Bibliography
Cited Books
Corum, Nathaniel. (2005). Building a Straw Bale House: The Red Feather
Construction Handbook. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.
An easy to understand how-to book on straw bale construction. It also tells the
story of the Red Feather Development Group, a volunteer organization which
constructs straw bale homes for Native Americans.
Ewing, Rex A. (2003). Power With Nature: Solar and Wind Energy Demystified.
Masonville, Colorado: PixyJack Press.
An amusing and easy to understand description of PV and wind turbine usage.
Plenty of worksheets and formulas. Good diagrams.
Ewing, Rex A. and LaVonne Ewing. (2002). Logs Wind and Sun: Handcraft Your Own
Log Home. . .Then Power It With Nature. Masonville, Colorado: PixyJack Press.
This is a very enjoyable and informative book about building self-sufficient log cabins
that function off of the utility grid.
Kachadorian, James. (1997). The Passive Solar House. White River Junction, Vermont:
Chelsea Green Publishing Co.
Written by the originator of the Solar Slab. Formulas and worksheets are
included in this informative and useful book for anyone considering passive solar
design. The revised edition includes a CD for help with doing calculations.
Kemp, William H. (2005). The Renewable Energy Handbook: A Guide to Rural Energy
Independence, Off-Grid and Sustainable Living. Ontario, Canada: Aztext Press.
A comprehensive look at all forms of renewable energy for the home. Contains a
helpful assessment of energy conservation which allows one to live within the
boundaries of off-the-grid energy. Good list of product suppliers.
McHenry, Paul Graham Jr. (1984). Adobe and Rammed Earth Buildings: Design and
Construction. Arizona: The University of Arizona Press.
Gives technical and historical information on building with earth. Contains lots of
pictures of earth structures around the world.
Paschich, Ed and Paula Hendricks. (1995). The Tire House Book. Santa Fe, New
Mexico: Sunstone Press.
This book is written by a contractor who specializes in building homes with tires and
adobe. Lots of photos, diagrams, and interviews with tire house owners. Also
provides a discussion of studies pertaining to earthquake resistance in Earthships.
Reynolds, Michael E. (2000). Comfort in Any Climate. Taos, New Mexico: Solar
Survival Press.
This book gives a concise overview of the Earthship concept as described in
Volumes I, II, and III. The author owns the publishing company and offers
building plans, workshops, books and videos for sale on the Biotecture web site.
Reynolds, Michael E. (1993). Earthship, Volume I: How to Build Your Own. Taos,
New Mexico: Solar Survival Press.
Gives the philosophy behind the Earthship concept and instructions for building this
totally self-sufficient home from discarded tires rammed with soil. Highly
informative and thought provoking.
Reynolds, Michael E. (2005). Water From the Sky. Taos, New Mexico: Solar Survival
Press.
Describes creating a cistern system in an Earthship and grey and blackwater systems.
Scott, Ray G. (1983). The Underground Home: Answer Book. Blue Ridge Summit, Pa.:
Tab Books.
This book is written in a question and answer format and answers hundreds of
questions pertaining to building and living in an underground home.
Other Books
Potts, Michael. (1999). The New Independent Home: People and Houses that Harvest
the Sun, Wind, and Water. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green
Publishing.
Another book with detailed information concerning energy alternatives. Has an
extensive glossary and bibliography.
Ramsey, Dan and David Hughes. (2007). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Solar Power
for Your Home. New York: Alpha Books (a member of the Penguin Group).
Concise and easy to read discussion of all aspects relating to solar use in the home.
Reynolds, Michael E. (1993). Earthship, Volume II: Systems and Components. Taos,
New Mexico: Solar Survival Press.
This volume describes how the various systems for solar electricity and lighting, water
and sewage and air ventilation are adapted in an Earthship. Structural components,
along with a discussion of building codes and financing are also included.
Reynolds, Michael E. (1996). Earthship, Volume III: Evolution Beyond Economics.
Taos, New Mexico: Solar Survival Press.
In this volume structural evolutions to the Earthship concept are discussed along with
how to make a thermal refrigerator, solar oven and toilet.
Rounds, Glen. (1995). Sod Houses on the Great Plains. New York: Holiday House.
Well illustrated children's book which gives a wonderful description of the building
and use of a sod house on the Great Plains. The author was born in a sod house in
South Dakota. Students may find this of interest before investigating straw bale.
Roy, Rob. (1994). The Complete Book of Underground Houses: How to Build a Low
Cost Home. New York: Sterling Publishing Co.
Gives detailed descriptions of the do's and don'ts of building underground houses.
Also, gives a good discussion on the insulative value of earth.
Tennesen, Michael. (2004). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Global Warming. New
York: Alpha Books (a member of the Penguin Group).
Describes how the phenomenon of global warming developed. A good companion
to the documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Very readable and informative.
DVD
Colores! PBS. (1993). Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Program about paper adobes, straw bale houses and Dennis Weaver's luxurious
Colorado Earthship. Gives a good presentation of the building of an Earthship. This
particular home is currently on the market for over three million dollars.
An Inconvenient Truth. (2006). Paramount Classics Division of Paramount Pictures.
Narrated by Al Gore. Excellent, everyone should see this. Explains the issues behind
global warming in an interesting and easy to understand manner. There is a
companion picture book, but the bulk of the information is in the video.
Internet
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. Retrieved 25 May 2007.
www.aceee.org>
Publishes guides comparing the energy efficiency of appliances. This is useful
information if one is planning to generate their own electricity.
Building Circles Organization. Retrieved 29 June 2007.
http://buildingcircles.org/>
This organization creates affordable, sustainable, and nature-integrated homes. Plans
are available on the web site.
Composting Toilets: The Environmental Solution. Sun-Mar. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
www.sun-mar.com/index.html>
Sun-Mar manufactures and sells composting toilets. Informative, with pictures and
diagrams explaining the workings and advantages of compost toilets.
EarthenSun. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
www.earthensun.com/oven>
Gives information on building or ordering kits to make solar ovens.
Earthship Biotecture. Retrieved 22 May 2007.
www.earthship.net>
Extensive web site with lots of pictures. Gives information on seminars and
internships, publications, and ongoing projects around the world.
Earthship Homes Planning Application Submitted in Brighton, England. PRWeb.
Retrieved 23 July 2007.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/2/prweb349593.htm>
Planning permission was granted in April of 2007 for a 16 unit housing development
of Earthships in Brighton, England. This site shows the development plans.
Green Building. Power to People. City of Houston. Retrieved 25 July 2007.
http://www.houstonpowertopeople.com>
Information about energy efficiency and conservation ideas. This site also provides
links to sites detailing green building plans developed by other large American cities.
YouTube. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
http://www.youtube.com/
There are numerous clips about Earthships, wind turbines, and solar energy projects.
Rather than site them individually, it is easier to go to the home page and
type in a category. Try Angels Nest for an incredible, energy efficient home. The
topics are endless. I had no idea, until I started working on this unit, that there are
so many educational clips on YouTube.
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