About a year and a half ago when we at Valhalla first ever heard of Earthships we were blown away. We attended a conference held in Toronto by Michael Reynolds and the Earthship Biotecture team and one thing became clear – we had to build one. Fast forward till last summer and finally Valhalla’s Farm of the Future Greenhouse came to life.
Let’s just say we learnt a lot and as one of our Members Sandra eloquently explains in her article – 8 Lessons to Help You Prepare for your Earthship Build there is a lot to consider beyond just tires and south facing windows.
What’s really interesting to me however is the explosion of this trend happening not only around the world but right here in Quebec. From Francis Gendron’s many Earthship conferences to – the exploding demand to come and take a tour on our land it seems this trend is here to stay. Perhaps the Mayan 2012 prediction wasn’t about the end of the world but more about the start of a new one!
It seems like people are waking up – and everywhere I look people seem to be taking more action and looking to invest in change. I mean when I first spoke about Earthships to people they were looking at me sideways – and today those same people are coming back to me ranting and raving about the possibilities.
So what changed? I’ll tell you what. Information spread. As the public gains knowledge of the world around them and the problems we are facing and to the alternatives that will empower them as oppose to the corporations that send them paper bills in the mail every month. The choice is becoming more and more obvious to people. People not only around the world or in some obscure eco-village somewhere but people right here in Canada and Quebec.
So Benoit Deschamps is a fellow Quebecois who is doing amazing things. He not only designed and built his own Earthship greenhouse but also is now gearing up to build his personal home for him and his family beginning in Spring 2014.
Now obviously there is a lot that goes into building a home – let alone the huge investment of your life’s savings but this is also a very unique situation when trying to do this kind of work while channeling your eco consciousness into an Earthship. This being said, Benoit has been able to put together a wealth of information worth it’s weight in gold and then some about making an Earthship build come together but also all the considerations – scientific data and info you need to make this a reality for you.
The ebook is a couple hundred pages long and I guarantee you its the best info out there – even more detailed than a Earthship Biotecture created book in many ways.
If you want to know more about Benoit and why you should consider buying the book listen or download audio version of our podcast here or watch it on YouTube below – Don’t forget to Subscribe!
To give you an update the entire greenhouse shell is built and soon we shall be installing the solar panels on (they are already ordered). We also should be sending out the How To Ebooks and Videos to our Earthship Inspired Farm of the future REAL soon.
Love your initiative! makes me want to jump on a plane and join the movement. Not sure if your climate would be beneficial to me after 7 years in the tropics though ;)
Guys, I heard that the greenhouse near Montreal would have to be dismantled? Was something wrong in the construction?
You heard wrong :)
So why does the English version of the e-book cost twice as much as the french version? I get they are from Quebec but I thought this was about getting the information out there!
I understand your frustration, but they do speak French there. Understand they may be charging for translating it into English, and they also need some kind of funding to keep spreading the word.
Are there any example plans somewhere to look at for ideas.??
Hello. I hope you are all well. Myself and a few of my friends love the Earthships. However, we, myself included, feel a little uneasy about living inside that many petroleum products. Do the chemicals from the tires get into your water and the soil surrounding your home as the tires degrade over time? Is that a legitimate concern? Thanks so much. (:
There has been tons of research that show that offgasing is not an issue as well as your water source will not be affected as you are catching rainwater that would never even touch a tire nor will it leak into a well if you choose to drill one.
The tires are basically encapsulated in dirt / concrete / adobe / cob and are super safe where as in their normal use – on the road is actually where the issues lay. Apart from such – lets consider your alternatives – horrible for health types of standard home insulation – and chlorine / fluoride filled water from your city.
Hence why we pick the self-sufficient way of life :)
I wondered the same thing..
I am wondering that too, & what are any possible downsides….I love the Pros, but there probably are some Cons, which should be shared as well. The tire thing really concerned me, & likely many others, so it should be addressed, as well as possible alternatives to use, if someone wanted to try something different….
The e-book shouldn’t cost a dime. Save the planet, make it free knowledge!
Not ours to sell – money is going towards the build of the earthship itself which is teaching tons of people how to this!
How much to get people to build an earth ship for me… in Greece? Serious question.. I read the instructions… but I’m not sure I’m the build-an-earth-ship kind of girl… I will assist and play gopher… but… ;)
Awesome idea! However this article reads like it was written by a 10 year old…