New Earthships capture more energy, water & food at lower cost

[@zoerae5969]

this is all i want. im 17 and im going to start saving for my dream home.

[@pedrodecarvalho6227]

SHUT UP ME TOO!!!! i just can't start saving yet bc of brazil's unemployment rate ugh 3rd world country tings

[@scottvergin4732]

Good luck, and God Bless

[@America12412]

Go for it !!

[@gentlelove]

Tax sales kid is what I would tell my teen age self. Shabbat shalom you are loved

[@benvoliothefirst]

Just start scavenging tires and you're halfway there!

[@o0Avalon0o]

It's not just low-tech, it's good engineering! This is the height of efficiency.

[@jacquelynfrench9473]

You get it! Exactly. It’s pretty ingenious, actually.

[@bonnieprice9482]

Hi teck is the solar panels.. low tech is the water and air filtration system..

[@jeckjeck3119]

@@bonnieprice9482 Best of both worlds.

[@tamtrinh174]

higher tech, higher damage

[@karenharrison885]

It's a return to the nineteenth century. My mother lives in a house built in 1855. When its 40 degrees outside, she's wearing a jumper. Nothing was built with electricity in mind.

[@treborironwolfe]

I've worked in IT for over 25 years and I would *much* prefer having as many "low-tech" features as possible in one of these homes; primary reason being that the more complicated you design a system, the more fail-points you will have, and you may not be knowledgeable enough to repair them yourself.

[@dt7491]

They are using used toliet water for their plants?

[@rubbermallet3873]

D T ccp style 👌

[@TylerKoz]

You can design the home to work both on high-tech and low-tech solutions. That way you could switch back and forth between them if you so please. It would only cost as much as a fully integrated high-tech solution, but would have the capabilities of the standard low-tech model.

[@dt7491]

@@TylerKoz do they get wifi out there

[@TylerKoz]

@@dt7491 Well you don't need to be connected to the internet to use wifi enabled devices. You could create a local network for your earthship. For devices that need a internet connection, one solution would be Starlink which should be operational in that area in the next 1-3 years. That would be Gigabit speeds. I am unfamiliar with any terrestrial ISPs for that area.

[@michellebreffle8302]

"We have opted out". I so relate to that feeling.

[@caleb2242]

@Apex Mind me too. What state

[@caleb2242]

This looks like AZ.

[@caleb2242]

@@5226-p1e I’m thinking self sufficient is best. Very very small scale. That’s prob safest

[@Datzneat]

I remember helping my dad's friends build one of the first earthships in that area back in the 80s. Was crazy going back and seeing how many more have been built there.

[@badsamaritan8223]

Not enough, unfortunately. And they're all obscenely expensive.

[@tarajoyce3598]

Hope you are proud. Thank you for exemplifying innovation.

[@voltcorp]

@@badsamaritan8223 the point is that building one yourself is cheap

[@gibby5335]

Pics

[@WhereTheRainbowEnds1111]

That's amazing!! Where is this located?!

[@shirleym4309]

I Love the idea of the Earthship.They totally make sense to me and I love the bottle glass walls and no utility bills.

[@KinuGrove]

Love how the gardens are integrated into the house. Everyone should be growing food like this.

[@jeremygenslinger4874]

Yes but the greenhouse part should be 3 times the size that they are the way they are building these it's basically just to recycle the water and not to grow food for self sufficiency. I've been to this community and they are a bunch of new age Hippies that left California and other than the living area being efficient Energy wise they are still Idiot rich snobs who buy everything else who left and brought their California stupidity with them.

[@KellenChase]

Jeremy Genslinger this is what I was just coming here to say. I still see lots of food miles. And individual greenhouses are great, but I’d love to see some berms and swales In a master plan for that community since they are already built. That land needs seepage and a canopy layer.

[@jonothandoeser]

@@jeremygenslinger4874 It was clear to me when I saw my first Earthship video that you could never feed a family from the indoor gardens they have shown. It's better than nothing, but I still think you would need a separate greenhouse + outdoor if you were going to plant enough for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a family year round. Taos is not the ideal environment for planting. But you can easily build in a more fertile zone and employ the same concepts. And yes, much of the "We're saving the planet" marketing is overstated and illogical. It's best just to see these as a great inspiration for people who would like to live as sustainably and self sufficiently as possible. They're not perfect, but it's a good start on many levels.

[@gorillaspawn6071]

My neighbors! Beautiful people doing beautiful work.

[@Maelani_mymelode]

This is the exact home I would love my family to live in. Simple and beautiful. Nestled in nature the way life is supposed to be. Beautiful video.

[@Ethan.s..]

Traditionally people have lived in groups. Made things safer and more efficient.

[@larsvegas1505]

some day someone has to go in and dig all those cancerous tires out of the ground... then maybe they will grasp the concept that u cant just live on a landfill..

[@WINTERMUTE_AI]

Amazing! I just bought land in the desert for a tiny house, this is the best information I have found so far. I was going to brute force my AC, with massive solar array and a bunch of expensive batteries, but with tires, dirt and that cooling pipe, amazing!

[@sidilicious11]

When I first heard of Earthships it was such a revelation that homes could be self sufficient for power, water, septic, and indoor gardens. And I LOVE the jewel look of the bottle bricks. I love the concept and aesthetics.

[@billbarrett582]

What expense is involved in an Earthship? I don't understand why some of these are $300,000 they're made from trash.

[@erinrachelcat]

@@justgivemethetruth are there any how to videos? I want to build one.

[@DanielRiera]

​@@billbarrett582 labor intense to build

[@court2379]

@@billbarrett582 Labor mostly. Transportation of materials. Earth moving. Glass.

