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        • The Earthship Visitor Center

          2 Earthship Way, Tres Piedras, NM 87577

          Self-Guided Tours available daily – visitors are welcome to arrive anytime from 9am – 4pm.

          $9 per person for the self-guided tour of our Visitor Center

          • Free for Taos locals and Earthship alumni
          • Free for ages 12 and under

          UPDATED WINTER HOURS:

          Guided Tours available Thursday, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 3pm to 4:30pm
          (please arrive a few minutes before)

          $22 per person • Tickets available at the front desk or: https://exploreorigin.com/en/listings/872008-guided-tour

          NEW! Extended Self-Guided Tour 
          $15 per person • Tickets available at the front desk or:
          https://exploreorigin.com/en/listings/876139-earthship-movie-time

          Private Tours available when scheduled ahead of time More Info

        • Earthship Nightly Rentals:

          Earthships allow people to experience a luxurious off grid life. Being self-sufficient does not mean reducing one’s quality of life.

          Our Earthship rental homes are equipped with all amenities that conventional housing provides

          We are 20 minutes northwest of town of Taos, New Mexico. We are very happy to show you how you can live comfortably without harming nature …

          CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT AVAILABLE NIGHTLY RENTAL EARTHSHIPS.

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        • What is an Earthship?

          An Earthship is a type of house built with natural and recycled materials, with energy conservation in mind. It is designed to produce energy, water and food for its own use.

        • An Earthship is a type of passive solar house that is made of both natural and upcycled materials. Several models exist, and can be built in any part of the world, in any climate and provide electricity, potable water, contained sewage treatment and sustainable food production. Choose your favorite model.

           

          View Earthships currently for sale or buy some land in the Earthship Community

          Building cost could be significantly reduced if you decide to host an Academy or a Field Study.

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Earthship Update for Cape Town, South Africa

Alternative building construction can take many forms, and one of them is the earthship.

Pioneered by American architect Michael Reynolds more than 40 years ago, earthships are made of natural and repurposed materials such as tyres packed with earth.

According to Appropedia the first earthship in Mzansi was constructed near Hermanus in the Western Cape by Angel and Yvonne Kamp between 1996 and 1998.

It used 1 500 tyres for the very thick walls, which helps make the home energy efficient.

The use of ecobricks, glass and plastic bottles, as well as natural materials such as maize cobs, reduces cost as well as our impact on the environment.

 
Khayelitsha in Cape Town boasts the second earthship that was constructed in 2010 with the aim of it being run as a swop shop for the community.

Although building regulations are strict, it is possible to get planning and building permission to go the earthship route.

 

 

Further afield, pioneer Reynolds and a team of interns built two classrooms using the earthship principles at the Goderich Waldorf School in Sierra Leone in 2011. Through training in Reynolds’ building techniques, most of the building was undertaken by members of the community.

Reynolds believes earthships bring together architecture, biology and physics and create living spaces that are carbon free through the clever use of sunlight, air and water and the upcycling of materials that would otherwise go to landfills or end up in our rivers.

Reynolds is still active in the earthship arena, having designed and built structures in many parts of the world.

The philosophy behind the earthship concept is that nothing should go to waste, and that by going this route you are doing good for nature and people, and contributing to a sustainable economy.

 

via iol.co.za