Crew Spotlight November 2009

nov_timmy1by Paulette Zander

Like so many members of our crew, Tim Parker happened upon Earthships during a road trip to New Mexico. Tim’s background was in conventional housing construction but when he arrived in Taos 15 years ago, he was immediately impressed with the progressive green architecture mindset he found here, especially the Earthship concept.
“There was a boom in the building industry here in 1994 and there were a lot of alternative builders doing some amazing things for that time--long before everybody had realized the potential damages of global warming. I grew up in the hills of England and Wales, living a homesteader’s lifestyle, which is very similar to living off the grid, so as soon as I saw how these buildings were constructed, I was hooked.”

"Taos was definitely the place to be and getting hired was just a matter of choosing which company to work for. I chose Earthship Biotecture, which was, and still is, ahead of its time in sustainable living and green architecture, not to mention the use and experimentation of solar power and water harvesting."

I asked Tim to describe his job and to comment on his occupation. 

“My job usually entails a lot of the masonry aspects. For example, adobe mud plaster, flagstone floors, custom showers, and fireplaces. But because Michael Reynolds, my boss and founder of Earthship Biotecture, expects us to think outside the box and come up with creative ideas about our projects, there is quite a bit of diversity in our work. Sometimes it’s a bit stressful to try to come up with amazing and innovative ideas, because one sometimes has to create something out of nothing, rather than having a conventional place to start from--but on the other hand, it makes my job interesting."

"I love going to work every day because I know in my own little way, I am saving the planet, step by step, by building sustainable housing. The only drawback is the sometimes extremely labor-intensive part of pounding earth into tires. But there's no question in my mind that I've made the perfect lifestyle choice."

Many of our crew members are approached by people interested in building alternative homes. Tim’s advice for people who want to build Earthships or some other form of sustainable housing:

“I think it’s best to keep an open mind when looking for a job in this field. Construction jobs of any kind are subject to the whims of the economy, but know that it is an admirable profession and what you may lack in terms of steady employment, will be compensated for by the knowledge that you are building or designing sustainable housing for others--and contributing to the health of our planet. As for building Earthships as opposed to other alternative building types, Mike Reynolds has said many times that it doesn’t take a builder to make an Earthship. I agree with that, as the basic models have the non-builder in mind. More than anything, though, I think people should be environmentally responsible in their trade and understand that they can make a difference.”

Tim started building his own Earthship in 1995, adding on each year. He now has an 1,880 SF hybrid Earthship and no mortgage. He believes that living in an Earthship enhances one’s life: living relatively self-sufficiently, using solar power and water from the sky, and growing one's own food is good for the soul and good for the planet.

On a final note, I asked Tim if he had any observations about changes in attitude towards green building during his years on the crew.

“Many years ago, a lot of people thought it was a crazy idea to build a house with tires and catch rain water, etc. but now, everyone seems to get it. No one comes around anymore calling us crazy, in fact, most say it all makes so much sense.”


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