[@mattpierce5202]

Bill Barrett the material is expensive like every time you go to Home Depot it's a hundred dollars. Also they have to make a living the people who get paid to do it interns pay to learn. I'm building my in Texas bye myself it's s lot of work one day it will be worth it.

[@cpchow6675]

Low tech is good. Less things that will go faulty, easier to troubleshoot and fix.

[@CurtisDensmore1]

Do you see the irony in saying "low tech is good" in a KZbin comment?

[@PsylomeAlpha]

Exactly! It's why I like having mechanical tools!

[@beback_]

@@CurtisDensmore1 Not really. The point is to be as low tech _as possible_. It's like the KISS principle in engineering. No matter how fancy a product you're designing, keep it as simple as possible.

[@Hecameup]

What an inspiration. Thank you 😊💕

[@5226-p1e]

i would like both options. one that is automated and the other when the automated one needs repairing.

[@BlackBeltScrub]

Kirsten, been watching your channel for years and I want to thank you for all the videos you've done. I really think you're putting out a "message" for people and exposing people to new ideas that maybe, just maybe, will make the Earth a tiny bit better some day.

[@kululv]

I agree! It is so inspiring to see so completely different approaches to house building! I'm always wondering how she finds all these objects.

[@jenniewilliams1668]

Yes, totally agree

[@eelexa]

Can't tell you how much I appreciate your channel, Kirsten! It's been a huge inspiration over the last couple years and with every video I learn a little from all of these amazing and innovative people, both high tech and low. I really appreciate what you do.

[@spacecoyote6646]

We were on vacation and approached it best from the West. The More ships we saw, the more excited we got. And then we saw a sign "tour an Earthship". So we did.

[@TheGenericavatar]

It's good to see they FINALLY started putting the batteries indoors where the temp is steady (and well above freezing) instead of the roof where the batteries' performance degrades more quickly with the wild swings in temperature from broiling summers and freezing winters.

[@court2379]

That is probably due to a shift from lead acid to Lithium batteries. The lead acid outgased a lot of hydrogen and you could blow up your house. So they were put outside where they could be well ventilated.

[@OH8STN]

Absolutely magnificent presentation. An Earthship home would be a dream.

[@jebes909090]

@Will Swift well you see, its costsWAAAAAAAAAAAY more. its basically uppermiddle class larping.

[@leviorourke7498]

I've been a proud roofer for almost 2 decades. I've been wanting to change my skilled trade. Maybe building earth ships would be a neat new field to get into. Is their contracting crews for this construction

[@pinakim11]

I have just started watching these video...looks like volunteers build it... before you build your own house volunteer some places to get the experience...cool idea

[@fredgarvin4482]

Dont think trying to make a living building theae would be a good plan. I am not knocking the concept of these homes. I think they have some good ideas. However it seems most are in this one community. Seems a little hippish or tribalist. Not many examples elsewhere.

[@pinakim11]

@@fredgarvin4482 You are correct and that is the problem. I like the earthship sustainable living idea but building with community members have limitations. Also, building with tires may not be the best idea and selling them takes long time. Currently, we live in a rental house and my dream is to build a small energy efficient house with solar and rainwater harvesting with minimum carbon footprint.

[@leviorourke7498]

@@fredgarvin4482 almost communal, I agree. I noticed the more I looked into them. But, uve made a great concept green home myself an will be building the first in next year hopefully. Hope it goes as well as my home has for rentera

[@fredgarvin4482]

@@pinakim11 yeah. I am looking at things from a off grid as much as possible thing. Low bills and etc. I am a self admitted anti social guy so i not into the commune hippie stuff.

[@tarabooartarmy3654]

“Get 20 of your friends together... 10 of your friends together...” I feel so attacked with my 0 friends right now.

[@alicea5]

I know right. The people I know won’t give up their current lifestyle for this.

[@HAL-dm1eh]

Yea I was thinking the same and "let's go pound tires" < -- not in today's world (not knocking the point though)

[@neuroticnation144]

We should get a bunch of friendless people and create a building team, lol 😂

[@alicea5]

@@neuroticnation144 I think u mean, get to know some friendless people for a while and then create the building team. Not a good idea to just pack up with a bunch of friendless people. Some friendless people r friendless for a reason. 😱

[@movieuser6336]

😊 Thank you for the laugh 😊

[@Rnankn]

One thing I’ve been thinking about is how the ancient Egyptians used mirrors to reflect light deep into structures. With the right emplacements, it could be directed anywhere indoors. Also you could use a gravity as a battery, with sunlight pumping water to the roof during day, and flowing down at night through a turbine. Or even pressure storage. And magnifying lenses could concentrate sunlight for cooking, or heat retention in rocks.

[@extraincomesuz]

I love that she says you need everyone, strong, skilled, not strong, ....everyone building a community. I fell in love with earthships in the 80s. I don't have one but built a passive solar home in Malaysia with no Aircon, water tank, compost bins, and garden. We need to be self-sustaining and minimalistic because everything we buy uses fossil fuel. Once we get off of fossil fuels we can try to re-create commerce and trade. In my dream world...😊❤

[@colleenmirelez5767]

I really enjoyed this piece. It's given me a lot to think about in the way that we live and the way that we should be living.

[@carrillochica13]

I first heard of earthship in 2013 and was so intrigued! Soon after I started looking into living small and self sustaining. Living free and eco friendly has been my lifetime goal ever since

[@kululv]

that was a great presentation by this woman! So clear and logic, with no fuss. It was very pleasant to listen to all her helpful suggestions.

