Helio
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(By Josh) The day after staying at Casa de Los Pasajeros, Tony had arranged for us to stay a night at an Earthship in the Greater World Community called Helio House. We were psyched! We met Tony at the GWC visitor’s center on Route 64, several miles out from Taos and across the Gorge Bridge over the Rio Grande. An Earthship is an incredible do-it-yourself building technology developed by pioneer Michael Reynolds that incorporates used tires rammed with earth, cement walls with used cans and bottles, passive solar south facing windows, solar panels for electricity, wind generators, thermal mass, rain catching rooves and water storing cisterns, indoor green areas with food and oxygen producing plants, grey and black water use, imagination, and magic. They are called Earthships, because like ocean going ships, they float on the earth as self-sustaining vessels for living. Totally off the grid, they generate their own power with sun and wind and capture their own water from rain and snow. Michael Reynolds has spent 30 years developing this technology, fighting the system to enable Earthships to be permitted in Taos and around the world, and teaching others how to build Earthships and live sustainably. The Earthships incorporate local materials and recycle trash to form a majority of the structure. They are fascinating, ingenious, beautiful, and some of the most earth friendly homes ever conceived. We followed Tony through the dirt roads of the GWC to his own Earthship that he purchased from Mike Reynolds several years ago. Its design is referred to as Hybrid. It features a rear north side entrance which is both rare and exquisite. It’s a rare feature because it reduces the thermal mass. The thermal mass is composed of the earth rammed tires. They soak up the solar heat that radiates through the south facing windows and store it. Then, as the ambient temperature drops at night, the heat stored in the thermal mass naturally radiates and convects back to the cooler air in the house. Without any electricity, all year round in New Mexico temperatures of -30 to 100 degrees F., Earthships are naturally able to maintain a temperature of 50 to 75 degrees, simply through intelligent design. Tony gave use the tour of his Earthship. It was my first time being inside one (except for briefly at the GWC visitor’s center) and I was enthralled. I have been dreaming of building my own passive solar house for about 13 years. Lately, Edie and I have been drawing designs of a long structure with entire wall of tall glass windows on the south side. Inside the glass, we wanted a green area with plants, like a Zen garden, with pathways and a Koi pond, maybe even a waterfall. My idea was that the entire house would share the amazing views out that south glass wall. The Earthship concept allows me to continue developing my idea with even more efficiency and function. We discussed Tony’s Inner Passages and the possibility of making a film about it all. He started working on an Action Plan as we sat at his kitchen table and drank hot tea. Tony is really a fascinating, eclectic guy with raw passion about culture and life. Then he led us over to Helio House, a new Earthship rental commissioned by Jill and Michael Lickley. Jill and her son were still cleaning up for us. We received a wonderfully gracious welcome. Helio House is a packaged Earthship offered and built by Michael Reynolds. It’s roughly 1200+ square feet, with a living room / kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. The entire house enjoys stunning desert views and has a great, open feeling. It’s equipped with a full kitchen, claw foot bathtub, hot water on demand, TV/VCR, wood stove, wireless internet and phone, and 120v outlets. There were copies of all of Mike Reynolds’ books and after dinner we lit the wood stove and lounged on the couch reading. I read all his books that night. They were fascinating journeys into the mind of a solar pioneer with grand ideas of sweeping social changes based around Earthship and sustainable technology. Once you learn about Earthships, how they work, and why they are so important to living sustainably, it’s hard to imagine living in any other kind of house. Conventional houses are built with no understanding of thermal mass or solar gain. We burn fossil fuels to heat and cool our house and waste the precious energy of the sun that is free and clean. "Why?", you might ask. Well, like all the problems today that plague our planet, just follow the money trail. Utility, oil, and energy companies are milking us just like our crooked government, the federal reserve, and credit card companies and banks. If your house is solar and off the grid, they can’t milk you. It doesn’t matter to them that they are destroying the planet and our atmosphere, or that some families cannot even afford to heat their houses. Think Enron preying on the people of California. Think about who killed the electric car. Sustainable design is great for the people and the planet but bad for Dick Cheney, Halliburton, the war machine, and Unocal.Tucson gets enough sun to power the entire city on solar power, but we’re burning fossil fuels as fast as every other city. An Earthship is a real space ship for earth-loving adventurers. Helio House is a gorgeous example of how Earthships are also beautiful, comfortable, cozy, and amazing living spaces. Every room has a stunning view and you feel so connected to the earth around you. Abundant plants in the green area fill the space with fresh oxygen, as well as natural aromatherapy and visual beauty. Their characteristic earthy tones and textures feel warm, cozy, and nurturing. Helio House is also very elegant, with wood paneled ceilings and recessed lighting, saltillo tile floors, and wood trim. After a supper of soup, Edie took a luscious bath and then we went to bed. We found an Earthship video by Dennis Weaver, a famous actor who built a massive Earthship in Colorado. We watched it in bed and then turned out the lights and talked about our Earthship dreams. We could see the stars outside through the huge windows. It was simply magic. The next morning I woke early, grabbed a banana and some water and headed out to look at some land listings I had received from a local Taos real estate agent. A bit further from town, there were some 40 acre parcels that were part of a subdivision going for under a grand per acre. As I made my way through the dirt roads of the GWC, I stopped to look at every Earthship I passed. I took pictures. I studied them. I marveled. Some were under contraction, so I walked through them, trying to take all the details in. There was a huge project, which I had heard about. The Phoenix (last image shown on right). It was a million dollar Earthship with a massive, tall greenhouse area. It shone in the morning sun. I was oh so ready to make my dream house a reality. I made it to the 64 and drove west to the 285 at Tres Piedras. I passed ranches and another sustainable community. I was looking for any ‘Land For Sale’ signs I could see. Tres Piedras was about 20 or 30 minutes out from the GWC. I turned left and headed south on 285 for 10 miles to reach the parcels. There was a Coldwell sign and a locked gate. I had the combination and got out. It was windy as hell and a bit chilly, but I was so excited to be looking at land that I didn’t even care. I got the lock open and felt like some secret real estate buying spy. I drove through, stopped the car, locked the gate behind me, and drove on down the rough dirt road. The parcels were marked with little red flags, but no information. A few of them already had houses. It was impossible to tell which parcels were sold and which were available and how big each was. I got a general feel for the land and it seemed ok. Not spectacular. Some views of Taos and the mountains. It looked like they were working on the roads and utilities. I made my way out and back toward the GWC. These parcels were definitely way out of town and I was trying to figure out if it was too far. I wrote down the names of the ranches along the 64, hoping I might be able to buy some of their land. I was nuts with the dream, on the trail to glory, hunting it down.
"If you’re interested in learning more about Earthships, I highly recommend a few nights or more at Helio House. Get inside an Earthship, experience the magic, read the Earthship books, and figure out how to build your own ASAP. Jill will take great care of you, you’ll have a blast, and you’ll be very glad you came."
Helio House Earthship Rental ————————————————————————————————— |
Helio House below on.
Phoenix Project below.
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