Earthship Colony

This idea is long term and unlikely to meet fruition, however I would like to get my ideas down here any way.

After I have experiance with the Earthship and hopefully after I have put some money aside, I would like to buy a large chunk of land (because this will not be my primary residencce, it does not have to be in Michigan) and start developing it for a community setting. The goal would be to create a place for people to learn about this type of lifestyle. Someplace that they could live for free and learn about the systems.

Recycling

Having, even a few people, would allow us to engage in wide spread recycling and up-cycling.

Wood

There seems to be a lot of source of wood, such as palletes. If we could find and reclaim these, they could be converted to valueable things such as housing and furnature. We can also maintain wooded areas to be harvest for lumber in a sustainable way.

Glass

If we could get furnaces hot enough, we could recycle glass bottles into windows for the Earthships and greenhouses.

Food

A large part of the operation would be oriented around food. This would be providing food to people who are living there, teaching the people there how to grow and prepare food. Selling food as a source of income to support the operation.

Growing

We would need about 2000sqft of garden per person, so there would need to be several acres of gardens to support even a small population. But having more people would allow us to grow a diverse set of crops.

Preservation

Primarly canning, drying and refridgeration on a large scale.

Selling

We could sell fresh produce as well as preserved food for a profit. I think this could also be used to show people there that their time and effort is valueable and that what they are consuming is valueable (gormet not soup kitchen).