Earthships

Read about the Greater Earth Community here.  See extras 
The round silver pieces are recycled aluminum cans;
The darker round pieces are recycled bottles cut in half and used like bricks.

* No fossil fuels...powered by passive solar and small wind turbines
* Completely self contained with walls made out of repurposed trash, glass, tires, adobe and concrete.
* Special water systems including rainwater diversion into huge indoor/in home cisterns + gray water diversion for plants
* Back of house built into th earth helps maintain a constant 68 degrees inside.
* Front of houses face south, using full window facing for passive solar heating
* Green house runs the length of the window front where tomatoes, bananas, herbs, etc. are grown
* The musician and I stayed in one a decade ago in the middle of winter.  Though it was 40 F outside the whole week, we maintained an even 68-70 degrees inside by working the shades on the solar windows.