Earthship Project Europe

The Earthship is a completely independent globally oriented dwelling unit made from materials that are indigenous to the entire planet. The major structural building component of the Earthship is recycled automobile tires lled with compacted earth to form a rammed earth brick encased in steel belted rubber. This brick and the resulting bearing walls it forms is virtually indestructible. (see www. earthship.org)

Our goal
We want to construct Earthships and be an inspiration for others who want to build an Earthship or other sort of house with the same objectives. The goal is to construct houses which are good for people as well as nature, dont bother the ecosystems surrounding it (actually, working together with it) and be an ecosystem that has balance in itself. The fast destruction of our ecosystems forces us to use rigid ways. We on the other hand will have to achieve that these ways are acceptable for most other people. Governments will not be the rst to promote houses like these, so its our task to make as much people aware as possible, so that they will want a house like this out of free will.

The basic idea

Earthships give freedom. People typically think of giving up something when considering another way of living. Not so with an Earthship. This new way of housing provides freedom from economic and environmental worries. Earthships are physically attractive and even provide economic freedom. In an earthship, there is usually no need for electricity nets, sewers, or heating systems. This means there are no costs (for electricity, water, heating and so on) other than some maintenance of equipment. Using recycled materials for construction (typically vehicle tires) an earthship will: - provide the people living in it with food all year through; - provide the people living in it with clean water; - provide the people living in it with heating and cooling, without needing another source than the sun; - provide electricity as necessary (through solar panels and/or wind energy). - provide the people living in it an environment that connects them with nature, which is inside the house (water, earth, plants, sunlight+ - provide the people living in it with a safe environment: an earthship cannot catch re and earthquakes have little or no effect on the system.

Building the First Earthship:

If at all possible, the future owners build an earthship by hand with help from friends and family, so that the owners _really_ know their house and systems and dont need a mortgage or a small one. People can really be free in this way and help others building their houses or doing other work that they really love. The owners basic needs are fullled (food and shelter). Earthships can help getting more love into this world. An earthship needs to be built facing south. If possible on a hill or sloped land. To have as much funds as possible available for the earthship itself, were looking for the cheapest land possible. Preferably land where more than one Earthship can be built. We will need to nd a supplier that will give us used tires for free if we want to build with tires. We will also need drawings (Earthship Biotecture, company of the inventor of Earthships, Michael Reynolds). A construction engineer would also be helpfull. To have free workers, it would be nice to give many people all over Europe the opportunity to work with us. Michael Reynolds would like to do a seminar with us.

The plan
We want to develop an earthship guesthouse. A commercial building where people can come and try what its like to live in an earthship. Furthermore there are a lot of possibilities we would like to explore. Whether they can be developed, depends on the opportunities we get and the cooperation we get in the area we will build. Things that we see as possibilities: + hotel - guesthouse + little earththips for renting + an ecovillage + seminars with Michael Reynolds for people from all over Europe + an educational place like De Kleine Aarde, Netherlands

What are we looking for

Were looking for land and a governement with an open mind. We must have the oppertunity to build several earthships on the land and have commercial activities going on. This project will get a lot of press from all over Europe and a lot of people from all over Europe will come here to learn about Earthships and/or have a vacation.

Tryntsje Veenstra and Nico Meijer Suringarpad 8 8933 DM Leeuwarden, The Netherlands Phone 31 58 215 98 54 info@familiemeijer.org

Our rst earthship

Michael Reynolds is drawing the earthship we would like to build rst. This is the rst drawing.