1 What is it? It’s odd-looking.

2 Is it a spaceship from outer space?

3 Or is it a ship?

4 This is an earthship, a new type of house.

5 The house is eco-friendly and self-sufficient.

6 Elongated structures Some are elongated structures, covered on one side with a long row of slanted glass panels.

7 Others are topped with dorms and the dorms are topped with flat windows.

8 The Design Principles Electricity Water and sewage system Recyclable materials Food production Comfort--heating and cooling

9 Electricity comes mainly from solar power.

10 And wind.

11 Batteries are used to store electricity.

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13 Earthships are built with recyclable materials, primarily used tires.

14 Aluminum cans and glass bottles.

15 The outside walls are made by lining and piling up old tires and then packing them with earth. The tires are covered with cement or adobe.

16 One bedroom earthship.

17 A more luxurious design.

18 To build an earthship, you need to get a land first.

19 The interior designs are of a great variety and enchanting.

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25 Water is caught from roof catchment systems and channeled via silt catches into cisterns.

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27 Rainwater is collected for household use. Recycle waste water and sewage for gardening.

28 Interior botanical cell.

29 Exterior botanical cell.

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33 The home does not need to be hooked up to any electricity, water, or sewage systems.

34 The sun is a nuclear power plant that delivers without wires or pipes.

35 The earth can be used to both cool and stabilize temperature if the home is appropriately designed.

36 The outside walls are made by lining and piling up old tires and then packing them with earth. The earth must be pounded until it is very hard in order to make the walls stable.

37 The tires are then covered with cement or adobe. The walls inside the house are made in the similar way with aluminum cans.

38 The result of this design is that the house has extra thick walls, and this helps to control the temperature indoors. Even without air-conditioning, an Earthship will stay cool during the day. At night, as heat transfers from the walls, the house warms up, so that everyone can sleep comfortably.

39 Since earthquakes involve a horizontal movement or shaking of the structure, a material with resilience or capacity to move with the shaking is needed. Bottle can create beautiful colored walls that light shines through.

40 Earthships are much cheaper to build. People pay hardly any utility bills.

41 Many also get a great sense of satisfaction from using their own hands to help build the house.

42 Finished Earthship homes are often very beautiful. The sloping roofs and glass skylights give them a natural but elegant look.

43 Inside, sunlight streams in throughout the day, creating a bright and cheerful atmosphere.

44 Earthships owners know that their homes do little damage to the environment.

45 They can feel that they are no longer part of the problem, but part of the solution.

46 Would you like to live in an earthship?

47 It’s comfort in any climate