KarunaNews Story

Earthships are net-zero, sustainably designed homes built mostly from natural and waste materials like old tires, empty wine bottles and wood and mud. Kentucky native Michael Reynolds, founder of eco-construction company Earthship Biotecture, moved to Taos, New Mexico, in 1969. When he built a beer-can house in 1971, it was a kind of pie-in-the-sky ridiculous idea, but he’s been doing it for half a century. Earthships have a thick wall of tires, each packed with earth. An earth berm on three sides provides insulating mass, and ventilation comes through traditional transom windows high on supporting beams. Taos has cold snowy winters and dry hot summers, but Earthships remain close to 72F (21C) year-round.