There is so much information on the internet about earthships I am just going to link to several things here.

The following links are earthship stories:

• Stuart Simmons’ earthship story from Durango, Colorado.
• Jason and Ellen’s earthship journey, again, in Colorado.

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This is a building technique that was thought up by Michael Reynolds. He realized that any material, be it cans, bottles, or old tires, could be extremely energy efficient if it was filled with earth.

Earthship is a method of energy efficient building that uses rammed earth and tires as the bulk of the construction material. There is quite a bit of information about this type of construction on the internet, and it is gaining popularity.

The first consideration that must be taken with earthship construction is the land. It needs to be south facing to allow the earthship to catch the southern sun in the winter. Once you’ve got your land it’s time to begin construction.

Tires are the main building material. They are filled with earth which is then packed with either a sledge hammer or a pneumatic tamper. This process usually takes between fifteen and thirty minutes per tire. Once they are packed the tires weigh up to three hundred pounds which creates a very sturdy wall. The tires are stacked or staggered like bricks, and concrete blocks are used on the ends of rows where full tires can’t be used.

Rooms are created by placing the tires in large U shapes with the open side of the U facing south. For this reason the rooms in earthships are not called “rooms” but “U’s.”

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