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| Water from sinks
and toilets is not wasted. Some of the water is directly routed
to planters. |
A homeowner's understanding of a home's
mechanical systems is usually very limited. When you flip a switch
on the wall, a light comes on. When you turn on the faucet, hot
water comes out. When you pull the handle on the toilet, it flushes.
Little thought is given to where the electricity comes from or what
kind of nuclear waste was produced to generate it. How many of us
even know where the power plant is that supplies our power? Few
people ever wonder which water table is depleted to bring them water
and what chemicals have been added to it. Where does the sewage go
after it is flushed and which rivers and lakes are polluted by it?
An earthship, on the other hand, uses the following
systems:
Water: Water is caught on the roof from rain or snow and is
channeled into cisterns to be used for consumption, cleaning,
landscaping and waste removal.
Electricity: Earthships produce their own electricity with solar
and/or wind power. This energy is stored in batteries and supplied
to the electrical outlets.
Sewage: Earthships use and reuse all household sewage in indoor
and outdoor treatment cells.
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New
earth-friendly communities are springing up across the country.
Owned by people who have a passion for protecting the environment,
an "earthship" is a home made out of recycled materials that uses
solar energy, doesn't waste water and is generally described as a
self-sustained working home. 
• Why pipe water long distances from a centralized community water
system, or from an expensive well that needs significant electrical
power, depletes aquifers and lowers the water table, when water
falls from the sky?