[@tetemay8840]

Outstandingly truly caring for her

[@oscrazzies90]

Great presentation, really like these earthships and all of the simple, sustainable ideas incorporated into the design like the air conditioning tube BUT the pricing is not cheap at all. Although I would choose this over a mansion of the same price, anyday... the materials to build these earthships are NOT 200k. It could be done for muuuuch cheaper. I understand she has a business but if you want to develop a model to actually make the world a better place you need to prove to people that this can actually be affordable so that healthy and sustainable living can be for everyone.

[@josephrbarton]

"healthy and sustainable living can be for everyone." the biggest challenges are making the changes that enable moving things from proof of concept>pilot>realistic ability of broad adoption. The more people and climates involved, the greater the complexity and the overall cost of shifting/adjusting. Given that the most stability we have politically is 4 years, (aside from lifetime supreme court positions) long term planning is nearly impossible.

[@stevenqirkle]

These are very cool. Realistically, I would probably never go to such extremes. But it does inspire me to move forward on smaller scale projects like a rainwater collection system, solar panels, and a greenhouse.

[@daniluchison]

U sure? what happens if the next covid is not so innocent? what happens if the next covid takes hundreds of millons accross the planet? You'd probably want to be in one of such houses! :)

[@angelaengle12]

@@daniluchison It's not that we all wouldn't want to live in a place like that. It's just that you have to prepare for this financially. Most of us don't make enough to start big projects like this. I think stevenqirkle is right to say start with something small. Everyone can implement some type of self-sustainability in their lives no matter their budget.

[@ryanbruh752]

@@daniluchison an economic collapse is far more likly than a cough killing you

[@daniluchison]

@@ryanbruh752 We are going to have both, an economic collapse and a much nastier virus coming this way. We are not to survive as a civilizations, we became a threat to the planet. When you have disasters like deep horizon where the damage can be seen from satellites, that's when the rules of the game changed.

[@OfftoShambala]

The way most of us have been living IS the extreme way. And that’s why people believe the lie that the world is over populated.

[@jedics1]

As someone who is experienced with technology and knows a lot about earthships I can comfortably say that the low tech approach is the only sane choice, ANY critical function that uses technology to operate them has a manual back up because the electronics can and do fail. Much more sensible to have the manual low tech version as primary and the high tech as secondary where it makes sense. About the only major draw back to Earthships is they can only be built in remote locations which isn't for everyone and that they need land which gets you on the hook for the cost and regulation that comes with all houses. Which is why I built a tiny house truck instead :)

[@seriouslee6741]

I am becoming more interested in a tiny house truck. I'd love an "earthship home base" but I have this insane need to travel and see a new sunrise. I'm probably years away though, mostly lacking in knowledge and the right vehicle.

[@jedics1]

@@seriouslee6741 My truck would cost a fortune in fuel to do a lot of travelling in. I'd be getting a van instead. A truck is the better option if your more of a house cat that doesn't want to be a rent slave.

[@seriouslee6741]

@@jedics1 yeah, that's kind of where I'm at. I don't want to pay rent but I want something that feels like home. Tried bus life, busses are too noisy to move and no one likes looking at them. Did van life for about 5 years, I really miss that. The reason I am considering a truck is because I thought maybe one could take me to some of the off road places a van can't. I don't want to travel a lot but I don't want to stay in the same place forever either. I feel like such a boring person after a year. Thanks for the input. I didn't really consider the difference between gas. Definitely something to think about.

[@motoben6520]

This would work great until you can't get 12 volt pumps, lead acid batteries, inverters, water filter cartridges,, or window glass. I saw a Simple Survival unit that had a hand pump for the water. One could possibly build a sand cartridge filter. Still a better way to leave over conventional homes.

[@jedics1]

@@motoben6520 But by that stage the world is truly screwed and what kind of life are you going to have anyway...

[@globallovecitizens6315]

I love Earthships so much! Maybe one day I Will have one. In the meantime I'll keep showing support! Beautiful work💌

[@mihiec]

Smart people with great enthusiasm and energy

[@jesse_cole]

That opening drone shot is fantastic.

[@williamfrom6021]

Its funny how rain water collection is this new thing in the usa. Here in Australia its the social standard and in some council areas in force building regulation. I dont know one country house in Australia that doesn't have rain water tanks for drinking.

[@amethyst1826]

A lot of UK residents collect rainwater, too. It makes a lot of sense.

[@LClaus]

Unfortunately, In the USA some cities ban rain water collection.

[@debblouin]

Some municipalities in the US actually restrict rain water collection.

[@debblouin]

Leslie Claus staggering, isn’t it?

[@amethyst1826]

@@LClaus some councils do in the UK. It's really silly as we often have water pipe bans during summer so rainwater does come in handy for watering gardens & wotnot!!

[@drakedorosh9332]

Nice editing. People will appreciate how you mixed in positive experiences with grey and black water. I also like your skill as an interviewer. Others would be temped to interrupt or not even ask questions that the interviewer knows the answer to. As far as swinging a sledge hammer to compact dirt in tires, I would forgive anyone who used a bit of gas to run a plate tamper.

[@ramonalvarado9503]

One of the best constructions I ever seen.

[@specificallyforauditions753]

These videos bring tears to my eyes... this is beautiful.

[@bradrandel1408]

Love New Mexico thank you so much for this one...🦋🕊

[@naomiwalker8169]

I would like to combine the earthship with a dome home. Both has their ups and downs, but it would be pretty interesting.

[@peshaddock]

I live in a dome. Its not that different. The earthen mass of the foundation coupled with high r factor insulated walls mean comfortable temps are a matter of venting cool night air and sealing up in the 110 degree arizona heat.

[@NevinMillan]

Obsessed with this home and community! My family is going to make a transition to something like this in the very near future. Just need to decide where and how. But this video has been very inspirational. Thank you for sharing!

