Surreal Living

Ready to split this eco-evil popstand and live pure as the undriven snow? Would you believe us if we told you that an entirely vegetarian, beyond green (we mean ultimate green!), and organic (like, its illegal to use pesticides!!) town existed? What about if we told you they existed all over the world? So, if you are done feeling like the only person in Des Moines who cares about Mother Earth and her animals, grab the kids and pets, and move to Earthship or Vedic City; communities that are as green as it gets. Who knows, perhaps one day these kinds of buildings will pass building regulations birmingham has enforced, and we will see more of them?

Earthship World Headquarters located in Taos, New Mexico, and is a “sustainable subdivision started in 1994, 633 acres of rolling mesa with a deep gorge.” The Earthship, as it exists today, began to take shape in the 1970s. Mike Reynolds, founder of Earthship Biotecture, a company that specializes in designing and building Earthships, wanted to create a home that would do three things; first, it would be sustainable, using material indigenous to the entire planet as well as recycled materials wherever possible. Second, the homes would rely on natural energy sources and be independent from the “grid”, therefore being less susceptible to natural disasters and free from the electrical and water lines that Reynolds considered unsightly and wasteful. Finally, it would be economically feasible for the average person with no specialized construction skills to be able to create.*

Earthship communities were founded on the following principles:

To reduce the economic and institutional barriers between people and sustainable housing. To begin reversing the overall negative effect that conventional housing has on the planet.
To create a less stressful existence for people in an effort to reduce the stress that they in turn place on the planet and each other.
To interface economics and ecology in a way that immediately and tangibly affects current pressing problems with existing life styles.
To provide a direction for those who want to live in harmony with their environment.
To empower individuals with the inarguable forces of nature.
To find and distribute knowledge about sustainable lifestyles.

And lest you think these homes are huts; check out the gloriousness of some homes:

An Earthship is defined by the following 6 principles:

Thermal/Solar Heating & Cooling
Solar & Wind Electricity
Contained Sewage Treatment
Building with Natural & Recycled Materials
Water Harvesting
Food Production

It’s kinda crazy that for $10,000 down can you can step out of a world of reliance on big oil.. and produce your own energy, harvest your own water, manufacture your own bio-diesel fuel, and grow most of your own food. All in buildings that heat and cool themselves and are made utilizing discarded materials of modern society! It’s truly crumbelievable. And you can imagine how cool the neighbors are.. perfectly like-minded hippy souls with style and seriously consciencious spirits.

Less into hot New Mexico, and more into the seasonal living of the midwest? Maharishi Vedic City is a city in Jefferson County, Iowa based on the principles of meditation. Yes, you read right. The architectural design of the buildings in the city is based on the Maharishi Sthapatya Veda of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who developed the Transcendental Meditation program, and the city is governed in part according to the Maharishi’s philosophy of universal natural law.*

Everyone meditates twice a day. Even schoolkids. — Everyone meditates x2 day. Kids too.

The idea for Maharishi Vedic City was conceived in 1991 by Chris Johnson, a real estate developer from San Francisco. This idea evolved into a working municipality centered on the principles and teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, including his views on architectural design. These views, part of Maharishi Vedic Science, are said by the Maharishi to promote happiness and energy, and include having a gold-colored kalash on the roof of each building, and having all structures face east. On a budget? No problem. You can buy a gorgeous one bedroom condo for $50,000. In fact, Vedic City doesn’t have any homes available that cost more than $200,000. Good luck finding a dumpster in NYC that costs double that!

And get ready for this; Sanskrit has been named the city’s “ideal language,” although other languages are used. And in November 2002, the city council passed an ordinance banning the sale of non-organic food. The city council voted to ban the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers within the city limits in April 2005, becoming the first all-organic city in the country.

Maharishi Vedic City is administered by a five-person city council and a mayor. Few laws or ordinances exist, citing natural law as the governing principle of the city. The city council’s first resolution announced that the constitution of the city is “the Constitution of the Universe-Total Natural Law-RK Veda.” Oh, and good luck finding a restaurant that ISN’T organic AND vegetarian, because they don’t exist in Vedic City (!!!!)

Both citites offer tours to the public… so definitely get your ass on a bus and go visit. Feeling like you are stuck in your smoggy big city? Well you aren’t! There are always other alternatives, you are never stuck! Plus, these cities are growing like crazy, so your vegan hot dog stand may just make a good living!