The Freeville Earthship: June 2014

Friday, June 27, 2014

Spring Update

Here is a quick update of some of the things happening around the Freeville Earthship.

Solara is adjusting to her first month of life!

The Greenhouse is alive with Peppers, Broccoli, Tomatoes, Greens, Strawberries, Artichokes, and we have baby Meyer Lemons. The Avocado tree has put on lots of new growth as well and should start producing next year. Water flow in the house is so efficient that we find ourselves running faucets to fill the greywater planter this time of year.

Outside we're currently establishing a "food forest" for humans, birds, and pollinators. Pictured is yellow sweet clover, elderberry, and currants

To supplement our winter energy needs, we're putting up a small wind turbine that should deliver about 30-40 KWH per month

With any free time I'm currently building a 12'x 50' underground greenhouse. Not knowing how it'll actually turn out, I'm hoping that it stays above freezing all winter long. More progress pics on this in the future.

FAQs:

How many tires, cans, and bottles did you use?

We have estimated about 800 tires; 15,000 cans; and 3,000 glass bottles.
Did you have any issues with the town or your community?

Luckily, no! Our town was wonderful with this process. We really didn't face any roadblocks with our build, besides the state law of having this giant conventional septic system. Since most of the water is used and contained in the house the 330-gallon-a-day tank we had to install is overkill. Our neighbors and community members appear to like us and our earthship!

Why did you do this?

Because it's a neat concept, very rewarding, and just makes a lot of sense. It is self-sustaining and we want to feel safe and independent. We are young, don't have a family yet, have summers off both being teachers, and just decided to go for it!