[@patrickrussell1888]

Areas available in the US are currently limited; otherwise the structure would have to meet all building codes. This area of New Mexico, while quite small, is under unique state building standards negotiated by its founder over decades.

[@wbwills2]

The earth ship,ship on the ocean comparison/analogy was great.Its obvious in retrospect.Has been going right over my head for years...got it now.Thx from Sandhills of NC.

[@solfeinberg437]

In addition to being good for the planet and your pocket book these look like they're good for community and empowering people.

[@MetalGearMk3]

Yes Finally a Earthship!!! Thank you!! Can you visit a Rammed Earth home in the future?

[@russellf1339]

I love how you’ve adapted the earth ship over time and put all the years of experience into different environments. I’m curious if you think an earth ship would ‘sail’ in a temperate rainforest? I’m in the Smoky Mtns and looking to get undeveloped property for something similar, in terms of build concept

[@Research0digo]

Hey Russell, I hope you see this: Be sure to study such things as 'angle of declination' charts & info - for the area you become interested in - for positioning your south wall and roof overhang. Don't forget to slop what isn't under your foundation/slab away from your front wall, also strongly consider either a perforated, clay or French/rubble trench drain. Best wishes - never let go of your dream!

[@squadwipesyt3639]

The only issues I can see is having to make sure your wood is as weatherproof as possible to delay rot from the humidity. Also depending on how much sun you will get you might need to add more space on the roof for solar panels since waterfall doesn't seem to be an issue. Or you can integrate your panels into your roof at a slight angle like scales so that water runs off of them onto your roof for collection. Also foundation on softer ground will need something more stable underneath. These earthships are in the desert on harder ground with less humidity and more sun, so those will be the factors you will have to accommodate your plans to. As long as you keep the area well ventilated, mold shouldn't be an issue either.

[@markdlondon]

Yes, they have been built in other climates, should be easy to find with web search I think there's one in either Ohio and\or upstate NY

[@ratt57]

Thank you for this video. Absolutely amazing. I was in Taos last year and went to see a "neighborhood" of earthships (it looked like the one on Lone Tree lane in the video). We got a "tour" and explanation of how the house was built, but this video gave me a much more detailed view of how they're built and how they work.

[@halroark1]

Inspiring. Practical. Sustainable. Beautiful. Thank you.

[@jmellow8721]

I love these low-tech practical solutions. Earthships are a major part of climate solutions. I love it, I hope to build one, one day.

[@hippieschick6473]

We stayed in a earth ship there over 20 yrs ago. It started our love for off grid living! They are labor intensive but worth it!!!!!

[@Nerd3927]

I really love earth ships and the concept. I just find living on a real ship so much cheaper and I can move!

[@tothemoon3226]

I’m curious how the gray water and especially the black water recycling would work in a more damp and tropical enivorment. I’m afraid it would create a ses pool.

[@ianrobinson476]

Their black water is fairly similar to a traditional gravity septic system. The grey water just runs through the plants before going into the septic system.

[@carrynoweight]

I would assume that aquaponics would help the whole process

[@ianrobinson476]

@@carrynoweight the problem is even organic soaps will throw the balance off of aquaponics which is tempermental as it is. So you would have to have it independent of the grey water. Which isnt a big deal.

[@renatanovato9460]

I live in Brazil and know some people that recicle their waters. Banana is the trick for black water. They also have a cline of other plants in different stages for reciclying the water.

[@ianrobinson476]

@@justgivemethetruth you are correct. Reynolds revolutionized an idea but most of his concepts where invented elsewhere. Passive solar, berm walls, roof water catchment, greenhouse thermal bridging etc. The reutilizing of trash (cans, bottles, tires) is fairly specific to him as far as i have seen. But in most other places recycling would be better then putting it in your walls, but sometimes the glass walls can look nice. As far as aquaponics, the whole goal is to have it as a closed loop. I believe we are on the same page as far as the history, present and futute of earthships.

[@Realmariah510]

This is amazing and solves many world problems at once. Natural disasters, BASIC survival, cleaning up landfills, and more. GENIUS! AND you can live relatively normally and comfortably

[@faith2691]

Wow. Those bottle walls in the last home are so beautiful!

[@ianrobinson476]

I am happy to see they stopped slanting the south facing windows. I am sure after so many leaks they realized the slant wasnt worth the heat gain.

[@analisalee4163]

totally agree

[@theuglykwan]

Why do they leak if slanted?

[@ccollinslarsen]

This is one of the first youtube channels I got into years and years ago, so glad you continue to make these amazing videos. My mom has a house very close to here! (not an earth ship though)

[@joffrey.ph_]

Welcome to another paradise video! 😍

[@metafuel]

This channel, like the Weedy Garden channel are always inspirational and leave you feeling like there is some hope for humanity.

[@ablue5419]

I can’t imagine the beautiful view of the night skies from that home . I love that house.

[@redapple2593]

What is removing shampoo, conditioner and showergel from the shower water?

[@whaterfoo]

Dr. Bronners all they use.

[@carrynoweight]

There are many organic alternatives, chemical contamination is one of the major challenges of homesteading and any type of living that relys on grey/black water, something else to note is bacterial contamination. Great question btw.

[@sidilicious11]

red apple maybe they have to be more conscious about what goes on their skin and use easily degradable products.

[@redapple2593]

Nathan Chase I have seen the use of Iris and other reed beds with gravel that filters out soap free personal cleaning products.

