Earthship Architecture creates sustainable communities round the world. The kind that you fantasise about living in....
Imagine a home built out of rubbish. It probably doesn't sound that appealing and probably provokes images of makeshift street shelters made of cardboard and scrap metal. And yet for the last 45 years, architecture foundation Earthship Biotecture (EB) has been designing and building homes and indeed entire communities out of the detritus that is such a huge part of our modern consumer lifestyles. The best bit about it - they look and feel amazing! Now EB is preparing to build its first project in Indonesia, on the tiny island of Kenawa off the coast of Sumbawa. And you're invited to take part!
Earthship Biotecture was set up by guerilla architect Michael Reynolds and his founded on a belief in "radically sustainable living." Using recycled materials in architecture is a fairly widespread practice - but Reynolds has been a vocal critic, due to the energy required to transform waste into what the industry deems useable building materials. The Earthship Biotecture appraoch is to use post-consumer waste as is, employing ingenious methods to incorporate it in building structures.
Earthship Island is not the first EB project in southeast Asia - there have been projects in the Andaman Islands, Cambodia and most recently in the Philippines. But island ecosystems present very specific challenges and opportunities. Often there is a lack of infrastructure in terms of piped water or mains electricity. For EB of course, this presents an ideal set of circumstances. In a press release, EB stated, "We have been given the task to create a carbon footprint-free form of development. We have a jewel islands in Indonesia...and will approach it that way. We will start by dealing with the primary human needs… comfortable shelter, fresh water, clean energy, natural human waste disposal, food and slowly achieve the first Eco Region of Indonesia.”
Kenawa Island sits in one of the more fertile areas of the Coral Triangle, off the west coast of Sumbawa in eastern Indonesia. Models of sustainable devlelopment are desperately needed to help drive so called blue economies and eco tourism, so that valuable marine ecosystems like reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds and fishing grounds are not damaged further by the effects of overfishing, industry, pollution and badly planned tourism projects.
According to Arifsyah Nasution, a Greenpeace Oceans campaigner, more needs to be done to encourage forward thinking, sustainable projects in coastal areas in southeast Asia. “Unfortunately, until now, we [haven't seen] any kind of initiative on a larger scale on how to address the design of infrastructure. There should be policies in place which encourage people to develop sustainable infrastructure in coastal areas,” he said.
Earthship Island on Kenawa is an ambitious project and one that will need volunteers to make it a reality. That's where you come in. EB are inviting 30 volunteers to help build the community. That would mean travelling to an incredible part of the world and learning the kind of practical skills and innovation that so many of us have lost in our modern lifestyles. You'll build homes, set up water recycling systems and more. There's a $1500 participation fee for a three week build and Michael Reynolds will be there to lay the foundation stone.
Contact EB to find out more - earthshipglobal@taosnet.com or check out their website
