From the Editor…
I recently watched the terrific documentary ‘Garbage Warrior’ which chronicles both the achievements and battles of renegade architect Michael Reynolds.
He began experimenting with building self contained homes made from recycled materials in the 1970s in New Mexico.
He, and his team of fellow innovators, began building deep-green, low tech buildings that make extensive use of earth packed tires as building blocks, along with various other forms of refuse and natural materials.
The Earthship was born! Reynolds calls these homes a “radically sustainable” method of home building.
Earthship buildings rely largely on the sun for heat, and by utilizing thermal mass these homes stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
As they were developed in arid New Mexico, the homes were designed to collect rain water on the roofs to store in a cistern.
They are also built with natural bio-filter septic systems, self contained sewage systems that use anaerobic bacterial action to transform sewage wastewater to be cleaner than natural surface fresh water.
With the addition of solar panels or wind generators, these homes are totally off the grid and self sustaining!
To utilize passive solar energy, they are built with large glass windows which make them perfect green houses.
Imagine picking your own fresh, organic fruits and vegetables in the comfort of your own home while a blizzard rages outside!
Naturally, the powers that be were threatened by all this innovation and they clamped down on Reynolds and his crew.
He fought a battle for years with the NM Legislature just to be able to be allowed to legally experiment with these new construction methods.
Watch the documentary and marvel at the bone headedness of Government Drones as they stonewall and dither….all because these innovative homes aren’t going to help line the pockets of energy companies, who line the pockets of the aforementioned government drones and tools!
Reynolds ultimately won the right to continue building, but not until he jumped through required hoops such as coughing up 20 grand to pay a team to go around and pick up arrowheads off his land before he could begin construction.
It’s a miracle anything ever gets accomplished anywhere!
The documentary is free to watch online. We have it posted on our facebook page, or just google ‘Garbage Warrior.’ Here’s to a better future for all!
Stephanie Kelley
