Do you have tons of plastic bottles lying around your house and excess backyard space? If so, you might want to look into building a plastic bottle greenhouse. The greenhouse idea was devised and brought to life by Blue Rock Station. For $5 (the electronic version is $4), you can buy instructions to build one yourself.
Make sure you have plenty of tires for the rammed earth foundation, at least 1000 2-liter plastic bottles, straw bale, and two 55 gallon rain barrels. A hefty load of starting materials for sure, but nothing compared to what you would need for a traditional greenhouse. And what better use is there for plastic bottles (besides energy-intensive recycling)?
Blue Rock Station’s greenhouse booklet discusses design creation, site prep and drainage, wind issues, orientation, insulation, and more.
Photo Credit: Blue Rock Station
Ariel Schwartz was formerly the editor of CleanTechnica and is a contributor at Fast Company, Inhabitat, Triple Pundit, SF Weekly, and NBC Bay Area Online. A graduate of Vassar College, she has previously worked in publishing, organic farming, documentary film, and newspaper journalism. Her interests include permaculture, hiking, skiing, music, relocalization, and cob (the building material). She currently resides in San Francisco, CA.
