Wacky World of Rubber: Own your own ‘Earthship'

If you ever want to make a statement on doing something for the environment, perhaps an "Earthship"—constructed with a variety of recycled materials, including used tires—is the next home for you.

Mike Reynolds, an architect based in New Mexico, has made sustainable house his life's work starting back in the 1970s. He did have to take a long break, apparently because of some problems with some of the houses he built and a long battle to get back his architect's license.

I came across Reynolds' work from a video posted on the @60SecDocs Twitter feed, which looks to tell compelling personal story in exactly one minute.

In Reynolds' video, he says, there are "more tires on this planet than there are trees. To me garbage is gold."

He also says he is looking to evolve sustainable housing in New Mexico by constructing buildings that are at least 50 percent recycled material.

"They use biology and physics," Reynolds said. "They absorb and use the rain, and they give people sustenance. It's the way of the future. I have never been anywhere on this planet that doesn't have tires, cans and bottles. ... I see humanity blooming like a flower. There's a possibility of a better way to live."

So far the video has been viewed more than 90,000 times.

Of course, Reynolds is doing this as a business, and he's doing the best to get the word out. The @earthship_HQ Twitter page has 11,500 followers, and the Earthship Biotecture website has earthships available for both sale and nightly rentals. The website said the six human needs for a harmonious life on earth are: Food, energy, clean water, shelter, garbage management and sewage treatment. The site claims that the Earthship buildings address all six needs.

If you're not ready to buy, you might want to "kick the tires," as it were, and explore a nightly rental. The firm claims the Earthships allow for a luxurious life off the grid. It says all the homes are equipped with the normal amenities of conventional housing, including the Internet, Netflix and flat screen televisions, "all in a beautiful scenic setting in Taos, New Mexico."

Of course, Reynolds' career has had its shares of bumps along the way. According to a Wikipedia biography, he built his first house using recycled materials in 1972. His homes got a bit of attention, with actors Dennis Weaver and Keith Carradine reportedly both commissioning him to build homes.

Reynolds also authored five books on sustainable housing.

But when problems cropped up with his homes, even though he had touted them as experimental, lawsuits and complaints began to pop up. Reynolds gave up his architecture and construction licenses in New Mexico.

However, he persevered, according to the report. After battling for 17 years, his architecture license was reinstated in 2007, and he resumed constructing Earthships.

And with what he uses to build the homes, he never has to worry about running out of construction materials.

Bruce Meyer is editor of Rubber & Plastics News and he sees rubber-related stories nearly everywhere he goes. Follow him on Twitter @bmeyerRPN.