One of the reasons for making Earthship Karuna is to demonstrate that it is possible to create a beautiful, even breathtaking home that is truly green and sustainable in every aspect of the build.
Whilst there are many green options that can be plugged into a traditional home, an Earthship is a complete approach to sustainable building and living.
There is no other model that comes close to the performance that an Earthship can offer. That is why Earthship Karuna is billed as a luxury home with an extremely low carbon footprint for the build process and an even lower environmental impact over the decades of the life of the building.
100% self sufficient. With NO heating or cooling system, and 100's of years of use, Earthships allow true sustainable living. Earthship Karuna is powered by a 1Kw solar photo-voltaic power system. I have a generator as backup but have not had to use it, even during the most cloudy days and weeks. I use a full range of electrical gadgets, but all carefully selected for their performance as well as power efficiency. Water is heated by solar collectors and stored in super insulated tanks. On most days water is piped in at around 70 degrees and is perfect for a hot bath at no cost.
I have now lived my first winter season in Earthship Karuna. I am humbled by how comfortable and warm I am on the cold nights. I have never in 6 years sat in a t-shirt at night! Michael Reynolds has created a system that can be understood and used to create what some refer to as magic. Simply put, when you harness the power of the sun and the other forces of the earth, and you work in harmony with them , it is possible to create a new kind of home that redefines the entire concept of what is home is.
These buildings are designed specifically to your needs and to the needs of the location you are in. I learned about Earthship Biotecture 15 years ago. I dreamed that I would one day build one of my own somewhere and then live. After many journeys, I landed up in a perfect spot near Kodaikanal, India. As of December 2011, I am just a few months away from completion of the first Earthship for India.