But will it float...?
David de Rothschild’s Plastiki is a seaworthy boat made from reclaimed plastic bottles. Michael Reynolds’ Earthships (the subject of the documentary GARBAGE WARRIOR) are homes built from reclaimed materials, and designed to provide basic needs for the homeowner: energy, food, water, and waste disposal. Put the two together, and you get the Landlord Independent, a work-in-progress by Providence, Rhode Island-based artists and activists Dan Gladstone and Zachary Weindel.
Their idea: a boat designed as “an open biodome,” or a “micro-continent,” according to Weindel. The Landlord Independent currently isn’t much more than a giant raft (made mostly from found and reused materials), but Gladstone and Weindel envision both energy and food production (including animals and gardens) onboard. Besides a concept of more sustainable living, the two young artists see “seasteading” as a way to free themselves from “…leases and rents, mortgages and taxes, electric bills and grocery-store visits.” Eventually, they’d love to build seafaring communities around the concept.
Nuts? Revolutionary? Something in between? You make the call…
via The Providence Journal and The Providence Phoenix
Image credit: Dominic’s pics at Flickr under a Creative Commons license
August 31st, 2009 - 12:34 pm
I’m from New York, which is significant since there was a family during the 80s who had built this house-boat from recycled stuff and was living somewhere over on the West-side harbor. Yes, the community was in an uproar once they realized what the Family’s intentions were (to live there and send their kids to schools in the district and do Broadway plays). I think the community felt if this family could do it, then why couldn’t other families do it, but I think New Yorkers see living on the water as ‘fishing’ and not a viable life. However, I like to fish very much and was inspired by them.
Oh…and kindly mention to David de Rothschild that he may be inspired by what he’s done, but Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn inspired me more than he’s done so far though he is much more well-educated & spoken…he should re-read Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer and figure out if he could make ol’ Tom & Huck proud instead of just ripping off their concept, but what do I know I’m just a Gyrl who hopes to build her own Earthship one day and would possibly like a house-boat somewhere nice to Summer over in….Peace, beatniks.
August 31st, 2009 - 2:11 pm
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Carmen…
September 1st, 2009 - 2:59 pm
[...] “floating environmentalism” isn’t limited to Huck Finn wannabees: on September 14, the Learning Barge, a joint project of the University of Virginia School of [...]