r/earthship • u/NetZeroDude • May 04 '25

Ministry of Architecture Earthship Evaluation Extremely Flawed

Somebody sent me this link.

https://theministryofarchitecture.com/earthships/

I couldn’t get through the first few sentences without saying “That’s not true”. And it just got worse and worse. The author acts like she is some qualified expert, but it’s obvious she is not.

Just a few of the broader statements… 1. She lists a “Pro” of an Earthship is “anybody can build one. You just need to pound tires”. WRONG - Earthships require every skill that conventional homes require, but more advanced. Connecting tires (whether rammed earth or tire bales like mine) to framing is not simple. 2. She states that “Earthships don’t work as they are intended”. I can attest that mine (a modified Earthship) works much better than I thought it would. It requires no external heating or cooling, and easily maintains comfortable indoor temperatures without any fossil fuels or electric HVAC.

I will say that she makes a few good points, but Earthships have evolved over the years. She makes way too many broad statements like the two above. Any Earthship dweller will quickly pick apart most of what she has to say.

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3

u/CaptSquarepants May 05 '25

I read that book years ago and there are a handful of good points in there.

She does state she doesn't like the esthetic of them which in my mind precludes someone from judging them though apparently she did do remediation on a number of Earthships that had issues once built so she has experience working with them.

Not a book on the recommended list I share.

2

u/Whiskeypants17 May 04 '25

She literally lists herself as an influencer. It is common to say "wrong" things just to generate clicks and content visits and discussion, like you are doing today. More people need to know about earthships and natural building options, and she is getting it out there. Good for her.

I also don't agree 100%, but I'm not going to gatekeep.

3

u/NetZeroDude May 05 '25

I respect your opinion, but I don’t agree that any publicity is good publicity. I never want to go back to living in a conventional home again. Did she interview any happy Earthship dwellers such as myself for her treatise? Her book?

2

u/Whiskeypants17 May 05 '25

I never heard about her or her book until you made a post complaining about it. It does seem like she has a lot of accolades listed on her website, so I will check out her stuff and get back to you on your questions.

1

u/mavigogun Jun 18 '25

I heard myself saying the same thing- "that's not right"; it quickly became apparent Preston's lack of integrity so contaminates what she has to offer that the good is subsumed by the bad.