| To
save one's own life is not necessarily the most important or valuable thing
one can do. If one is able to help many others survive, in the
accounting, one's soul may benefit far and above simply extending a short-time alive
in comfort and safety. If the future falls out as a dream has portrayed for me, there does appear things that we can do to help as many as possible get through the immediate days ahead. Since even the extinction of all life is a possibility without our conscious choice to prevent it, the opportunity still exists that being born into the earth is still open, even if one lets someone younger with procreation capability take one's place, surely it has been worth any effort or sacrifice. This is how I feel about it anyway, at my own advanced tally of years. What I do now to help as many survive as possible actually may be for myself as well, in the long run. Trying to get back to a place such as this, and unable to is not a pleasant prospect, I also have experienced in dream and vision. There are younger folk about that have not yet had their try at being better stewards of the earthship than we have been. It is not just for this life alone I enjoy trying to find other ways of doing things that might be worth knowing and doing. The children of the age of my grandsons may thank me for this, and when I am born again and look up to them as father, I might underneath it all realize the interconnection and underlying unity of everything. I am sure that I have not learned all I can from the type of experiences possible in this earth, as much as a mixed bag of pleasures and displeasures it is. |
| Underground |
| The
advantages to being underground, or at least sheltered by earth berming
are almost too obvious and many to list. This is true for 'normal' times,
but for periods of drastic weather, earthquake, and social disruption
there can be little doubt about in which direction to build ... up or down. Just three foot of earth, for example will decrease the short -lived gamma radiation from fall-out from a nuclear blast 1000 fold. After a couple of weeks of such shelter, and it is again safe to return to the unprotected open air. Shelter from the blast itself is possible, even within the ten mile radius of a nuclear bomb detonation if provision has been made for the intense pressures and heat. Free, excellent expertise and information on this topic is provided at http://www.oism.org/nwss/ , originally published by Oak Ridge national Laboratory, a facility of the U.S. Department of Energy. Hopefully this will not be one of the cataclysmic events we need be prepare for, but being prepared for even this extremity would go a long way toward being prepared for other possible eventualities of greater or lesser violence and calamity. |
| A
domed structure (the inverted bowl geometry is as structurally sound as
any other known shape) underground is impervious to very high winds on the order of 200-300 miles per hour and
above; very strong
earthquakes, since there is no exposed foundation from which to fall, the
surrounding earth moving with the structure, fire, radiations of various
types and many other possible calamities. But this is just the
icing on the cake, since there are so many advantages to both the earth
and mankind, living in such structures. One can even look to
the government to list some of these , as well as some
disadvantages, all of which can be designed and built around.
There are lot's of sites touting the advantages of underground and
earth bermed building. One of these is subsurfacebuildings.com The air in an underground shelter can be filtered in ways a standard structure cannot, and the structure can be made impervious to varmints and even insects which can spread disease in times of pandemics. Properly constructed, the earth-bank surrounding an underground structure can keep the temperature at a comfortable level year round without any heat or cooling resource. This is a very important factor particularly when going outside to gather wood or other fuel is not the thing to do. A grotto room can even be dug off another room underground, where water can be drawn without being reliant on outside sources. If one is serious about providing high protection for ones loved one or anyone, one can provide sleeping areas underground which have access to all survival needs such as food and water. Underground habitat does not have to be a dark, dank, cave-like structure, and can be aesthetically pleasing and even well lit. A good strategy is to have different levels with different degrees of earth-shelter protection. One area might be completely above ground, but earth-bermed and well supplied with windows, another half below and half above grade with sky lighting or sun-tubes, and lower areas completely surrounded by earth for sleeping, a 'bed womb' as someone more clever than I has suggested. This area should also have ready access to storage areas for food and water, or it's own well or grotto room. In this way, the inhabitants have at least one third less probability of being exposed to whatever might occur. Links: http://www.earthshelters.com/ http://www.motherearthnews.com/Alternative-Energy/2003-02-01/Down-to-Earth-Homes.aspx http://www.villageearth.org/pages/Projects/Pine_Ridge/SustainableHousing/Earth.htm http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/designing_remodeling/index.cfm/mytopic=10100 http://www.everything.newlibertyvillage.com/libertyhomes.htm |
|
Below
are a few photos and drawings of a combo
tool/garden shed and an
underground 5 x 9 storm shelter/root cellar I have constructed
this past year.
It began mainly as an experiment, needing to know more about our
fluctuating water
table and how long wood structures will survive underground. Probably
not long, but in the meantime, if one of these tornadoes actually
touched down here that have been the subject of recent warnings it
still may
have been worth the healthy exercise. (There are few activities I
enjoy more than working in the rock-less soil of this locality). |
 |
  |
| My greatest hopes yet regarding underground structures still lie in the Liberty House concepts for earth-formed, earth-sheltered structures which can be hand-built and for much less cost than for standard construction. |
Published by New Liberty Village Press
