A home made of earthbags in Johns Town, Jamaica, is setting an example for sustainable living. It’s part of a group of largely self-sufficient residences called The Source Farm Foundation and Ecovillage.
The home gets 70% of its energy from solar and wind, and the owner says, “People kept coming in our house to see how it worked, even professors. We live on a hill, so we can see when the rest of the parish has no power. When there’s a hurricane, people come to us to charge their phones.”
The home is resistant to fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, and insects and is mostly water, bullet, and sound proof. It is also energy-efficient, nontoxic and keeps the interior of the house cool. The structure used rice bags with local soil from the site, along with barbed wire offering tensile strength. Earthen plaster was then applied to the exterior for a smooth, paintable white finish.
Similar homes are popping up in Jamaica as people grapple with rising temperatures.
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