stories from the land of enchantment..

Disclaimer - this blog reflects my own opinions/perspectives and not necessarily those of Earthship Biotecture.

Howdy everyone,

First off, my apologies for taking so long to finally start this.. Next, I have to say that the first half of this summer has flown by.. I am staying in a hostel without internet so getting access to internet, let alone electricity, has been a rare occurrence..

I left ames mid may after finishing my first year of three for a landscape architecture degree.. I have decided to do a creative component/thesis on eco building and construction with passive energy techniques. I am currently a student at the earthship biotecture academy in taos, new mexico. The building styles created by michael reynolds focus on six different components that drive the design of the earthship home; constructing with recyclable materials, using passive solar heating/cooling techniques, rain water harvesting, on site sewage treatment, food production out of the greenhouse, and harvesting energy through wind/solar methods via turbines and panels.

This off grid housing can be extremely cost effective, particularly over the long term with energy bills; however, the obstacle with housing of this nature is meeting codes. There are models that go for over 200 k and others that are build-able with a budget under 10 k.

What I would like to do with this experience is build a shelter for local kids and volunteers in efforts to help  an organic farm get started in the department of Rivas, Nicaragua. After having visited the farm in March, I am confident that the organization of such a project will be quite feasible given the support from the current farm manager and some outside help. It would be incredible to collect materials over the next year and head down (potentially with an ISU Study Abroad opportunity) for the summer of 2015. My only concern with this time frame is building during the rainy season.. but where there's a will, there's a way :)

Anyhow, outside of this experience at the academy and meeting some incredible friends, I have to write about a few other experiences that have made this summer such an incredible one thus far.

1 Padres / Rockies game with a few peace corps friends!

Just before I started the academy session, I visited a great friend in Denver and went out to a rockies game. The rockies won with a walk off homerun in the 11th inning by justin morneau and it was the first rockies game i have been to that they have actually won! spending the weekend with martha anne and ryan was the best kickoff i could have imagined to this relaxing summer!

2 Visiting family

So, I did my undergrad at iowa state, a two hour drive from my hometown. I lived in Tamalapa during my two years as a volunteer in nicaragua, a two hour bus ride to the city of Matagalpa (where part of my heart still resides), and now I am living in Taos, just 2 hours from my land north of las vegas, nm. It seems as though no matter where I go, I am just 2 hours from open arms and a place to call home. I spent a weekend with my new mexican family a few weeks back and it was one of the most rejuvenating experiences I have had since being back stateside. A relaxing hike to the lower falls, a visit to the cabin, great conversation, a long morning of sipping coffee on the front patio, and good laughs helped put me in a peaceful place for the rest of this session.

3 Hiking Wheeler Peak- highest point in new mexico at 13,161 ft above sea level

Just yesterday, a few friends and I decided to take the saturday and hike wheeler! It took us roughly 5 hours and it was one of the most memorable hikes I have ever been on! After hanging at lake williams for an hour or so we started the steep treck up.. the bus I am staying in is roughly 7,000 feet.. the 6 thousand ft change in a day had me light headed and breathing pretty hard by the time we got to the top..

Gotta get started with dinner and jump in the shower for the first time this week so I'll let some photos help show my experience thus far! Thanks for reading :)

Cheers,

maclaine