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LETHBRIDGE COUNTY — In the dead of winter, in the middle of the southern Alberta prairies, the Kinneys’ Christmas dinner included juicy tomatoes freshly picked from the family’s new home.

Producing vegetables even when there’s snow on the ground isn’t the only feature that makes the Kinneys’ abode unusual.

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tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or It's made of cans and old tires and can grow tomatoes in the winter: Take a tour of Alberta's first earthship Back to video

Made of 800 recycled tires and 12,000 cans encased in mortar, the long and skinny bungalow is a radically sustainable building that offers all the comforts of a modern home without any electricity or water bills.

The dwelling has running water, flush toilets, a washer and dryer, a television and Internet.

More impressively, the off-grid structure grows its own food, treats and recycles its grey water, generates its own electricity, and regulates its temperature, whether the mercury outside is hovering around -30 C or 35.

Located north of Lethbridge, past rolling prairies in a stunning scenic valley, the couple’s retirement home is Alberta’s first official earthship.