Garbage Warrior review – be inspired!
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Michael Reynolds making earthships from 'waste'
Garbage Warrior is one of the most inspiring films I’ve watched in a long time.
It tells the story of the free spirited architect Michael Reynolds who lives in New Mexico. He takes ‘rubbish’ such as beer cans, car tyres and glass bottles and turns them into thermal mass and energy-independent housing. Re use at its best! One man’s rubbish and all that.
Michael built his first ‘earthship’ in the early 1970s (long before most of us were contemplating the need for making the most of dwindling resources) and has since built several self sufficient, off grid communities.
Sustainable living
The homes gather and purify rainwater, utilise the sun for power, are made from natural and recycled materials and have virtually no heating or coolling bills despite winter temperatures of -30 and daytime temperatures hot enough to melt plastic! Not only that, but these houses are truly beautiful. They are quirky, unique and quite unlike the monopoly style homes we are all used to.
The story is incredible, and Michael’s motivation and energy is edifying.
Self sufficient communities
Unfortunately, these buildings don’t adhere to accepted building rules and regulations. Despite ‘the authorities trying to stop Michael’s progress for self sufficient communities (they consider global warming to be a myth) he is not a man to be deterred. While people wearing expensive suits spend years reaching a decision about changing the law, Mother Nature is unleashing tsunamis and hurricanes around the world. In the meantime Michael and his team travel to devastated communities to share their skills for sustainable housing which shows his true nature – one of a visionary, a pioneer and a man filled with altruism.
Resources not rubbish
As Michael says “architecture should be about people and society. And people and society won’t be around for much longer if we keep living so wastefully”.
Garbage Warrior is engaging, funny, profound, compelling and inspiring. If ever you want proof that one man can change the world; this is it.
Buy it, watch it, absorb it, be inspired and get copies for your friends.
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I would love to live in an earthship, they’re like hobbit holes! Absolutely brilliant.
Now I know what to do with that spare car tyre I have in the garden 🙂 I need a new shed, which could become a mini earthship, but I bet my husband won’t let me build such a construction in our garden. He is a planner after all. 😉
@Sarah: They are lovely looking things – you should see the ones highlighted in this film; really beautiful.
@karen Cannard: What about the spare tyre Mr G has around his middle?! 😀 Maybe you should start small by planting potatoes in your tyre 😉
I saw this film in 2008 and was very impressed. Because he built his prototype in the desert he made the mistake of not allowing for cooling systems and one buyer had found everything melting in the summer.