishwashing machines, kitchen and bathroom sink water, shower water, drinking water, and even toilet flushing water. To better explain, an Earthship takes Greywater, which is used water that's unsuitable for drinking after already used, still has other purposes later on. The Greywater gets channeled through a grease and particle filter then into a rubber-lined botanical cell, a miniature living machine. This filter with built in plants can also produce food from a fruit tree. In the botanical cell, filtration takes place by passing the water through a mixture of gravel and plant roots. Due to the nature of the plants, oxygen is added to the water as it filters, as nitrogen is removed. Water taken through the plants and transpired at the top humidifies the air. Bacteria natural grows and helps cleanse water in the botanical cell. The low-end water of the cell goes through a peat-moss filter and collected in a well. The reclaimed water travels to a Greywater board and used to flush toilets.
