Bridges and Earthships
Last weekend we went to see the Rio Grande Gorge bridge, north of Taos. The gorge is a deep, steep gash in the flat table land, and the bridge crossing it is 800 feet above the river. A narrow strip of water tumbles below, over rocks and rapids at some points and smoothly through other areas.
We don't have a lot of pictures because Jim couldn't operate the camera while clinging with a death grip to the bridge railings with his eyes closed. He doesn't like heights. Or bridges.
It's impossible, anyway, to capture in a photo the scale of the gorge. For reference, a human at the river's edge would be just a dot, and the Rio Grande is pretty wide and flowing, although it looks like a trickle from so far above.
After we left the bridge and Jim opened his eyes and started breathing again, we went to see earthships.
Just down the road from the gorge is the Greater World Community, a Taos subdivison of homes built "off the grid" -- no hookups to electric, water, gas, or sewer utilities. All of the homes are built to be self generating and self sustaining for all household functions. They are called earthships.
You can hardly see the dozens of homes scattered out in the open flatlands off the highway, because they are built into the earth on one side, with slanted glass arcades all along the south sides, for solar gain.
In addition to capturing solar heat the glass arcade of each house forms a long greenhouse where crops (theoretically) are grown. Cisterns capture rainwater on the roof, and cycle it through the house multiple times -- once for drinking and washing, then reused as filtered gray water for the greenhouse plants, then reused once more to flush toilets, and finally that black water is separated and used outdoors for non edible plants.
There are solar panels on each roof for electricity of course, and house construction is made from reusable landfill items -- tires rammed with earth form massive insulating walls. The walls are then encased in cement.
Wine bottles embedded in the cement let light in through non load bearing walls.
It's all deeply weird.
You can't actually tour these houses -- this is a private home development where people live. The shots I have posted here are from real estate listings for earthships that are for sale, or Airbnb listings or VRBO. Yes, you can rent an earthship for a few nights, and it's quite affordable. The smaller one or two bedroom homes sell for $250,000 to $380,000 it seems, and you get an acre or two of open desert with that, and no utility bills. Ever. The much larger models sell for up to a million I think.
The interiors are surprisingly traditional for such oddball houses.
There are floorplans of all sizes, and homes can be stock designs or totally customized layouts, although all incorporate the earthship elements of slanted greenhouse wall, earth filled tire construction, and water reuse systems.
There is a sales office of sorts where you can go in and see what a home is like inside, that is really a museum of earthships. It shows a video of the rammed tire constructions, an explanation of the complex water recycling system and tells the messianic story of the philosphical movement of living off the grid.
Except people in this community don't really live off the grid. The landfill construction materials are intriguing, but really, these houses are simply cement buildings with wood and glass and glazing and traditional materials throughout. You can't just go to the landfill and get what you need to build one.
There is no back up utility for when the rain doesn't come. Water catchment and reuse is very impressive, but when there is no water at all (no rain, no snow, nothing) as there has been in northen New Mexico for months on end, you have to drive your Prius to the store in Taos and buy water.
We saw homes that had propane tanks outside for their gas appliances and heat.
Still, a community of earthships is intriguing, and there are many true believers worldwide out there who have been promoting this kind of living since Michael Reynolds, the charismatic architect / founder of the earthship movement, built the first prototypes in the high New Mexico desert 45 years ago.
I've owned a Prius, we installed solar panels on our roof back east, and we recycle consistently. I'm interested in this kind of thing. The homes are in our price range and not so far from town. But I really don't think I'd want to live in an earthship. Too weird, and the inconveniences are many.
I like our house in Santa Fe, firmly connected to the grid.
We don't have a lot of pictures because Jim couldn't operate the camera while clinging with a death grip to the bridge railings with his eyes closed. He doesn't like heights. Or bridges.
It's impossible, anyway, to capture in a photo the scale of the gorge. For reference, a human at the river's edge would be just a dot, and the Rio Grande is pretty wide and flowing, although it looks like a trickle from so far above.
After we left the bridge and Jim opened his eyes and started breathing again, we went to see earthships.
Just down the road from the gorge is the Greater World Community, a Taos subdivison of homes built "off the grid" -- no hookups to electric, water, gas, or sewer utilities. All of the homes are built to be self generating and self sustaining for all household functions. They are called earthships.
You can hardly see the dozens of homes scattered out in the open flatlands off the highway, because they are built into the earth on one side, with slanted glass arcades all along the south sides, for solar gain.
In addition to capturing solar heat the glass arcade of each house forms a long greenhouse where crops (theoretically) are grown. Cisterns capture rainwater on the roof, and cycle it through the house multiple times -- once for drinking and washing, then reused as filtered gray water for the greenhouse plants, then reused once more to flush toilets, and finally that black water is separated and used outdoors for non edible plants.
There are solar panels on each roof for electricity of course, and house construction is made from reusable landfill items -- tires rammed with earth form massive insulating walls. The walls are then encased in cement.
Wine bottles embedded in the cement let light in through non load bearing walls.
It's all deeply weird.
You can't actually tour these houses -- this is a private home development where people live. The shots I have posted here are from real estate listings for earthships that are for sale, or Airbnb listings or VRBO. Yes, you can rent an earthship for a few nights, and it's quite affordable. The smaller one or two bedroom homes sell for $250,000 to $380,000 it seems, and you get an acre or two of open desert with that, and no utility bills. Ever. The much larger models sell for up to a million I think.
The interiors are surprisingly traditional for such oddball houses.
There are floorplans of all sizes, and homes can be stock designs or totally customized layouts, although all incorporate the earthship elements of slanted greenhouse wall, earth filled tire construction, and water reuse systems.
There is a sales office of sorts where you can go in and see what a home is like inside, that is really a museum of earthships. It shows a video of the rammed tire constructions, an explanation of the complex water recycling system and tells the messianic story of the philosphical movement of living off the grid.
Except people in this community don't really live off the grid. The landfill construction materials are intriguing, but really, these houses are simply cement buildings with wood and glass and glazing and traditional materials throughout. You can't just go to the landfill and get what you need to build one.
There is no back up utility for when the rain doesn't come. Water catchment and reuse is very impressive, but when there is no water at all (no rain, no snow, nothing) as there has been in northen New Mexico for months on end, you have to drive your Prius to the store in Taos and buy water.
We saw homes that had propane tanks outside for their gas appliances and heat.
Still, a community of earthships is intriguing, and there are many true believers worldwide out there who have been promoting this kind of living since Michael Reynolds, the charismatic architect / founder of the earthship movement, built the first prototypes in the high New Mexico desert 45 years ago.
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| Michael Reynolds, New Mexico architect and earthship founder |
I've owned a Prius, we installed solar panels on our roof back east, and we recycle consistently. I'm interested in this kind of thing. The homes are in our price range and not so far from town. But I really don't think I'd want to live in an earthship. Too weird, and the inconveniences are many.
I like our house in Santa Fe, firmly connected to the grid.
Comments
I’ve biked over that bridge enroute from Taos to Antonito, and had the same experience as Jim for the same reasons.
I agree with you. I don’t think I could live there either, though, like you, I cherish the same beliefs about living simply on the land.
You will be envious of our day of mostly “she” rain today. It’s been dry, but nothing like what you and Brian are experiencing.
I know I’ve said it before, but I miss you both. I can hear that train whistle calling😊
Hi to Jim.