[@redapple2593]

Nathan Chase Yes bacterial contamination is an issue because an Australian gardener who is on a tv program called "Gardening Australia" designed his waste water from the laundry and kitchen to filter through reed/gravel beds before going through iris beds and eventually the water was clean enough to use on fruit trees and vegies but not for drinking. He used rainwater collected from his roof for drinking water .The water went straight into round water tanks which had a filter system attached to the tap to eliminate bird waste, dust etc.

[@thefrub]

I would love to adapt these principles to a more suburb-friendly home.

[@bobjob3632]

Of course god supports abortion. To be complete. Jesus commends you to love. That’s an order. You shall love this baby enough to keep it alive. But sure, you can get an abortion.

[@bitkrusher5948]

They are in a suburb of Taos new mexico

[@hisomeonetrackingmuch1309]

@@bobjob3632 wtf are you talking about?

[@hisomeonetrackingmuch1309]

It be really good for earth, and therefore humanity, if this sort of engineering was adapted for all new builds!!!!

[@thefrub]

@@hisomeonetrackingmuch1309 Exactly, but there's a lot of things here that wouldn't work in higher density areas. You can't have a septic field in a dense suburb, but you could separate the grey water and sewage to reduce waste. One of the most eco-friendly things we can do is just NOT move out into natural areas. Even a low impact home like this is incredibly disruptive to the area, humans are the apex predator. So if we could make homes like this work in Compton, the impact of them would be so much more

[@cliffordbradford8910]

6:43 you see they have propane (LNG) delivered which I guess is for cooking (?) but with that much roof space you could make enough solar to cook with electricity. 8:45/17:45 this is one of my problems with the earthship model is the use of large amounts of unpaid, manual labor which takes a lot of time and understates the cost of building. In the USA and other developed places if you had to pay for the labor you would choose instead to use more mechanization such as soil compactors. I'm still shocked that a 2BR/1 bath fairly compact house made of a lot of natural local materials cost $219k. So at this scale I wonder if they're still doing it with free labor. I certainly don't have 20 friends that would give up several weeks to help me put up the basic structure. I would like to see a case made for professionally built earthship developments and what the business case looks like. 14:44 I would like to see a profile on a tropical earthship because most of them I've seen are in arid landscapes.

[@katl1489]

And I heard Mr. Reynolds doesnt even live in one... could be a rumor but theres something off and his cult like community. I looked into being an intern and he want you to pay??? Okay for room and food but I had a trailer and can feed myself, thanks. Something was off about it...

[@JR-HeavenonEarth]

I want her house...the last one...LOVE the bottles sculpture walls, plants, everything!

[@virgoessence1233]

Wow !!!! Just so inspiring and I’m in awe . So beautiful . I hope I can make this wish come to reality before my end of life . ❤ thank you for sharing this with us

[@chrisvighagen]

There is just one thing that worries me and that is the use of old tires. Old tires tend to aout gas and and out secrete a lot of carcinogenic compounds like mercury, lead, benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and arsenic, among several other chemicals, heavy metals etc. IS there an alternative to using old tires for earthships?

[@deborahearthship3549]

HI Chris, tires only "off-gas" when they are in touch with oxygen. No oxygen, no off-gassing. We cover ALL tires completely with concrete and mud so that this does not happen, you will never see a single exposed tire in a finished Earthship. Hope this helps! :)

[@chrisvighagen]

@@deborahearthship3549 Thank you for the answer. It really helped as this has been one of the pain points for me to work around when it comes to planning my own earthships dream designs.

[@allthingsloveone4584]

@@deborahearthship3549 do you have any contact information?

[@TheGenericavatar]

The tires have essentially already 'out gassed' by the time they are gotten rid of for car use. About 3 years of average use, if I recall correctly. Mike Reynolds had a scientist do a study about the safety of using used tires regarding out gassing issues at some point. It's mentioned in of the Official Earthship videos.

[@TheSeanpatrickobrien]

Heavy metals 🤘🤘

[@askunclemason2940]

It says these are less expensive... only 200,000, how much are the more expensive ones? 200k is not reasonable in many areas of the US. .

[@christopheraugustine5816]

The older Global models used to start at $200K, I think. Since then inflation has pushed it up, and I think that they are trying to stay on that target price. That reflects the cost of the place all in, though. Your labor may have more or less value than that of the workers.

[@Nphen]

Imagine saving $500 per month in energy, water, and sewerage bills. That's $60,000 saved over 10 years. That being said - ideally someone could do something similar to this Earthship for less money. New build housing is expensive. Materials cost a lot and labor is a big factor. Older homes or trailers may be filled with toxic chemicals from past generations, and often require a lot of upkeep. Roofs and walls can be ticking timebombs just waiting to cost thousands in repairs.

[@court2379]

@@Nphen Where are you located? I run about $150/m for gas and electricity on average. Are those east coast prices?

[@theuglykwan]

@@Nphen I live in Scotland, my energy, water, sewerage bills are probably $180 or so a month. It would nice to knock it down to zero though or close to it.

[@agentx250]

@@Nphen Old homes are not that high of a risk or you wouldn't be able to insure them. New construction has never been easier; once you have the blueprints you can do most of the framing yourself if you wanted. I'd sure as hell rather pound nails where ever I wanted than beat tires in the middle of a desert.

[@carolinebray82]

I love rewatching this, currently on my second night of staying in an earthship! I want one and I want go crazy build like Michael did 🥰🌱🚗🔌🌻🤘🏻🐝😎😻

[@andrewcheshire244]

Love it!!! I just couldn’t imagine life without internet and in such isolation.

[@joelweinberg18]

As an architect...this is beautiful in all ways..

[@juansmithe9988]

I like everything about these structures except the bottle walls. One day I’m gonna build something like this.

