One of the reasons so many people can't afford homes in the U.S. is simply because our definition of a home is rather narrow: a box-like structure with wood frame walls, a slanted roof, a driveway and perhaps a second floor. But if you're willing to expand your definition of a "home," then all sorts of affordable structures become available for comfortable living.
The Earthship is just one of them. It looks like the kind of place where a Hobbit might live, and yet it provides all the basics of comfort and can be built at 1/10th the upfront cost and 1/10th the ongoing maintenance cost of a traditional rectangular house.
So what's stopping its adoption in the U.S. and elsewhere? Aesthethics, most likely. It just looks funny. And people want to look good in their boxy homes, even if it means they can't afford one.
About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, and he has published numerous courses on preparedness and survival, including financial preparedness, emergency food supplies, urban survival and tactical self-defense. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In mid 2010, Adams produced TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He's also the founder of a well known HTML email software company whose 'Email Marketing Director' software currently runs the NaturalNews subscription database. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and pursues hobbies such as martial arts, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening. Known by his callsign, the 'Health Ranger,' Adams posts his missions statements, health statistics and health photos at www.HealthRanger.org
Have comments on this article? Post them here:
people have commented on this article.
Sunday, October 12, 2003
Email this article to a friend
