Earthship Simple Survival Concept

Weston Bernhardt explained to me an environmental concept called "Earthships" that promoted the idea of a sustainable future.  I researched the topic and found an interesting website by a company called Earthship Biotecture explaining the construction of Earthships in Haiti.  The website's introduction stated:

• Fuel prices keep going up
• The housing market is big and inefficient
• Natural resources are dwindling

And finally that the Earthship Simple Survival Concept was our answer to these issues.

Click here for an explanation of Earthships...

Earthships would be a very sustainable way to live.  It would make a huge difference if a large portion of people decided to live this way.

Diagrams of the Earthships constructed in Haiti:

Earthship Biotecture explains the simple necessities all humans need:

1. Shelter, and a comfortable living space
2. Water
3. Sanitation (Sewage Treatment)
4. Energy
5. Food
6. Garbage recycling concepts

"We need to be able to obtain the above in a way that is not subject to thirty year mortgages and hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

We need to be able to obtain the above in a way that does not cause devastation to the planet  we all live on."

The Simple Survival Earthship meets all of these human requirements without the problems that modern housing has. I think this concept answers a lot of questions that the research I've done so far has brought up.

Links:

http://earthship.com/simple-survival

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTqSpx0Vgv4&feature=player_embedded#!http

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

Established when signed into law by president Nixon, the NEPA requires all major federal actions that  affect the environment to be accompanied by an environmental impact statement, identifying any environmental hazards or effects the action will create.  NEPA is a procedural statute with two main goals:
1) It obligates federal agencies to consider all environmental repercussions before proceeding.
2) It ensures that these agencies will inform the public as to what the action is and the effects it will have on the environment.

There are three different classes of action that determine the documentation NEPA requires to properly review a federal action:

Class I: Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)- Reserved for actions with a significant effect on the environment.

Class II: Categorical Exclusion- Required when actions do not have a signifiant effect, cumulatively or individually, on the environment.

Class III: Environmental Assessment- For actions that have an unclear or loosely established effect on the environment.

Every NEPA planning process takes steps to look at the following aspects:

-Purpose and need: Establishes what the project's for and why it's necessary.

-Affected Environments and Constraints: Describes the project area, location, and specifications.

-Alternatives: All alternatives are considered.

-Public Involvement: Involving the public in some way.

-Mitigation: Developing mitigation strategies (if applicable).

Links:

http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/Unit1_01CRSReport.pdf

http://www.coloradodot.info/programs/environmental/planning-env-link-program/background/what-is-nepa.html

History of Environmental Policy in the US

On January 1st of 1970, President Richard Nixon signed the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA), which established the President's Council on Environmental Quality. The NEPA is one of the earliest policies regarding environmental protection and is often referred to as the "environmental Magna Carta." In this same year, President Nixon signed the Clean Air Act making the US a global leader in environmental preservation. On December 2 of 1970, Nixon signed a bill creating the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an organization that protects human health and the environment through regulations and laws passed through Congress.  Then, in 1973 the UN held the first meeting of the Council of Environmental Ministers, at which the very first Environmental Action Programme was adopted by national government representatives.  These policies established in the early 70s were the first signs of an awareness of environmental issues.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_policy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Environmental_Policy_Act

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agency

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Richard_M._Nixon,_ca._1935_-_1982_-_NARA_-_530679.jpg