Crisis to Adaptation: Assessing the Drivers of Participation in Sustainable Off-Grid Construction

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development outlines 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), one of which is about creating and enhancing sustainable communities. Earthship Biotecture, with its own model within the broader ecovillage landscape, has emerged both as a transformative architecture practice and a social movement directly addressing sustainability in the building of houses and communities. This approach to off-grid infrastructure promotes do-it-yourself building utilizing trash as core building materials. Drawing on 24 interviews with Earthship Biotecture builders, we assess what pushed them out of mainstream livelihoods and what pulled them into the Earthship Biotecture community. We find that individuals were largely pushed due to personal crisis, experience of environmental tragedy, or awareness of environmental crisis. The pulls were to gain skills, overcome tragedy, become part of the solution, and ultimately be part of a community.