🌍 Earthship Biotecture

Dear Esteemed Leaders,

I write to you today with profound urgency regarding an opportunity that sits before our great nation—an opportunity to revolutionize housing, strengthen American resilience, and restore our citizens' connection to the land that has always defined us. This opportunity comes in the form of Earthship Biotecture, a proven system of sustainable, self-sufficient housing developed over five decades by visionary American architect Michael Reynolds.

At 79 years old and currently fighting stage 4 prostate cancer, Mr. Reynolds continues working with the urgency of a man who understands that time is precious. His dream—to see Earthship homes produced at scale, much like Henry Ford did with the Model T automobile—represents perhaps the most significant advancement in affordable, disaster-resistant, and sustainable housing in American history.

Consider the devastating reality facing our fellow Americans: The Palisades and Eaton fires in January 2025 destroyed over 11,000 homes in Los Angeles County alone. Less than 10% have permits to rebuild nearly a year later. Families remain displaced. Insurance payouts fall short. Traditional rebuilding costs exceed $1 million for modest homes. Meanwhile, hurricane after hurricane ravages our Eastern seaboard, and tornado alley continues to claim lives and property each spring.

Earthships offer a fundamentally different path forward.

These remarkable structures heat and cool themselves without utility bills through thermal mass and passive solar design. They harvest their own water from rain and snow. They produce food year-round in integrated greenhouses. They generate their own electricity from sun and wind. They treat their own sewage without municipal infrastructure. And they are built largely from materials America throws away—used automobile tires, glass bottles, aluminum cans—giving new purpose to our waste streams.

Most critically for disaster-prone regions: Earthships are built to endure. Their rammed-earth tire walls, each weighing approximately 300 pounds when packed with soil, create structures that can withstand earthquakes, hurricanes, and fires far better than conventional wood-frame construction. Mr. Reynolds is currently developing tornado-resistant models specifically designed for America's heartland.

I respectfully urge you to consider the following actions:

Secretary Turner (HUD): Explore pilot programs for Earthship communities serving disaster survivors and veterans. Mr. Reynolds has already demonstrated success in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. A partnership with HUD could bring this proven approach to communities devastated by the LA fires, hurricane victims across the Southeast, and tornado survivors throughout the Midwest.

Secretary Rollins (Agriculture): The integrated food production systems within Earthships align perfectly with USDA's mission to strengthen American food security. Consider supporting research into how these built-in greenhouses could supplement rural food production and reduce dependence on long supply chains.

Secretary Burgum (Interior): Many Earthship communities thrive on federal and state lands in New Mexico. Expanding sustainable development testing sites on appropriate public lands could accelerate innovation while protecting our natural heritage.

Administrator Zeldin (EPA): Earthships represent a practical solution to multiple environmental challenges: they divert waste from landfills (especially the 2.5 billion tires stockpiled in America), reduce energy consumption by up to 90% compared to conventional homes, and eliminate the need for wasteful municipal water and sewage systems in appropriate locations.

Secretary Kennedy (HHS): The health benefits of Earthship living—constant access to fresh food, clean air, natural light, and the psychological security of self-sufficiency—deserve scientific study. Additionally, Mr. Reynolds has been vocal about holistic approaches to health in his own cancer battle, believing deeply in the connection between our living environments and our wellbeing.

President Trump: You have spoken passionately about rebuilding America, about cutting red tape that prevents innovation, and about putting American workers back to work. Earthship construction creates jobs that cannot be outsourced—every home requires local labor, local materials, and local expertise. A federal initiative to produce Earthships at scale would embody the manufacturing renaissance you envision for our nation.

Governor Newsom: With all due respect, California has failed its residents. The bureaucratic nightmare facing Palisades and Eaton fire survivors is unconscionable—less than 10% have permits to rebuild nearly a year after losing everything. Your administration touts "the fastest debris removal in history," yet families remain homeless while paperwork languishes. It is time to stop celebrating clearing rubble and start celebrating people returning to homes. Earthship construction methods could bypass many of the regulatory bottlenecks your state has created. Suspend the red tape. Authorize pilot programs. Give your constituents a real path forward instead of press releases about "progress" while they sleep in cars and crowd into relatives' spare rooms. The people of California deserve bold action, not administrative excuses.

Mayor Bass: Los Angeles cannot continue business as usual. Your city approved just 620 rebuilding permits out of thousands of destroyed homes. Inspectors give conflicting guidance. Architects report the building department's "answers change every day." Meanwhile, construction costs have doubled, insurance falls short, and residents who once called LA home are simply walking away. This is not recovery—this is managed decline. Earthship Biotecture offers a proven alternative: homes that can be built quickly, resist future fires, and free residents from the utility grid that failed them. Will you continue defending a broken system, or will you have the courage to embrace innovation? The displaced families of Pacific Palisades and Altadena are watching, and history will judge whether you rose to meet this moment or let bureaucracy bury their dreams along with their ashes.

Mr. Reynolds estimates his newest "Refuge" model Earthship could be leased for as little as $1,200 per month with no utility bills—a genuine solution to America's affordable housing crisis. "If I had 100 of these right now, they'd all lease in 24 hours," he has said. "No first and last, no utility bill. You walk into a home that will absolutely take care of you, produce food, produce water, make you free from all these crises."

His vision of an "assembly line" approach to Earthship production—standardized designs, trained construction teams, streamlined permitting—could transform disaster recovery from a multi-year bureaucratic nightmare into a rapid path back to normalcy for affected families.

The time has come for America to embrace this innovation. Michael Reynolds has dedicated his life to solving problems that grow more urgent with each passing year. He has intentionally chosen not to patent his designs, making them freely available to anyone willing to learn. The Earthship Academy has trained over 5,000 students from around the world.

I urge you to investigate Earthship Biotecture, meet with Mr. Reynolds while he is still able to share his wisdom, and consider how federal support could accelerate the adoption of this remarkable American innovation. Find backers. Identify locations with like-minded communities willing to pioneer this approach. And build.

For the survivors of the Palisades and Eaton fires. For hurricane victims on the East Coast. For families in Tornado Alley who rebuild only to lose everything again. For veterans seeking independence and purpose. For all Americans who dream of a home that takes care of them rather than consuming their paychecks. For our children and grandchildren who will inherit whatever world we leave them.

The technology exists. The expertise exists. The need is desperate. What remains is the will to act.

Respectfully submitted,

Sean Kelley
A Concerned American Citizen
In support of sustainable housing for all