Earthship Homes: The Environmentally-Friendly Future of Housing?

If you have no idea what an Earthship home is, don’t worry, we didn’t either! Until we saw this Tiktok, that is:

To many, Earthships may be the answer to housing in an environmentally-friendly, sustainable future. They were originally developed around 20-30 years ago, and are intended to be as self-sustaining as possible. They run completely off of alternate energy sources: solar, thermal, and wind, primarily. The construction materials are typically natural or upcycled materials like glass, stone, concrete, adobe, or even tin cans, but the structure of the home is made of recycled tires packed with dirt. Most of the home is underground, with just one small level above ground. 

Photo credit: Earthship Global

The people who live in them love that it can stay naturally cool in the summer, but also hold in plenty of heat from just one or two wood-burning stoves in the winter! The above-ground level of the home usually has one side made entirely of glass, to bring in natural heat, and acts as a greenhouse for plants so the inhabitants can grow their own food. Because it’s mostly underground, it’s supposedly earthquake-, hurricane, and even bomb-proof, making it a pretty efficient bunker! 

Photo credit: Earthship Global

Earthships can be found all over the world, but the highest concentration of them in the US is in New Mexico, around the Taos area. They average about $1 million, but unfortunately, your lender probably won’t be much help - because they’re so unique and uncommon, comparables are pretty much impossible and lenders are hesitant to give loans for them. 

For more information, check out the official Earthship website!

Photo credit: Instagram.com/Earthship