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| Belgium and the lighted path to the Earthships - Part I |
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August 1, 2009 - Why our country is desperately lagging behind
Earthships offer a solution to many problems. They reduce the waste, reduce fuel consumption, housing is a lot cheaper ...
but they give people in poorer areas a chance to adequate drinking water, more food and even a fully autonomous life in harsh environment. Yet after several decades Earthships are not know to the general public. In the Netherlands, France, England, Scotland, Spain and Sweden they are already built, but yet in Belgium they remain 'illegal'.
Miscellaneous rules
You can not just buy some land and start building at will. There are certain restrictions. You must be connected to the sewer network, the electricity, road must lead to it... directly contrary to what are the biggest advantages of Earthships: autonomy and self-sufficiency. Some rules are obviously necessary because of safety and such, but at the same time many opportunities are stifled by red tape.
Map Global Model Earthship - Source: Earthship Biotecture
The current rules are according to Michael Reynolds, the inventor of the Earthship, the main obstacle, though he sees the future as rosy: "Because in the U.S. and the rest of the world, by implementing the Sustainable Development Testing Sites Act we can experiment with new materials and techniques on Earthships more efficient, cheaper and better accepted."
The time for test sites in Belgium to build Earthships for empirical research to perfect them is still very far away. There are many other smaller and more boring battles that we first have to win. What are the main obstacles in Belgium if you want to build an Earthship? The earthship reporter pulled out where the shoe pinches. He started at the beginning and tried step by step, albeit hypothetical, to legally build an Earthship.
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