Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 26 : Fall 2015 | Page 27

difficult to participate in the first stage
of the process; their Amish neighbors
help Dan with the butchering. Dan
and Pam were thrilled to learn about
Fort Fairfield’s Amish community and
consult them when they hit a snag or
attempt something for the first time.
The Conklins describe themselves as
almost Amish.

Maine. With just the two adults and the
three kids, it is a slow process. At this
point they have one room started, the
kitchen, which they hope to complete
before winter. They have family moving
to the area later this year and with their
help construction should go faster. The
Conklins’ target for completion of the
house is three years.

Pam makes the family’s soaps, lotions
and household cleaners, and they
reuse and recycle whatever they can.
Pam says, “There is a fine line between
homesteading and hoarding. Our garage
is stuffed with items we might be able to
use later.”

While it may seem like a crazy idea
and one that cannot possibly work in
Aroostook County, from what I saw the
day I visited, Fort Fairfield will soon have
its first Earthship house. With a wellplanned design and five very determined
people, it has to succeed.

Their rabbit pen is made from wood
found at the landfill and the animals’
feed comes from local grocery stores and
food pantries – food destined for the
dumpster. Pam admits she picks through
the food before giving it to the animals.
It was “grocery” day when I visited and
Pam showed me a perfectly good piece
of fruit headed for the trash because it
wasn’t shiny and blemish free. “We’ll eat
it,” she said.

Every one of you reading this article
can do something to make your lifestyle
more sustainable. You don’t have to raise
chickens or grow your own vegetables.
Buying food locally, recycling and
reusing, and supporting the endeavors
of families like the Schupbachs and the
Conklins are steps in the right direction.
Think about it. Take that first step.

Across the road from their rental house,
the Conklins are building a home. The
new home will be either wind or solar
powered, and the well on their new home
site can be accessed the old-fashioned
way by lowering a bucket (actually a
tube) and hauling up 2.5 gallons of
water at a time. Now the real kicker is
the house itself. Not a log cabin, not a
manufactured home, but an Earthship
house made of tires and dirt!
When researching plans for a new barn,
Dan came across an Earthship home in
Colorado and jokingly said to Pam, “We
ought to build our home this way.” Dan
was shocked when Pam, said she loved
the idea. And so it began.
Before they could plant the first tire, Dan
and Pam had to obtain EPA approval.
The plan was approved in May of this
year, the first EPA license of this type in
SUMMER 2015
FALL 2015

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