Take a look inside Earthship, a sustainable and self-contained green building in Taos, New Mexico and check out exclusive behind the scenes photos of our latest collection, Out Of The Blue.
One of the biggest factors in planning a shoot is finding a location that complements the story and clothing. For the Out of the Blue homepage we knew New Mexico would be the perfect backdrop; from white sands, to endless shades of green fields, red earth and deep blue skies, this state has so much to offer us.
We flew into Albuquerque and drove three hours north into the city of Taos. As we arrived the day slowly turned to night. The elevation was so high, I could almost feel the stars and moon beneath my fingertips. We breathed in the fresh crisp air and goodness.
We stayed and shot in a community called, The Greater World, just 10 minutes northwest of the main town. A place where folks come together with a common goal of creating, learning and spreading the practice of Earthship Biotecture, described by founder Michael Reynolds as “radically sustainable green building”. The concept uses both natural and recycled materials such as cans, bottles and used tires. “Earthships are self-contained systems based on the six design principles.”
The Greater World is also home to the Earthship Biotecture Academy which offers five sessions per year for a 4-5 week period and gives students an “extensive training in Earthship design principles, construction methods and philosophy. Academy classes, labs, tours and hands-on construction techniques are led by Michael Reynolds and a staff of Earthship builders, electricians, plumbers, plant specialists and educators.”
This movement hopes to educate and empower the next generation to modify their lifestyles and start to solve issues of the present so they may “live in harmony with their environment.” In addition to the work being done in Taos, they’ve implanted Earthships throughout the U.S and have also assisted in global relief in places such as the Haiti, Philippines, India, and Malawi.
To learn more about Earthship Biotecture or information about the academy visit
www.earthship.com and follow them on Instagram!
Thank you to The Greater World team for enlightening us with your practices and sharing a space for us to capture the beautiful Taos terrain.
Photos and words by Tina Deleon
Lovely video!! Earthship sounds amazing!
xx
https://woodlandhalls.wordpress.com
I’ve been to Taos, New Mexico. I helped fix up an old church. We went up into the mountains where we found clear streams of water running through. It was a beautiful place.
This is so truly inspiring, watching this video resulted in chills running up and down my spine. I think that on a primordial level, our souls understand that that is how we are all supposed to be living. <3
I live just down the road from here in an off-grid strawbale home. Living off-grid has its challenges but the peace of mind offered through life in a low-impact home is incomparable. The main challenge as I see it to adopting this life-style is the incredible isolation that it can necessitate. Since moving to the Taos Mesa, I have never experienced such a challenging time finding community or connecting with others. I hope that in the future this will not be the case and that as more and more folks make the switch to rural and off-grid living, new and vibrant networks of support will spring up to fulfill the deeply human need for interconnectedness, not just with the Land but with one another.
I love seeing Free People featuring videos on such vital topics as this! Thanks for helping to bring awareness to some of your consumers that may not otherwise be much exposed to the issue. xx
Jyss