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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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Living Off-Grid During the Pandemic

Share your Story Living Off-Grid During the Pandemic: Research Study Looking for Participants

Hello! 

My name is Dr. Ryan Alan Sporer. I am a sociology professor at Salisbury University.  I invite you to participate in my research study on the people who build and live in Earthships and other off-grid structures. These are some of the questions I hope to answer. Why are people building and living differently? How they are accomplishing this? What problems do they have to confront? And how has recent politics and the pandemic affected the off-grid movement?  

The purpose of this research is to add knowledge of the off-grid movement to social science literature. This is a follow up study to interviews I collected between 2013-2015 with Earthship residents, interns, and other builders. You may participate if you are between the ages of 18 and 64 and currently live in an off-grid dwelling or are actively building one.  

As a participant, you will be asked to set aside 30 minutes to one hour for a Zoom or telephone interview. The interview will be recorded with a digital audio recorder. The recording will be transcribed and analyzed along with two dozen or more interviews. All interviews will use fake names and your answers will be confidential.  

I do not believe there are any risks to your participation that is any greater than would occur in a conversation that you would normally have about your experiences. There is no direct material benefit for your participation, other than knowing that your answers will help social scientists understand the off-grid movement.  

Participation is voluntary, you may skip any questions you wish not to answer, and you may end the interview at any point for any reason with no negative consequence to your relationship to Salisbury University.   

If you would like to participate in this research study, you may email me at rasporer@salisbury.edu or call me at (773) 312-2242.  

If you have questions later, please contact me at the email or phone number above or you may contact the sociology department directly at 410-543-6430.  

If you have any adverse effects or concerns about the research, please contact the primary investigator Dr. Ryan Alan Sporer at rasporer@salisbury.edu or (773) 312-2242 or the Office of Graduate Studies and Research at Salisbury University at 410-548-3549 or toll free 1-888-543-0148.  This research is approved by the Salisbury University’s IRB under protocol number 12 

 

Thank you for your consideration, 

Dr. Ryan Alan Sporer