Living in an eco-friendly earthship is something that seems like it would be more labor intensive than it seems like initially. Plus, the idea that everyone could just relocate to the desert is not the most realistic idea for a lot of people. The idea that this could be a growing trend is something that’s good and bad all at once. Its good because it seems a lot more sustainable, so long as people realize that there will still need to be goods coming in now and again to help the homes be sustainable. It’s bad unfortunately since in order to really be sustainable these homes do have to be out in the desert, in the middle of nowhere, which will eventually become another metropolis since people do tend to find the need to gather and as a result to privatize and monopolize what was initially meant to be ‘off the grid’.
The idea of building a home that is able to sustain itself is a nice one no doubt, but the idea that it could be a home that could withstand a hurricane, as it was alluded to, seems kind of too bold of a claim to really make. It’s especially hard to swallow when you think about what an earthship is made out of. It’s made out of adobe, which is basically clay and some kind of stabilizer that can be added in to give some further stability. So rain alone won’t be likely to wash away or destroy an adobe home, but a hurricane is going to smash and tear apart just about anything that might stand in its way, and whether it washes away or not, an earthship home would flood just like any other. Now out in the desert this might not be a concern, but in Puerto Rico, where the group that makes these homes is thinking of going next, the structural soundness of the home won’t be any less likely to avoid the kind of damage that has been seen. It’s a nice idea to make a self-sustaining home, but putting that kind of expectation on it is not entirely real.
I do happen to think this is a pretty cool idea and using garbage to essentially build the walls is a decent way to get rid of the junk and to add a little more stability and insulation to the home. The only issue is having to live out in the desert and out in the middle of nowhere for the most part. This could be just a choice that these people have made to get away from the city and live their own lives, and if that’s the case then that’s wonderful. But remaining in isolation can do strange things to people no matter if you have others there to keep you company. It’s a life choice and something to respect however, and as these homes are in the middle of the desert it’s not too hard to wonder just how they’re powered and how their solar cells are continually charged. This kind of thing wouldn’t work as well in a wetter climate I’m guessing.
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