[@joecunningham1937]

My concern with these earthships are more about humidity. Seems nice in a desert but the rest of the world only gets more humid. I think the layout should work, but with more modern building materials. Also wonder why nobody has any wind turbines. Open areas like these would seem like good places for small scale turbines. I'm no expert, just questions.

[@SinMore]

water turbines from rivers work quite well.

[@gheewhiz]

i lived in two different earthships some years ago. god i miss it!

[@ig7157]

If you don't mind sharing, why did you leave?

[@Elic205]

@@ig7157 internet? 😎

[@raksh9]

Please share some earthship stories. What was it like to live in one? Why did you live there, and why did you leave?

[@allennolden8735]

These are very nice! My uncle built a few near Flagstaff and he built a Dome for himself. Seeing these types of homes are what made me decide to go off-grid. 😁

[@patstats1]

Thank you for another great presentation. It keeps us informed, educated and inspired.

[@woody3786]

I really like the concepts and principles employed in these houses. Makes a lot of sense. I don't like the cave like light inside the house and some of the found object aesthetic details. I am grateful that Earthship is testing this out on a large scale, and hopefully making these simple concepts more mainstream (minus some of the aesthetic decisions)

[@jonothandoeser]

I think you have to go outside of the Taos/Mike Reynolds models to truly see the state-of-the-art earthships today. The Taos models still tend to carry the original Hippie aesthetic they were born out of. Rough finish, slightly dirty, junk yard recycling, amateur/commune build process. You can find a lot more refined designs using the same principles and layout elsewhere these days.

[@jdbjoshua]

I really love the idea of the Earthship but I have looked at several in Missouri and everyone that I looked at had mold issues what could be done to adapt these to humid climates?

[@wanderingman8921]

The cooling tubes would have to loop back into the house instead of going to atmosphere, and you'd need to have a dehumidifier running constantly. Otherwise it would almost be doable.

[@xploration1437]

Where in MO?

[@Pythonzzz]

@Wandering man dehumidifiers are pretty energy intensive, aren’t they? Seems to run counter to the passive approach of this type of construction.

[@dansvec8759]

Air flow problems cause mold to settle. Good air flow can take place of a energy using dehumidifier

[@DannyCreech]

I've been watching Mike for 20+ years now. I love what he does and once this is up to code, it will be great! It's not that hard to make these homes to code and use all or most of the principle design elements that Mike and many others have thought up. I love the idea of catching my own water vrs having a well. I love the idea of air being cooled by the earth prior to going into the house. An indoor green house who doesn't love that?! Get rid of the ugly designs, bottles, and cans and you have yourself a beautiful home that isn't an eye sore.

[@OfftoShambala]

The bottles can look nice, but yeah not always… u don’t have to use bottles & cans

[@notsure1135]

Yeah, tastefully and not throughout the whole house, I dig the clay walls and you could hang whatever on there.

[@ericgfx01]

@@notsure1135 “I dig clay walls” should be on a shirt.

[@robind7311]

"once this is up to code"..... Code is overrated imo. Code is part of the failed building industry, a monetary system, not value.

[@robind7311]

@@ericgfx01 right??

[@75blackviking]

Loves me some earthships. It's really the coolest. Inspirational design.

[@lyl3645]

The colored glass wall is beautiful. So relaxing to look at.

[@vikz5786]

Seen one with a similar design built in NZ. Amazing house but very labor-intensive exercise.

[@xeftones]

Just get hipsters to pay for a "workshop" and get free labour and their money.

[@vikz5786]

@@xeftones I think that's what the owners did. A whole bunch of folks from all over the world turned up. They say it's a knowledge exchange for the labour. I guess.

[@vikz5786]

Actually I just remembered there is another building designed using earthship principles not far from where I live. But its not a residence. It's an early childcare centre that also provides multiple healthcare services for the local community. That one was designed by an architecture firm. It didn't take long to build; mainly because the client had the finance and the architects had the experienced construction/labor team to get it done.

[@vikz5786]

@@justgivemethetruth that is true. For those who do build them, a labor of love I suppose.

[@Nerd3927]

No not at all. A normal brick house will take 30 years of hard work to pay off the loan. This takes a 13 weeks of low end labor.

[@wiseandfunfox]

I like how they have upgraded their designs over the years, I'm still wondering why they are still pounding tires, it takes months to pound tires with a large amount of people, essentially they are just burying them, no difference in tires at the landfill. They have to transport tires and go to all that effort for so little payback. They could pour concrete walls and be done with it in a week, rather than months. It's of course not that sustainable, but it's 100 times more practical. They also have to fill the gaps between the tires, then doing plastering layers, that's an insane amount of labor. I would love to see a lower man hour/low cost versions of the earthship in climates other than the desert. I think earthships do best in very arid environments, especially because of the earth tubes. You can't do earth tubes like that in humid environments, you would be breathing mold/musty air.

[@youssefselkani]

they got nothing better to do, that's why they pound tires for months

[@urbanhymns8880]

How is pouring concrete not sustainable? Not sustainable means we'll run out. Maybe you mean environmentally friendly? Concrete seems to be, whereas tires secrete mercury, lead, benzene, etc.

[@gypsypath1]

Urban Hymns Maybe he means because of the limits on the right type of sand for concrete? 🤷‍♀️

[@corycity6897]

@@urbanhymns8880 Concrete requires sand, which is of a limited supply. Not to mention producing concrete is also a labor intensive process when you factor in the raw materials. You just don't see the work as the end user like you when you're pounding you're own tires.

[@katl1489]

Agreed, I have been following Reynolds and Earthship for years. Not a personal fan of his. He a bit culty for me. However I would definitely do earth bags instead. You can buy them by a huge roll for 500 dollars and waaaay easier. Fill them with a coffe can and tamp em down. Cut when needed etc.

