Finals, Procrastination, and Earthships

Right now seems an oportune time to blog. Do I have four finals to study for? Yes. Could my time be better spent reading the books, covered in a thin layer of dust, that I haven't cracked open in weeks? Probably. But I am in dire need of a distraction, so what better time than the present to gather some random thoughts?
Graduation is looming, only a week away, and I am surrounded by a fog of study guides and google docs. When the dust settles I predict a major quarter life crisis, but for now I am blissfully avoiding the nearing end of my four (and a half) year plan and setting my mind to auto-pilot studying. 
I started a documentary called Garbage Warrior today, and in an attempt to prolong my procrastination I watched the whole thing. 
The story centers around Michael Reynolds, an architect who's life work has occurred in New Mexico, building “Earthship Biotecture”.
 What is an earthship you may be wondering? You are not alone, I had no clue what it was either. It's basically a one man space ship designed to transport us off our dying planet. 


Ha. Gottcha! Don't tell me you seriously believed me? While the name suggests something extra terrestrial, it could not be more founded in the earth. It is a sustainable home made from, as the title of the documentary suggests, garbage. Tires, cans, bottles, dirt, and a number of other materials are combined to create a structure that cleans its own water, generates energy,  grows it own food, and looks pretty damn awesome if you ask me. 

Michaels vision is to create off the grid communities that are completely self sufficient and affordable. He has created a number of communities throughout the years, where people can put a relatively small down payment on the land and slowly build their homes. He has also created communities where the homes are built and people can simply buy the finished earthship. 

The documentary follows his effort to pass a bill through the New Mexican legislature to create land where builders can experiment with sustainable architecture, something that up until this point has been a huge challenge. For all the projects he has worked on he has had to jump through hoops and pay massive fines, eventually loosing his architectural license in the process.

It highlights how hard it is to go against the systems that we have in place in our society and the audacity of a man who wants to change the way we can live sustainably this earth.

As I sit studying for my last final's of my bachelors degree, standing on the precipitous cliff overlooking my  future, this film inspires me to go off the grid, get my hands dirty, and get a real education in sustainability.