Earthship Seminar 2009 with Michael Reynolds

The following videos are the seminars from 2009 which Michael Reynolds did about Earthships. If you are interested in this kind of housing, watch! If you want to learn about them watch! If you are sick to death of living to work, watch!

Earthship Seminar Part 1




Earthship Seminar Part 2

Earthbag Earthship... a Gaia Mount

The use of earth requires only bags in which is filled with soil, sand, and a lime with water. They are tamped down then allowed to dry. This is far lower impact on the body so that anyone can build the structure who can lift a filled coffee can of dirt and can use a tamp to help compact the earth. complex forms can be created that only require wood to create forms to support them until they are dried. You are still building with major thermal mass which will work as a heat sink and cooling system.

I have been doing an amazing amount of research over the last few years. I have fallen completely in love with both Earthbag and Earthship homes. What have I concluded? My partner and I are going to build an earthbag earthship I'm calling a Gaia Mount.

The basic structure of the home will be build from the use of Super Adobe technology which was developed by Nader Khalili and taught through the Cal-Earth Institute of Earth Art and Architecture. I want to use the form of Earthships which has been developed by Michael Reynolds and his company Earthship Biotecture.


Put into the form of an Earthship you have a home that is earth bermed, front faced with glass as a green house, roof which gathers your water into cisterns and is used 4 times before being returned to the earth, and the use of renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro, etc.).

Building in this way very little resources are needed, cost decreases, and the building skills needed to build a home is placed back into the individuals hands instead of a costly contractor. The major of the work can then be done by two or more people instead of an army of workers.

All the while we are building home that is self sustaining, that feeds us, waters us, and provides us with power and shelter. So stay tune. We are currently working on some basic plans which we will take to Earthship Biotecture to create full construction plans so we can then start looking for land and get approval for building.

A look at China's ancient 'donut-like' homes

          I am always on the look out for new ideas when it comes to earth building. Here is one that is most interesting. The ancient China's rammed earth round or 'donut-like' homes. These consist of multiple levels with a kind of central court. These are really awesome.

          Take the time to read this article. It is really interesting. This could be a great way of using the Superadobe technique of building to make a larger structure for a small village or town taking up the least amount of space while still building with earth. It is something I am going to explore more with the idea of building the sustainable Druid community.

China's ancient 'donut-like' homes: Where to see the tulou

Organic Designs with Cod, straw bale, and Superadobe....

          One of the most wonderful aspects of building with earth and/or straw is the amazing flexibility which the materials have. Take a look at this image and see how an organic shape such as a shell has been turned into an addition onto the house. What a stunning idea and wonderful way to add character to your living space.

         This is something I will have to look at when building the Superadobe home!

Videos on actually building Superadobe structures as created by CalEarth

Here are some videos I found on YouTube of the actual process of building the CalEarth Superadobe structures. They are very informative and shows just how simple building with this technique really is. Image the lack of dept Americans could relieve by building this way. Image mortgages dropping well under $15,000 while using earth to build with very little else. Image being able to free up all the resources that go into modern homes. Image being able to leave our forests alone so they could do the job our Earth Mother planned for them to... clean the air and provide oxygen to other life forms.

Take a look... this is my dream. This is the home one day I will have. This is the way I want to build a sustainable Druid community.

Part 1


Part 2



Part 3



Part 4



Part 5

Earth homes...

It amazes me that in the world we live in that more people don’t seek to build through abundant local resources that could dramatically change the future of those living within them and the environment around them.

Building superadobe and mud homes is considered private to most of us. But they are the most resistance, durable, and low cost building materials in the world. They provide protect from the temperatures changes and weather. As for heating and cooling, that is done over all passively through the very structure itself. They can be designed to work in extremely wet and cold climates just as effectively as in hot dry climates.

Here is a small example of one nation which still uses ancient techniques to build their earth homes.

Gurunsi Earth Houses of Burkina Faso

Aquaponics... this is something to really look into!

          I am always on the look out on ways to help make my dream of a sustainable community come true. Aquaponics is a great way to help that come about. I found an article on Pinterest where a guy had created the neatest Aquaponics idea I have seen so far!

          What he created was a Tilapia Pond, 4000 gallon tank in the middle of his green house will hold 2000 Tilapia, the water will be used to water his plants giving them needed nutrients. The heat from the pond will warm the greenhouse in winter. This is a wonderful idea that benefits the whole ecosystem of the green house. To learn more about what is happening with this check out the site: Remote Gardner

          There is a place in Atlanta GA that uses something similar though at a much lower fish population. They use their pounds to help with the humidity and heat within the green  house itself. The place is called the Atlanta Water Garden. I have always loved going into the gardens there. It always makes me feel so relaxed. The trickling of water, the splash of fountains, and the smell of all the plants is just amazing.

          If you live or are visiting the area check them out.  You won't be disappointed in the environment they have created there at their store. They do offer their services to the public as well as offering a staggering selection of indoor and outdoor gardening and fountain supplies. Atlanta Water Gardens

                       

I found a great site that helps explain how the Aquaponics system works. The more I read about this the more I want to use this in the Community. I believe it will be a great source of both vegetables and protein.
Check out the article. It really is pretty amazing how this works. Once setup and running they need very little water or work to maintain. "How Aquaponics Works"