Earthship Journey Book

Many people all over the planet know of Earthships. But few really know what they are and fewer still know what the effort is really all about. Some think they are just buildings made of old tires - “what a neat idea” - they think. Others think they are solar buildings made of recycled materials - “great”. Still others are aware of the fact that they are an attempt (getting quite successful) at making totally sustainable homes from by-products of our society. Even this is still an incomplete understanding.

Plants of various types and species once covered the planet. Their existence made the planet more. They contributed to - they were - the nature of the planet. Now, it is humanity that is becoming the nature of the planet. There is a major difference. Plants have a way of unconsciously and continuously making the planet better for themselves and other creatures. Humans have a way of consciously and continuously making the planet worse for themselves - and for plants and other creatures.

My reaction to this is that, the more we interact with and learn from plants and the Earth, the more we will learn about our own survival. Our life methods must evolve to be more like those of planets. Intelligence or not, plants have it together on the Earth - we don't.

The Earthship concept is an effort to slowly evolve humanity in a direction - a method of life - that continuously improves that life by its very nature. This involves changing building methods, changing utility methods, changing living methods, and ultimately changing thinking and understanding methods. This is a journey, the destination of which cannot be perceived - only imagined.

The Earthship concept must be elastic enough to presently conform to existing dogma while strong enough to evolve that dogma in the future. It will cause some pain in terms of disruption of the "tried and true". It will enter every arena that exists and grow like a virus as it effects the thinking of what happens tomorrow while flavoring the reality of what is happening today.

It is now only a seed being planted everywhere. As this seed grows, we will find that we are making homes and sanctuaries for plants instead of human leaders, kings and politicians, because it is plants that will truly be guiding us and nurturing us, not human leaders, kings and politicians. We have recreated the world - it doesn't work. Now we must find the humility to follow and emulate other forces on this planet. The Earthship is the vessel toward that end.

Michael Reynolds