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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 History

Michael Reynolds, founder and creator of the concept, came to Taos, after graduating from Architecture School in 1969.

Inspired by television news stories about the problem of trash and the lack of affordable housing, Michael created the “can brick” out of discarded steel and tin cans. Ten empty cans, four flat and six unflattened, were wired together to make a building block.

The early buildings used discarded steel or tin beer cans (this was before recycling existed). These cans were empty and simply used as free units of space with which to form light, strong concrete walls. These homes made from “garbage” immediately started getting press coverage though they were not nearly as sophisticated and the Earthships of today. Garbage is now all around the globe, especially tires, highly available and highly damaging to the environment when left in nature.

Over the next decade, designs constantly evolved to incorporate thermal mass, passive solar and natural ventilation. The houses we now build with earth rammed tires are so strong that no foundation is required, providing load bearing walls and thermal mass storage. Solar glazing along the whole front of the structure allows the sun to heat the floors and the walls providing comfortable, stable temperatures inside without using fossil fuels or wood. Operable windows and skylights provided natural ventilation to cool the buildings.

Earthship Biotecture locales

MICHAEL REYNOLDS

1969 Graduated University of Cincinnati, Bachelor of Architecture

1971 Thesis published in Architectural Record

1974 Participated in the United Nations Conference on Low Cost Housing for the 3rd World

1973 Obtained patent for building block of cans

2005 The Sustainable Development Testing Sites Act is drafted by Reynolds

1971 to Present Experimentation and development of Sustainable Building techniques

The 2005 documentary, The Garbage Warrior, follows Michael Reynolds as he works to pass the “The Sustainable Development Testing Site Act.” Legislation that allows land to be set aside for the testing and development of sustainable buildings. It gives innovators the freedom to dream up a solution, and go out and test their methods the next day. The building pictured to the right is the result of Reynolds’ legislative battle, EVE, also known as Environmental Village Ecologies.

Michael Reynolds and has appeared on a regular basis over the last 40 years on the radio, on television, film, and in print media around the world from Asia, Europe, Australia, to North and South America, and the world-wide interest in Reynolds’ work is only growing. Reynolds has also been invited to lecture about his innovations around the world including; The Parliament of Sweden, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, National Technical Library in Prague, and The World Wellness Project Summit in Melbourne and more.

You can watch/read some of our favourite picks below…

  CNN International: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDRstVYF7wA

  Lonely Planet: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/peru/travel-tips-and-articles/lonely-planets-top-10-eco-stays-for-2014  

  The Adaptors: http://www.theadaptors.org/episodes/2015/12/3/imagine-earthships 

   “Don’t flush your freedom away” (movie) https://vimeo.com/162741946 

   Earthship Academy (By John Senften) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCytizMTeoI 

   Nevex, a sustainable school for Uruguay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-mcnoPPEWc

   Two Ted Talks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FON-UK_1kyI

                            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqMeqiGZw9Y

   The Globe and Mail (about our upcoming project in Canada):  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/eco-friendly-home-built-free-of-charge-for-six-nations-woman/article29507455/