What is Earthship?
[[File:G2 Global model Earthship Taos N.M..JPG|thumb|300px|Global model Earthship in Taos, New Mexico]] [[File:Interior of the Solaria Earthship.JPG|thumb|300px|Interior of an Earthship with light coming in from the south facing windows]] An '''Earthship''' is a type of [[house]] that is built with natural and [[recycling|recycled]] materials with [[energy conservation]] in mind. Designed by the architect Michael Reynolds and his company ''Earthship Biotecture'', it is built to produce water and [[electricity]] for its own use. Mainly made of earth-filled [[tire]]s it takes advantage of thermal mass, natural heat [[Thermal insulation|insulation]] and ventilation to maintain its temperature. Since it does not require any [[Public utility|public utilities]] such as gas, electricity, water or [[sewage]] it can be considered as an off-the-grid housing, meaning that it can live away from public utilities. An Earthship does not require external support to sustain itself. Instead, it is built to use resources available from its natural surroundings. For example, windows are placed so that [[sunlight]] is shone inside the house to be used for [[heating]]. Electricity is generated by [[solar panel]]s and stored in batteries. The [[roof]]ing collects rainwater that is filtered and used for drinking and various household activities such as cooking and washing. Used water from sinks and showers is reused to water indoor plants and after that for [[toilet]] flushing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.earthship.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=9&Itemid=27|title=Earthship Biotecture - Systems|publisher=}}{{Dead link|date=January 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Earthships can adapt to different [[climate]]s and are being build worldwide. In North- and [[South America]], the Caribbean, Asia, Africa and Europe. Construction drawings and training<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.earthship.com/Learn-More/ |title=earthship.com &#124; Learn More |access-date=2013-04-16 |archive-date=201