An off-grid enclave of radically sustainable, hand-built homes crafted from rammed earth and recycled glass on the high desert mesa near Taos.
Earthship Rentals, managed by Earthship Biotecture, offers a rare opportunity to live inside radically sustainable, off-grid homes located within the 640-acre Greater World Earthship Community near Taos, New Mexico. Pioneered by architect Michael Reynolds in the early 1970s, these experimental dwellings are constructed using rammed-earth tires for load-bearing thermal mass walls, along with reclaimed aluminum cans and glass bottles embedded in colored adobe plaster. Designed to function as autonomous vessels, each home is engineered around six core principles: thermal heating and cooling, solar and wind electricity, water harvesting, contained sewage treatment, indoor food production, and construction with natural and repurposed materials. Staying here provides a hands-on introduction to a lifestyle where comfort is maintained entirely in harmony with the high desert climate.
The specific models available for nightly stays showcase the evolution of this architectural movement. The Phoenix, a massive 5,300-square-foot structure, represents the pinnacle of Earthship luxury, featuring an extensive interior jungle greenhouse complete with towering banana trees, grapevines, a fish pond, and resident songbirds. Another prominent rental, the Waybee, is a Global Model Earthship designed to perform in virtually any climate. It utilizes a double layer of greenhouse glass, underground cooling tubes, and convection skylights to regulate its internal temperature naturally, alongside a greywater botanical planter that runs the length of the building. Inside these spaces, the atmosphere is exceptionally quiet, with thick earth-rammed walls dampening exterior sounds and the scent of earthen plaster and blooming indoor vegetation filling the air.
Living in an Earthship requires a mindful shift in daily habits, as guests actively participate in the home's performance. Water collected from rain and snow on the sloped roofs is filtered for drinking and bathing, then directed to irrigate the indoor gardens, and finally used to flush the toilets before heading to outdoor septic treatment. While the homes feature modern amenities like fully equipped kitchens, flat-screen televisions, and wireless internet, visitors must remain conscious of their energy and water usage, particularly during cloudy stretches on the mesa. Evenings at the Greater World Community reveal the true reward of this off-grid lifestyle, where the dark skies of northern New Mexico unfurl above the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, free from the light pollution of conventional subdivisions.
Book the Phoenix if you want to experience an indoor tropical greenhouse with its own microclimate, complete with banana trees and a fish pond, in the middle of the high desert.
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