So, this past week was spent traveling with my mother and brother through the deserts of CA, AZ and NM. Let me tell you there was a LOT of sun to see. New Mexico seems to have made one of the most impressive efforts to utilize this. On the outskirts of Taos, NM are what is known as the Earthships. These are half underground homes that run fully on solar power. Although they may look to some like "Tellytubby" homes they are in fact highly functional and even made from natural recycled materials.
The Earthship homes in Taos, NM have are an attractive tourist destination because they are such a wonder. The homes pride themselves on the independence they obtain through being self-sufficient and sustainable homes. They are insulated by "adobe" which is a mudlike concrete from the earth around them, which is how they obtained their names. Their attractiveness caught on so much that the Earthship company started in Taos, NM built their first home in the UK in 2004.
The link I have provided to the Earthship website above lets you know all about how you can start on your very own Earthship home. The prices average around $200 per sq/ft of home. You can customize these homes in any way you would like to suit your needs. Check it out!
Wow that is one futuristic looking house! I wonder what the small holes are for? Natural ventilation? Natural sunlight? Wont bugs and snakes be able to crawl in through the holes? Regardless, I think that this is a very forward minded approach to help ease the impact of humans on the environment.
ReplyDeleteHow well do you think this idea will catch on with people that live outside of Arizona? Are these houses very prevalent in Arizona? The reason that I ask is that as a society, we place a lot of emphasis on appearance, how we look and how people perceive us. While functional, the house does seem like it could benefit from a few changes that would make it more appealing to mainstream society.
Do you happen to know how much solar power the house can generate and how much is still required from the electrical grid? It’s very hard to tell how much of the house is covered in solar panels, I can only make out two sets in the distance. If they are truly 100% self sustaining then that is quite an amazing feat, although what do you think happens during cloudy days or even winter when the weather hinders the amount of sunshine that gets collected by the solar panels? Maybe these homes would benefit from harnessing other elements as well, such as the wind, in conjunction with the sun, and even add the ability to sell back the extra generated electricity to the municipality that they are located in to further help lessen the impact of generating power on the environment.
In any case, thank you for sharing your find! I look forward to the day where these houses can be found in California.
The house looks quite unique...a lot different from the current eco-friendly/'green house' (not the plant-type) that students are building between the gym and the parking lot. I was wondering if you had any information on that? It is some kind of national contest amongst many competing universities, could be interesting to blog about
ReplyDelete