Lets build our own community out of recyclable materials

Well I'm thinking ahead and taking the next step in building our GREEN community. Our plan is to complete our Earthship by this spring or at least have the majority of it complete for others to see. I will be adding dates for this summer for Lectures, Workshops and Writings on 'How To Build Your Own Earthship'. Not only will this give everyone the chance to live green but rather the education on where to start and the steps made possible to complete their own home or building.

We burn 40,000 tires a day in Ohio if not more! With this amount of tire waste we could build 56 -1100 sq' Biotecture homes, garages, etc. The American way is always to have new, well new can be made from recycled materials. Use the materials we have before taking more of what we don't need. Is this lack of responsibility to help the environment with recyclables, or just a scary situation for home builders? If a major GREEN movement started would we have problems with builders, government or suppliers trying to stop the progress and decide we are crazy? Well this is the generation 'X' coming forward and putting a stand on conventional ways of home living we are custom to. I believe we all x'ers can pull this off for the next generations have available to them what they will need to be GREEN. I know it's hard for the older generations to imagine this can come true. But think about what they have seen and how the planet has grown in their lifetime. They must be optimistic to a way of the future and need to think about our family generations to come. It is possible to do what’s best but if we Americans don't act now it may be to late in the near future to start using what we have readily available. So for the REAL GREEN thinkers, let's make our County the future in the first steps to living a sustainable life with the thoughts materials we have. It's not far fetched people, ITS HERE! Let's get this done and join together for our future and the future of Clinton County!!

I hope I'm not being the only one that really wants to make a difference in our County in a short life here on earth. I want to be remembered for what I did in our community and give my kids the lives they deserve in the future not ruin it for them and future generations.

Thanks for listening and stay tuned for our goals!

As of this week we have completed the installation on our top plates. I would like to start installing our rough cut beams but due the weather I'm holding off until it dries a bit. Instead we skipped a step and started installing our aluminum cans and mud into the tire voids to form a straight wall. You can see in the pictures how the cans are put into place by hand. Each void will have 3 cans packed around with mud. Neither of the cans will be touching one another. This has greatly added to our insulation and is keeping the inside under the tarp much warmer.

Tire packing is complete on the earthship! November 20, 2008

Well Jason has finished packing the tires for the U shaped rooms. He has packed about 700 tires since July. We have completed digging out the top tires to concrete anchors inside the tire this will secure our green board top plates. Concrete anchors will be used with every other tire starting at the end walls. Once top plates are in we can start to install our 6 x 6 beams and roof boards. We have also designed and started packing the tires for the front of the earthship which will be our window anchoring system. You can see these pictures in our album. The front window tire wall is 4 rows high with 25 tires per row. Jason is on his 2nd run of tires.
The dirt berm has been half way back filled and hailing is going on everyday from our south field. Weeks away from installing dirt and cans to fill tire voids for insulation.
It has been a rough road to were we are now. Original plan was to be framed in by October but with the endurance level needed to pack tire after tire we have just finished. So a month or two behind but we're hoping it takes off from here.

It's coming along just have your plans ready to see our creation!!!

Enjoy, I know we are!!!

I have videos http://www.youtube.com/user/OhioLavenderFarm

Mike

Earthship Update October 31, 2008

Well Jason the tire packer has come a long way in helping build the 'Earthship'. As of today is about 15 tires or 2 days from completion. He has over 600 tires completed. Lumber has finished drying in the barn and top plates are about to be installed. Soon as the plates are done we can back fill the berm around the outside of the tires hiding whats underneath. It's amazing when people drive by and have to do a double take on whats being built. So great!! Thanks people!

As everyone knows we will not be having the Lavender Festival this year like planned. This structure has been our priority and very time consuming. We have to remember don't rush. Spending more time on the project could make your experience here that much better. Please stay tuned to our dreams and make sure your apart of being green! RECYCLE!!! We need aluminum cans!!!!

Peace, Love and Lavender!!

Earthship Construction has begun April 2, 2008

The tires have been aligned in the layout that has been chosen for our Eathship Biotecture structure. There will be one large 30’w x 24’depth display room with a greenhouse glass front. Each side of the ship near the greenhouse front will have an entrance to the west and east social areas. Located outside the Earthship store surrounded by adobe type walls staggering down to allow our friends and customers an open view of the fields.

So far we have excavated and laid the tires out ready for pounding dirt. Still in the tire collection process now. We need to pick out 16" or 17" tires about the same size to keep wall foundation level for top plates (treated wood that sits under roof trusses). I thought about having RUMPKE deliver a truckload of tires. Once all the tires are collected we can really start to build. Next step before completing tire packing is to lay a 2’ wide steal pipe, 16’long, 8’ deep under the main Earthship room. The ends will have 45-degree elbows going towards the back wall into each corner’s of the room. There will be a fan added to one end of the pipes coming out of the ground from the tube. The fan can be turned on for natural cooling using the earth’s 58-degree thermal temperature to cool the earthship during hot summers. CHEAP AIR CONDITION!!

Once the serious work has begun packing tires, we should be off in a good start. Hopefully we can gather up enough help for a week to have all tires packed within 10 days. This may involve finding Hispanic labor if friends cannot help out. But who knows maybe someone will drop a crew on us. As of know its Kym packing all those tires by herself due to my bad back. After the tires are complete we can begin filling tires gaps with pop cans and concrete. Then start on the roof. Which will be explained later, but easily built with a lean too look with sheet metal roofing.

So wish us luck and good health to get this done soon. Good thing it doesn’t have to be completely done until 2009 summer for our first Lavender Festival, hopefully.

Mike