First Aluminum Can House In the early seventies the can companies came out with aluminum cans.  They would last forever unlike the old steel ones.  Soon they were everywhere;  on every street, road, and alley;  and in every park and parking lot all over the world.  The can companies had created my next building material. […]

1) How did Micheal Reynolds think to add passive solar heat/ventilation and thermal mass when he was designing the Earthship? Michael Reynolds went to school to study architecture. Part of those studies was to learn about alternatives, history and other cultures. Relating to the sun and physics is part of these studies. Adding Passive House designs and […]

Cañon went on to become a compound that I lived in with three different wives and families at three different times of my life.  Many things were learned there.  The first tire house was built there.  We call it the Hobbit House.  At right is how it looks today.   It was built with the […]

I kept adding on to the building with recycled materials and kept gazing at the full moon from the coffer.  The full moon came across the southern sky and almost burned a hole straight through my brain. Guess it was no wonder I had a vision…        a vision of four wizards. The […]

After graduation (in absentia), I bought an old barn made of railroad ties on 4 1/2 acres in an apple orchard just outside of Taos, New Mexico.  I put in a bathroom and a fireplace from an old boiler and moved in with my first wife Susan.   We had a son, Jonah and five […]

Well, if I’m gonna try and talk about how and why this Earthship thing really happened… I have to go way back – way, way back.  I mean, if your gonna hold up a piece of garbage to the rest of the world and tell them it’s gold,  you have to be determined.  If you’re […]

Architectural school at the University of Cincinnati was the beginning of a roller coaster ride that is still going on today.  I paid my way through school partially by painting.  I had a gallery of my own in Louisville, Kentucky and was selling paintings off the easel before they were even finished.  My wife Susan […]

Then there was my thesis – hated by half the graduating class and the faculty because it allowed owner/residents to build their own homes within a superstructure of concrete.  It allowed regular people to tread on that  “sacred ground”  owned by the architect. The other half of the class and the faculty loved it and […]

Many people all over the planet know of Earthships.  But few really know what they are and fewer still know what the effort is really all about.  Some think they are just  buildings made of old tires – “what a neat idea” – they think.  Others think they are solar buildings made of recycled materials […]

1970 It all really started… with a house I built out of the old steel beer cans in the early seventies.  It was inspired by a tv news report on the Walter Cronkite news broadcast.  They were talking about beer and soda cans being thrown all over the countryside. They predicted a garbage problem in […]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rvq1c84-ZI NBC Chicago – In Taos, New Mexico, a team is building a model of self-sustainable, off-the-grid living called Earthships. The concept was pioneered by Michael Reynolds 50 years ago and has been evolving ever since. He said the structures meet the six key human needs by providing shelter, water, food, energy, sewage treatment and […]

Tour with Michael Reynolds, #Earthship Garbage Warrior See what one of our renters had to say about the Hobbit House. “THE BEST AIRBNB we have ever stayed at! Such a fun and unique experience with everything we need to be comfortable and happy! Wish we could stay there longer! Coming back for sure!” Book this […]

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – It’s cool and quirky and it’s right here in New Mexico. If you’re looking for a unique getaway during the pandemic you can stay in your very own earthship. It’s a way to live in luxury, completely off the grid, with amazing views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains and you can […]

The Phoenix is a fantastical castle complete with turrets and towers, rising above the sage-covered desert landscape. Full of whimsy, warmth, color and texture, this earthship shows that sustainability can co-exist with luxury and comfort. The house itself is a work of art with its custom tin light fixtures, stained glass windows, and light-filled bathing […]