Wikipedia
An Earthship is a type of passive solar house that is made of both natural and upcycled materials (such as earth-packed tires), designed and marketed by Earthship Biotecture of Taos, New Mexico. The term is a registered trademark of Michael Reynolds, founder of Earthship Biotecture and the Earthship Academy.
A building cannot be considered an Earthship unless it addresses six principles or human needs: 1) Thermal/solar heating and cooling, 2) solar and wind electricity, 3) contained sewage treatment, 4) building with natural and recycled materials, 5) water harvesting, and 6) food production.
Earthships are intended to be " off-the-grid ready" homes, with minimal to no reliance on both public utilities and fossil fuels. They are constructed to use available natural resources, especially energy from the sun and rain water harvesting. They are designed to use thermal mass construction and natural cross ventilation to regulate indoor temperature. Earthships are designed to be built by anyone with little to no building knowledge or experience, which is why most models are single-story homes.