Read the passage.Earthships

What is an earthship?

An earthship is a home designed to make use of recycled materials and increase energy conservation. Ideally, by living in an earthship, a person can have a home that is “off the grid.” People who live in earthships do not depend on outside sources for electricity, food, or water. Building an earthship may be an attractive choice for those who want to use fewer of our planet’s non-renewable resources.

The Foundation

First, the foundation is built by firmly packing dirt inside recycled tires. Then, the tires are placed in a pyramid-like stack going as high as needed. Next, cement is spread and smoothed between the tires to create a solid wall. When this is finished, the walls are sealed with a protective coating and painted. Some interior walls are built using recycled cans and cement, also sealed with a protective coating.

Solar Energy

Solar panels give enough stored energy in batteries to provide electricity for appliances, lighting, and electronics. However, solar-powered batteries hold about one-third the charge of energy used in a regular household wired for electricity. This means that people either buy more batteries or intend to use less electricity than a conventional household. Ideally, earthships are built in places where there is an abundance of sunshine year-round.

Floor-to-ceiling windows on an earthship’s south wall also allow plenty of sunlight. It is important that no trees block the light on this side of the house. The sunlight shines directly onto a brick floor, which then absorbs the heat. This provides enough warmth to maintain a comfortable temperature in the house for the rest of the day. This method of heating the home is called passive solar. Most earthships also have either a wood stove or a heater that uses propane, a type of natural gas. These heat sources are useful on cloudy days. During the summer, the combination of the cool temperature of the earth beneath the floor plus the thick walls can keep the house comfortable without the use of air-conditioning.

Recycled Water

Gutters on the roof collect rainwater that then trickles down into large storage barrels. The water is used for taking showers, doing dishes, and flushing the toilet. It is also filtered for drinking. People sometimes build a greenhouse to grow their own food. Water that has been used for dishwashing or showers can be saved if the soaps are chemical-free. This recycled “gray” water can be used yet again to water the plants in the greenhouse.

Potential Problems

Earthships have been around since the 1970s. Now, long-term studies have revealed some problems. For one, without sufficient sunlight during the winter, large amounts of natural gas known as propane and/or wood are used to heat the home. Propane use can be costly, and unless one has planned far ahead, a wood supply can be quickly depleted.

Another problem is that tires used in the foundation walls can, after a long period of time, begin to crack, releasing a toxic gas that has built up over time in the walls. The use of cement, which is a porous material with many small holes and spaces, allows the gases to leak into the air. The type of gas emitted is not detectable by smell but can make people sick. To address this problem, the walls of the home needs to be resealed every year.

Cost can also be a significant challenge. Some earthship building companies claim that it is far cheaper to build an earthship because only recycled materials are used. Also, a contractor’s license or training is not needed to build one. This, though, is true if it is built 100% by the owner, which could take years to complete. Additionally, the cement, plumbing, and electrical components, as well as the cost of installing solar panels, can be expensive. Just as with the construction of a conventional home, proper permits are often needed to build an earthship.

There are clear advantages and disadvantages to these unique homes. As technology improves and new solutions are discovered, earthships may continue to be a wise way to live sustainably using minimal resources.

Based on the passage "Earthships," what does the term gray water mean?

A). reusable wastewater

B). pure spring water

C).gutters that collect rainwater

D).filtered drinking water

Answers

Answer 1

Answer:

Answer:

Explanation:

It is reusable wastewater because it is stated that this gray water is produced from the water used in washing the dishes and flushing.

Answer 2

Answer:

Answerguttersthatrainwater-gutterscollectrain waterandtrickledintolargestoragebarrelthatwaterusedagain andagain.ex-washingclothes,filteringtodrink, fleshingtoilet,takingbath,etc.

Related Questions

The ratification process has been criticized because State legislatorsA. rarely call for an advisory vote by the people before action is taken on a proposed amendment.B. usually vote along party lines on a proposed amendment.C. are not elected because of their views on a proposed amendment.D. are responsible for selecting the delegates to the convention held for a proposed amendment.
Why was the silk road important during the postclassical era? A: it allowed European civilization to sail west to reach Asia B: it connected Mesoamerica with North and South America C: it provided a trade route between europe, Africa and Asia. d it allowed islamis and European militaries to conquer East Asia.
Which minerals and gems are commonly mined in the Tropical North?Choose all answers that are correct.a. diamondsb. rubiesc. emeraldsd. bauxite
Both Pilgrims and Puritans established New World colonies to
Truant officers came into use in the United States in the late 1800s. What's the role of a truant officer?

How could the alliance become problematic in the future

Answers

Answer:

Moral hazard is encouraged by US security guarantees, in which an individual takes a greater risk because someone else bears the cost. Allies may become complacent in dealing with rivals when they are protected by the world's most powerful military.Even non-allies are susceptible to the phenomenon if they believe they have anything like a security promise from the US, as Georgia and Russia did in 2008. Using NATO to assist Ukraine today could yield similar results. Another example is Saudi Arabia's recent adventurism. Via moral hazard, alliances may cause instability among neighbors, dragging the US into wars it unintentionally encouraged. This issue would be mitigated if allies were more worried about losing US defense.

Which name was given to the U.S. policy of giving military aid to countries to help them stop the spread of communism?Eisenhower Initiative

Truman Doctrine

Yalta Agreement

Marshall Plan

Answers

The correct answer is B. Truman Doctrine

Explanation

Truman Doctrine was an American politic plan that came up in the decade of the forties, created with the objective to give military support to the countries that were resisting against the foreign influence and most of the communist ideology. Its name is due to the American president Harry Truman who was the principal promoter of this politic. Additionally, in that time Greece and Turkey were in internal confrontations against communist which cause these were the first countries that received the military aid. So the correct answer is B. Truman Doctrine.

The Marshall Plan provided war torn countries in Europe financial aid to help repair their governments so that they would not give in to Communist aggression.

Under the articles of confederation, the greatest amount of power was in the hands of the...

Answers

States because the American people wanted to prevent the central government from becoming tyrannical. But the central government was too weak and could not rely on the states for support.

During the red scare the U.S. government.....

Answers

Answer:

was scared of the color red

Answer:

members of the entertainment industry were falsely accused of being communists.

Explanation:

What type of physical conditions did the people face in alaska during the klondike gold rush

Answers

The most common disease faced in Alaska during the Klondike gold rush was typhoid fever.

Typhoid fever was the most common afliction that affected miners. This was partly due to the miners building their cabins and tents far too close to each other, on soil that was frequently a flat tundra.

Also, the frozen ground did not allow for surface water to drain off. However the disease would have been far worse had not so many miners constantly boiled their drinking water.

The miners also contracted diseases such as tuberculosis and pneumonia due to the poor conditions of the miner's cabins.

What governmental problem occurred under the articles of confederation?

Answers

the states did not cooperate with each other

Other Questions

Why did most emigrants from England come to America in the 1600s?

What role did disease play in encounters between native groups and british settlers

In what century was the Jamestown colony founded?

What events first sparked Europeans' interest in Asia and the Middle East, starting in the thirteenth century?