“Garbage Warrior” is a new film about controversial architect Michael Reynolds, who has been building radically sustainable architecture and off-the-grid energy communities for 35 years. Our trash is his muse ” everything from old tires to plastic bottles to beer cans ” all transformed into energy independent eco-homes he calls “earthships.”

The walls absorb heat from sunlight in the winter, and insulate against the heat of summer. Windows are strategically placed and adjustable modulate sunlight; solar panels and wind turbines generate electricity. Rainwater is captured; wastewater is filtered and reused. Greenhouse areas are used to grow food. The aim is to make the people who live in these houses self-sufficient.

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By Kerry Trueman

Most of us turn on our faucets without giving a thought to where the water’s coming from, but that’s about to change for residents of Orange County. Starting this Friday, the Orange County Water District is launching a new system to recycle wastewater, in collaboration with the county’s sanitation district.

The process is sometimes called “toilet to tap,” and with water shortages increasingly more common across the country, we may have to swallow the fact that we can no longer afford to simply flush all that water away.