The Virginia Slims of Housing

Although I try to do my part, I really don’t consider myself a very good environmentalist. I mean yeah, we drive fuel efficient cars and I teach my daughter to turn off the water when brushing her teeth, reminding her the earth is in peril.  And sure, I force her to use both sides of the paper because trees are a precious commodity that can’t be wasted.  And I even use a cloth towel to dry my hands instead of a paper towel, waste not want not and all.  I try, but am fully aware of just how much I fall short in my efforts and would never kid myself that I am a true blue devoted Earthling.

Mostly because I lived in New Mexico for so many years.  Believe me, they don’t call that state the Land of Enchantment for nothing. And the people who live there could put any EPA worker to shame.  I think it is twofold, though. I think people who are dedicated to the earth’s causes are drawn to its wide open spaces, but also there is just something about being there, with all its grandeur and beauty that makes you appreciate the earth that much more. Honestly, I’m talking to the point where you feel the need to drop to your knees and kiss the ground during one of those amazing sunsets. Or dare I say it, go hug a tree. It really is that kind of a place.

But anyway, my point is, once I was around such people, there was no way I could ever consider myself much of an earth lover.  After all, I grew up and still live in a place where you have to take a bus in order to even see a real tree and even after living in New Mexico, I still chose to return to this place. If you really love the earth, you tend to stay in the places where it is truly at its finest.

For example, one day while living in New Mexico, a few of my friends told me that they decided to quit school and move from Albuquerque to Toas. Why Toas, I asked. They were going to work with some guy to build earthships, they said.  What are earthships, I asked.  Well, they said, earthships are fully sustainable houses built into the earth which rely solely on the earth for everything. Power. Water. Everything. Amazing, I said. Totally groovy. Good luck with that. And off they went. 

Then a year or so later, when I just happen to be passing through Taos, I bumped into these friends and they said, hey come see our earthship.  I said, sure. And off we went to go see this so called earthship.  So there we were looking at their earthship and they said, pretty awesome, huh? To which I said, are you people fucking nuts!  Earthship? Try hut. Mud hut. You quit school to build and live in a mud hut! A noble idea, sure, but c’mon. Dudes. But hey whatever it’s your life, so peace my brothers. And off I went. And never looked back.

That was probably around 1994 or 95 and like I said, even with kissing the ground every odd sunset, I was no match for those people. Fast forward to this day and age, where your humble trying-to-be-but-who-is-she-really-kidding concerned earthling is researching Pennsylvania’s grants for installing solor panels on your two-by-four row home, and what do I stumble upon?

Earthships in Taos!

Whoa, talk about your flashbacks! Total trip right there.

So I click. Gotta click, c’mon earthships!

Holy fucking crap! 

Have you seen these so called earthships? Try Mansions! Gorgeous, beautiful mansions! Talk about your coming a long way, baby! These houses are absolutely amazing. I was, am still in awe. Honestly, you gotta go check these out if you have never seen one before.  And to think, they are completely self sustainable, totally green buildings. My friends weren’t wack jobs, they were visionaries! True tree hugging, earth loving geniuses. I guess when you have pure passion, you can accomplish anything.

Anyhow, now I want one. I told my husband if we ever win the lottery, I am building paying those people to build me an earthship right here in this god forsaken concrete jungle. Fuck the solar panels, that is amateur shit right there.

I am now on a mission. And to prove my point, I just took my first step towards building buying my very own earthship. Tada!

 

A fully sustainable, totally green, solar powered nightlight!

Comments

[Jessica]

AND it's a dragon fly. How Earth-nice is that?

[gurukarm (@karma_musings)]

Wow. Just. Wow! (I love the magenta couch in one of the pics.) I could totally live in one of those Earthships. In New Mexico (which I completely love!). Yeah. Saving my pennies up. ;-)

[ozma]

OMG that is so St. John's. Did those people not go to St. John's? I would be amazed.

I seriously dream of being one of those people but it is just hopeless at this point. I live in Concreteville.

[humorworkz]

and how nice that the dragonfly changes colors.....
if we're so smart why do we have to go to nm to live in a very cool, self sustaining house????

[Mama P]

hey! sweet to read about the old days. and to catch up on earth ships :) i got to hang out with a buncha them people, when i lived in Taos ('95... AFTER graduating, mindya). and one of the orig. earth-ship communities was close to the off-grid community i lived in. so tell me-- who quit to go build them? anyone i know/knew? from our/your crowd? ha, ha! what a great flashback!

(and, m'dear, it's the spirit of the thing that counts. you wore bells, i'll always remember *that*.)