[@nandodando9695]

Love it, but all I need is.. 20 friends for 4 months. £200,000 PLus the land, ..have I overpriced it? Is it 20 people the whole way or 5 people then 2 weeks of 20 people at the start?

[@ianrobinson476]

The tire pounding is the friend needed, time consuming part of earthships. Try tire bales alternatively and you can save a lot of labor.

[@dhsredhead]

Well, it's 200,000 US dollars and most of that is labor, so if you had friends to help you build it that would dramatically reduce the cost.

[@JohnDoe-jq5wy]

Thank you for your diverse frequencies

[@ry2456]

The bottle wall in the second home are amazing.

[@kevinm3751]

Why would anyone criticize these homes? Seriously, if you dont like it fine MOVE ON but to make negative comments just shows ignorance!

[@S3l3ct1ve]

I would like to see more videos about homes made out of SIP panels :) they may be pretty common in USA, but here in Europe the SIP`S are only starting to emerge. The price point is really appealing, the construction time too. They sound too good to be true at the moment, and it would be really cool too see some examples in USA and how they sustain over the longer period of time.

[@daleygreen809]

If you want to follow an SIP home build i would suggest you take a look at the Handeeman channel. This is not an endorsement from me but I found it interesting to watch.

[@S3l3ct1ve]

@@daleygreen809 That is different technology, but Ill look in to it.

[@jellydonutsrule]

I could be sold on one of these Encounter Earthships. I'm already have opted out of life as we know it.

[@terrya1252]

same here.

[@borys444]

Thinking about it myself.

[@YantramStudio3D]

Beautiful editing and music. Exquisite home. Just lovely to watch.

[@HpacEastern]

Well done, this is where we need to get back to for true sustainable living.

[@linzierogers6227]

I like the concept except for having to pound tires. There has to be a mechanical device that will fill and tamp tires, That said, you can't beat doing away with utility bills and having a constant year round inside structure temperature..

[@afringedweller]

I was thinking the same thing...in this, or maybe another video, someone said, 'You just get 10 or 20 of your friends to come help.' Yeah, I want 10 - 20 of that kind of friends. But in the REAL world.....

[@tommyodonovan3883]

They're called Mexican.

[@joffrey.ph_]

Wish I can build one of my own someday.. I wanna be one of those people who "opted out". 🤔🤔🤔

[@jimmyjohnny3779]

Me too but in Ireland it’s not easy getting land etc.

[@lifeisgreen9233]

Feel the same

[@the0point]

@@jimmyjohnny3779 Or building approval?

[@the0point]

The working with other people to make it is also very nice.

[@cliffordl.2943]

count me in!

[@lindamcneil711]

Earth homes have been around for a while, however, issues with radon has caused issues. Have they figured out how to fix this issue?

[@kittimcconnell2633]

Linda McNeil the transom ventilation is the solution.

[@supplanterjim]

"Issues with radon"? What are the issues? What are the sources of the radon? Knowing the cause of the problem, or being able to accurately _describe_ the problem, is the first step, and quite often the _only_ step, toward finding a solution.

[@lindamcneil711]

@@kittimcconnell2633 Venelation and blockage (sealant) -- I believe it takes both.

[@MaxBrix]

@@supplanterjim The ground there contains uranium and thorium. These elements decay into radium gas that constantly seeps out of the ground. That is the source. The radon can build up in inadequately ventilated structures. There are 2 solutions, ventilation and radon detectors.

[@blueycarlton]

I love all you videos very much indeed. So satisfying to see so many imaginative, creative and thoughtful people taking risks and exploring new ideas

[@Evagam]

Impress..the work on the home earthy.. and connect to Nature looks soo Natural inside

[@bobwallace9814]

Seems to me that just digging a hole and putting a dome type structure in the hole, covering it with dirt leaving the glassed front uncovered would be more efficient and a whole lot cheaper. Lighting could be done with Solatubes. Beneath ground level would make the temperature easy to control and cheap. It also would make it storm proof. The drawback is that you would have to mow your roof.

[@ubercai]

Larger flood risks

[@palarious]

Water is a real pain. One of the reason people like to build earthships in the desert is because it makes it way easier in terms of water damage and intrusion.

[@W4ldgeist]

The problem with all kinds of whole in the ground buildings is moisture. It pushes against any type of wall, condensation becomes a real problem and that in turn causes molding. That area is also one of the biggest challenges of modern building in general. Even the most modern of buildings sometimes have to fallback on simply drying the internal air because it's such a tough problem. Whole in the ground Hobbit style sounds like a good idea, until you've ever lived in a cellar or half-cellar flat and experienced the molding problems.

[@Nphen]

@@palarious I always wondered why there aren't Earthship communities up here in the Midwest. Humidity is a huge problem here. Every basement in Michigan needs a dehumidifier running for 6 months of the year. I did see an Earthship build in Canada. I figured the size of the berm would stop water from getting into the home - but only in the desert. Looks like I will have to go the Matt Risinger route on any future new build!

[@palarious]

@@Nphen I think it can be done, so long as you're either open to some radical techniques or use modern approaches, like Reisinger. Takes really meticulous planning to design a regular self sufficient home in the desert. Would be tougher, but I think doable even in the cold and wet. Often the measures you use to mitigate water intrusion are compromised by temperature differentials, like Reisinger often points out. Many of these issues can be made easier to solve by removing wood and drywall from structural elements. One of the impressive things about hollow concrete is that you essentially form an interior condensation chamber in the middle of the brick that doesn't impact the structure. That's the kind of solutions you end up having to go for. Actually living in space is going to be a nightmare of engineering.

