My experience operating an earthship — Sitting at around 6,970 ft (2,124 m), Taos, NM, has a high altitude desert climate. They get an average of just around 12 in of rain per year. November 2022 was colder than average and saw temperatures more typical of December with highs in the upper 40s F and lows…

Do they work as advertised? — “Achieving Sustenance in the face of earth’s phenomena” — that is the ethos underlying earthships’ design, as elaborated by Mike Reynolds — father of earthships — in his introductory class. Mike used the tree as the example by which he has modeled his earthships’ design after. The ultimate…

In search of a better way to “do life” on planet earth — When I first learned about earthships, they seemed too good to be true. An off grid, sustainable autonomous dwelling that repurposes and up-cycle waste for building materials, harvests rainwater and uses it 4x, passively heat and cool the space, uses renewable energy for electricity, and grows food! A kind of…

Sustainable Living Series — October 2022 If you’ve ever lived in the U.S. you will appreciate how big a deal it is over there. Come September it is not uncommon to start seeing Halloween decorations go up in the neighborhoods. I love seeing all the creative decorations and getting into the “spooky” spirit. And the tradition…

[Originally published in Blue Virginia on August 28th, 2018] — Co-written by Ali Symons and Abby Fox Ever since I jumped into this Virginia fracked-methane-gas pipelines fight back in early April 2018, I’ve wanted to go see the path of the pipelines with my own eyes. I had so wanted to visit the Terrys and Nutty in their tree sits and monopod. …

Sustainable Living Series — [originally written in December 2021] There are so many things I love about Christmas — the classic Christmas tunes, the scent of pine, spices, & citrus, all the lights & decorations, the food, and festive parties. …

Sustainable Living Series — [originally written in June 2022] Have you ever wondered how certain products or technologies came to be the dominant forms used around the world? Why do some inventions and innovations get chosen to be “The One”? Petroleum became the dominant form of fuel driving modern human civilization largely because it…

Sustainable Living Series — [originally written in May 2022] Clothing has never been cheaper nor more accessible in the history of man. The average person in post-industrialized countries owns more clothes than they could possibly wear. But this era of cheap, ready-to-wear, in this season-out the next, wear a couple of times & throw…

Sustainable Living Series — [originally written in April 2022] There is no greater connection between humans and our natural environment than through the food we take into our bodies. For all of our technological advances, we are still primarily dependent on the ecosystem functions & natural resources to grow and provide the food we…