One of the most staggering claims of the Earthships is that they can withstand temperatures that range from 30 below freezing to 40 degrees above freezing and yet maintain a steady 19 degrees or so without any heating.

This is achieved by a combination of thermal mass in the form of thick earth filled tyre walls and correct alignment with the winter sun angle.

I got up today to find a sprinkling of snow on the foothills of the mountains and ws suprised how chilly the outside was. I had previously seen a thermometer inside the house always showing 18-21 degrees and decided to take it outside. It was 10 degrees cooler. The Earthships maintain a steady temperature from the thermal mass stored in the Earth walls. It really is quite amazing

The Phoenix was just in its finishing stages when we stayed there, one of the things that struck me was the size of this house. It is huge yet very homely. The temperature hardly varied from 19 degrees celcius and yet outside it varied from 7 degrees to 30 degrees. The house has internal planters that filter the grey water and larger planters in the greenhouse that thrive on the processed blackwater.

just followed the instrauctions emailed by Kirsten..

We were met at the visitors centre and immediately taken to the latest Phoenix build by Mike and Kirsten

The Phoenix is still being constructed, however unlike the Sheraton I was not about to complain..

This place is awsome..

I think we are getting close now.. Wigwams and the Rio Grande Gorge

The country side here is beautiful, the distant mountains are snow capped.

The air temp is 30 degrees and we are a breathtaking 7000 ft above sea level.

Ok we are finally all assembled, myself and father still reeling from a bit of jetlag and Sibo get down to Hertz to find a suitable green car to take the Earthship community in Taos.. NOT..

I blame it on my dad.. looks like he is the driver here but then I remember its left hand drive..

Wheres that copy of photoshop..

Seriously though it was quite economical and was manufactured close to source..

Plus I wanted to drive a Ford Mustang convertible.

Simply dreadful.. seriously ..

It gets the wind in your hair but handles like a pig and has the acceleration of a Land Rover so I felt very at home.