Hopefully this website is fair testimony to the fact that we are committed to one day living in our own Earthship in New Zealand. In the meantime I have to bear the stress of leaving that dream unfulfilled, which doesn’t sit very comfortably. In thinking about what holds us back from realising the Earthship dream in NZ, I realised the following:
- Land is too expensive to be able to build straight away (bare land, of the right size, in the right location)
So? Go find land that you can afford to build on - But the land that I can afford is too far away from key community, infrastructure and economic opportunities [schools, work and hospitals (for work)].
So? Commute - But commuting in a conventional sense flies in the face of the whole point of living in a Earthship. What’s the point of living in a home that costs US$100/year to run if petrol in the future costs you $5 per litre or higher?
So? You have a choice: accept the higher price of land that gets away from the need to commute or protect yourself from peak oil fuel price hikes by finding a solution to that problem.
So this is where I have got to and I feel its probably not a unique position for many people contemplating the move to an Earthship lifestyle. I’m no Grisly Adams and I need to be part of a large community and the world around me to be happy. If people could unlock the solution to the transport problem by either ensuring that renewable and public transport options (Bikes & Boats and Bus & Train services) or alternative fuels were available; then I think there would be less holding people back from having a go.
I guess this goes to prove that you can’t just seek Earthships as a solution in isolation. Overall you need to be looking at Transition Town tools like Energy Decent Action Plans in all aspects of your life (and not just housing). You also need to understand how you will meet your economic and social needs with an Earthship – as often people make large lifestyle changes (moves to small farms etc), only to find themselves willingly moving back to their old lifestyle, as all their needs weren’t catered to. In NZ, Lifestyle Blocks anecdotally change hands on average every three years, representing the typical length of time before people find the commute or isolation from social groups isn’t working for them.
It’s a conundrum, so it doesn’t have an easy answer. At this point it is probably worth leaving the matter out their for other’s to contemplate and comment.
Great post Rob. I’ve been thinking about just those things myself.
Ideally my girlfriend & I would want about 2 acres in a rural setting, but finding an affordable patch in the right area is difficult.
We might have to settle for half an acre to an acre. I’ve seen prices as cheap as $45,000 for a bare section for an acre (obviously not in places like wellington or nelson).
There are options for avoiding fossil fuels, depending on where you are. What do you think of biodiesel sourced from reusing cooking oil from fish n chip stores etc? Not sure what’s available in NZ, haven’t looked into it much.
If you’re within 10km or so of a town, that’s cyclable & there’s cargo bikes for hauling goods. Electric car conversion, especially if sourcing energy from your earthship would be perfect eh. I’m sure there are guides out there, & ways to do it on a budget for the DIY enthusiast.
As far as work goes, we are planning to be fully self-sufficient once set up, so shouldn’t need to work. Perhaps just selling a few things at the gate for a bit of cash. Running accomodation on the property?
If we have kids, we would seriously consider home schooling given the backwards state of education. As long as there are other kids or something nearby to interact with.
The social thing is probably the biggest question we have. We don’t need city life, but being part of a community would be healthy. Being within cycling distance of a farmers market & a cafe for example would be great.
Cheers Nathan,
I have been really pro the used cooking oil thing but the big biodiesel companies out there are locking in the rights to the used cooking oil from chip fryers etc. Most chip shops have already signed agreements with these guys so I am lead to believe. They can pay a relative premium for this as they sell their bio-diesel at a discount from the fossil fuel rate rather than a fixed true ‘cost + margin’. Sadly as barrels of oil rise in price the economics of the marketplace will see the price of bio-diesel rise as well. The alternative would be to consider sowing a crop for bio-diesel or bio-ethanol or harvesting it from pig manure etc. But mate – I love the fact that you are applying your grey matter to all the issues that go with this lifestyle and not just building a house. You guys sound like you’d make good neighbours!! Please keep the debate moving on this website – cheers and thanks for the kind words, Rob
Hi Rob, i”m, looking around for a piece of land, i’m in West Auckland, i’ve found out very quickly that there is no chance of building an Earthship in a built up area because if the property has a sewer connection the house has to be connected to it.
So the Waitakeres is the best option, most areas are on septic tanks and catch rainwater. The problem with that is finding somewhere that is affordable (under $200,000 for me) that doesnt need a $100,000 driveway put in and is north facing.
It’ll be my lucky day if i find one. Another problem with that is it adds to travelling time for the whole family, my ideal situation is to be able to walk everywhere.
Or do i build in the suburbs, hook up to the sewer, power and water? that option might be more effective in getting the idea of sustainable housing out there.
John