[@robertscott2427]

290,000 for an earth house is so expensive. Where does that cost come from?

[@projectmalus]

Food for the crew!

[@lecsu131]

Their profit after building it for you.

[@TrogdorBurnin8or]

Take a look at the size of that crew - 20+ people, and that it took them 4 months to complete one house. Then look at all those windows. Passive solar is an obsolete approach that they never developed a system to do efficiently. It's likely a good portion of that crew isn't even paid, they're on a "learning experience" in the white-guy-with-dreadlocks sense.

[@robertscott2427]

@Jerry Stejskal yah I thought the whole concept was to provide cheap efficient houses. I know concrete can be expensive but that can't account for that price. Maybe it's because they are in the middle of the desert?

[@GucciCaligula]

@@robertscott2427 the inflated cost of earthships is all in the labor. You saw the footage of tire pounding, that shit is hard manual labor that cannot be automated. Earthships that use the pounded tire concept are widely considered to be ponzi schemes of sorts. You either need to rely on commune labor (and commit to help future commune members), or another common scheme is to hold "workshops" that "teach" people how to build an earthship of their own. These "workshops" however are usually nothing more than a way to tom sawyer style trick people into building your house for you. The reclaimed materials approach just will never work at scale. That being said, the earthship concept is genius.People just need to remember to tailor their designs to their climate. This focus on water capture and re-use. Very important in the desert, less so in the tropics. The biggest area that earthships stand to increase sustainability for the mass market is in home temperature control, and home food production. Even if you were still on grid power (you do not need to be) just the effects of burm houses on localized food production and heating and cooling efficiency increases would be significant in our fight against climate change. The hyper focus on the use of recycled and reclaimed materials that people have is misguided, in the world at large but especially in the world of earthships. You know the phrase, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" what they don't make clear to people is that is a list, and each step in the list is 10x more important that the next in terms of overall sustainability and lowering your carbon footprint. Not buying a soda in a plastic bottle (reduce) is 10x more helpful to the environment than reusing that bottle a few times for something else (reuse), and not buying is 100x better than recycling. My point being that this focus that people in the earthship world have on using recycled materials (tires and bottles) is making a minuscule difference in that reuse, but by using hard to use materials they make the idea of a much more efficient home unattainable for most people. If the focus of earthships shifted to be more about energy efficiency but with modern materials these homes would be easier and cheaper to build letting more people use them. Remember "reduce" is the most important step, so even if people started building these homes with virgin materials instead of recycled ones it'd be only marginally less "green" than the recycled home but could reach more people and more people reducing usage will have a much greater positive effect on the world.

[@MINUS005001]

Do they wash hands with soap? How about detergent in water for greenhouse, what is “botanical cell”?

[@MINUS005001]

Valora Abbett , how to wash clothes in this case? Is it possible to use regular divergent? I like idea, but I would like to clarify, how it works?

[@jbhaun]

МИНУС 005001 get yourself a bottle of Dr. Bonners liquid soap. On the bottle it tells you all about the many uses of the soap and the measure quantity. I use bar soap, citrus, for body and hair. Liquid for dishes. Can also be used for laundry. It can be purchased on Amazon. Don’t use peppermint for cleaning the body backside unless you want a joyful rush.

[@corylannon8546]

@@jbhaun buy it from a local shop instead, don't give Bezos/amazon any more money. Talk with ya dollar!

[@pcdm43145]

@@jbhaun "Don’t use peppermint for cleaning the body backside unless you want a joyful rush." Speak for yourself, mate--- I, for one, would quite enjoy that extra zing during my morning shower, hahaha.

[@billymartingould2784]

This deserves a lot more recognition ❤️❤️

[@dashcamcalifornia5003]

i enjoy all your videos, but this might be one of the coolest! i love how they reuse the tires and cans as well as the innovative "A/C!"

[@Mark-nt1jf]

My wife and I stayed in one of the rental earthships for a couple of nights for an anniversary trip. We were very comfortable and really liked it.

[@DollieLife]

So Cool!!! 💚

[@Matt-dx3wo]

I appreciate the design and execution of these buildings, very cool. Living in that particular community would probably not be for me because it seems like there aren't many options for getting to Taos aside from driving. I mean I get it, I grew up in a remote place that was a car trip to go anywhere, but if you want to be self sufficient and truly low carbon you're going to need to address that elephant in the room.

[@voltcorp]

The biggest reason they're there is because it's where the govt allowed them to experiment with non-regulated buildings. And on a second point, self-sufficiency means exactly that. It's very new to human societies to move miles around hyper-specialized neighborhoods of the same city every day. A world built around like-minded settlements would probably have wide mass-transit networks between them, but you can't expect a project like this to take off inside a urbanized (and therefore regulated and controlled by the real-estate industry) space anytime soon.

[@Matt-dx3wo]

​@@voltcorp The houses may be self-sufficient, but the people living there certainly aren't. The biggest thing missing there is a corridor to travel via bicycle to town. That should probably be their next project (assuming there is some cohesiveness to the community). I'm well aware of zoning and county vs city permitting requirements.

[@samd1405]

Does carpooling and hitchhiking not count? An electric car charged via solar panels?

[@Matt-dx3wo]

@@samd1405 In all of the videos I've seen of this community they're driving ICE vehicles. Sure car pooling is good, not sure I'd want to rely on hitchhiking. Much better to have a non car based way to get around. An EV is better than carpooling or hitchiking even if not charged by solar at your house (which takes a pretty big system to do). This community appears to be entirely car dependent, they should work on that next, that's my point and I'm sticking to it.

[@veggieboyultimate]

This type of housing would be perfect for desert settings.

[@FikSterio]

my favourite by far