Use and Value Renewables

I had a great question about the permaculture principle of Use and Value Renewables.

Jeffery wonders how this principle applies to things like plastics and other materials that are not biodegradable. He asks if it’s possible to use these materials in a permaculture system in a way that is still sustainable?

Yes!

It absolutely is!

Even though it is easy to say “Don’t buy anything in plastic bottles,” it’s not so easy to do.  Simply not buying stuff in plastic isn’t the solution.  As long as everybody else is buying stuff in plastic, our not buying it won’t make much of a dent.  The problem is systemic.  And we, as a system, need to stop producing so much garbage.

There’s a lot of momentum in the wrong direction.  It won’t stop over night.  The state where I live, Colorado, recently passed a law declaring stores can no longer give plastic grocery bags away for free.  They cost 10 cents each now.  And people’s shopping carts are suddenly all full of re-usable grocery bags.  Which is great.  It’s nowhere near enough, but it’s great. 

Way too many of the groceries, themselves, come in plastic bags or containers.  Rice.  Hummus.  Bottled water–UGH! — an evil unto itself.  Aisles and aisles of detergents.  Hideous microwave dinners that nobody should be eating anyway.  Even produce is sometimes shrink-wrapped in plastic. The bulk section even uses plastic bags.   It’s, literally, everywhere.  And it’s horrifying.

A cool thing we can do in the mean time, is to use this garbage to make things.  I found this website by a woman who makes eco-bricks out of plastic bottles and then uses them to construct buildings.  Go check it out.  

In a nutshell, what you do is stuff plastic bottles full of other plastic garbage.  Stuff it in super tight.  Use a stick to smash it in. Then they can be used like bricks, to build buildings.  It’s pretty ugly, so you’d want to stucco over them with cement or cob, (reinforced, first, with tightly wrapped chicken wire).  Not only does it get rid of a bunch of garbage, it is a free building material that is super strong.  20 times stronger than clay bricks, in fact.  

This woman Tanya is going a great thing.  But she’s doing it in Vietnam.  Could those of us in the first world get away with this?  Probably not, in most cases.  It all depends on your local building codes.  If you find this as inspiring as it truly is, and want to do it, but don’t have your land yet, I would suggest building this into your search parameters.  First find a county that would let you do it, then look for property there.

But if you already have your property, you could use this method for retaining walls, raised beds, pathways, little storage sheds, dog houses, large, elaborate benches…anything that flies under the radar of your local building codes.  Maybe you could do a whole sculpture garden and get the local paper to do a story on it.

 Earth Ship Biotecture is a fabulous way to turn garbage into renewables.  Tires, cans and glass bottles are the main things that are used to create beautiful self-sufficient houses.  I mean, they are GORGEOUS!!! 

But again, you can’t just start building one.  There are building codes in the way.  Mike Reynolds, the innovator of Earth Ship Biotecture had to go through a four year fight to get Taos county, NM, to finally allow it.  He actually had to write a new law.  Most of us are not in a position to do this…or at least we don’t believe ourselves to be.  But this kind of fight, down at our local land use offices and state legislators, has to be part of the process if we want to change the way the current unworkable things are done.

  

Mike Reynolds does not equate his work with Permaculture.  He’s an architect.  He says he’s not a goody two shoes save the planet type.  He says it’s just logical.  But saving the planet is extremely logical.  Using every drop of collected rainwater four times is extremely logical.  Using tires to create a landmass that keeps internal temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, year round, regardless of how hot or cold it is outside is extremely logical.  Using up cans to build walls and colored glass bottles to build more walls, with beautiful light patterns shining through, is extremely logical.  

Earth Ship Biotecture is completely compatible with Permaculture Principles.

That’s the thing about Permaculture. The Principles are written in a very simple way. But their meanings are vast and extend well beyond just permaculture, as a system. They mimic the natural process of life, and like life…encompass everything.

Hope you found this interesting and inspiring. As always, I love to hear from you in the comments.