Earthship In Todos Santos

In our last post we talked about the "Earthship" home we found in Todos Santos and included some web links you could follow to find out more about the concept.  The one we visited is located a short distance outside the city in an area that is undergoing a good bit of development.  A lot of new construction is going on but many of the houses look like they have remained only partially completed for a while.  When they are finished, though, they will be modest but attractive (and affordable) homes for the growing number of Mexican citizens whose income has risen in recent years.

As we left the main downtown area the roads quickly changed from paved to dirt.  Although they were hard-packed, they don't seem to be maintained (scraped) often so the "washboard effect" was in full force.  Lemme tell ya, it's a lot more effective in holding down speed than a speed-bump or speed limit sign!!!  Despite the rather rough road conditions there was an abundance of very nice homes - often complete with nice luxury cars!!!  We saw parks and recreation areas (including what seemed to be a horse riding academy for youngsters) in areas that also had farm animals - horses, mules, cows, goats, etc.

Soon, however, we saw a hand printed sign that said simply "Earthship."  We turned right onto another hard-packed dirt road and soon, on our left, we saw an unusual structure.  It seemed to be rising from the ground and it was pretty clear that this was not your Grandma's house!!  As we drove up we noticed a car with the doors open in the front yard.  Upon closer inspection we saw that the occupant of the car was a huge German Shepherd dog!!  He had just finished getting a nice cool drink of water from a hose being handled by a very attractive young lady.  We paused, hesitantly, (..that's what you do when an enormous dog is sizing you up for a snack!!) but got out of the car and approached.  Larry explained that he had read of her "Earthship" on the internet and asked if we could take a look.  That was our introduction to Anna Sorrentino Ambrosi and to say she was a gracious hostess would be the biggest understatement in the world!!!  She was friendly, outgoing, highly intelligent and only too happy to show us her home. 
 
The "Earthship" philosophy is to create dwellings utilizing the maximum number of re-cycled items and making the smallest environmental footprint possible.  It was quickly evident that they had succeeded mightily and I hope the pictures can demonstrate what they have done.  The basic foundation was constructed using over 1,500 automobile tires and I can tell you, it ain't going anywhere!!!  The structure takes maximum advantage of the topography and is nestled into the side of a gently sloping hill.  The composition of the walls gives the appearance of stucco or cement but I believe they used a compound that took advantage of the available soil, rocks and, perhaps, some other structural substances.  By and large, there are very few "load-bearing" walls internally which makes for greater flexibility in building and, when necessary, altering the design.  They made very liberal use of reclaimed glass and metal products - i.e. bottles and cans and I've gotta tell ya - the way they were used shows a high level of artistic skill.  The picture to the right shows the walkway at the front of the home.  It is the main passageway down the length of the home and the other rooms open off of this walkway.  

The bathroom was a work of art for sure and the design was definitely avant-garde'.  The upper rear section of the house is where two enormous cisterns are located and the area also provides excellent area for storage of materials that are still being used in construction.  (Yep, they're still working on it.)

The climate in this part of Mexico is both arid and quite warm. (Remember, we're talking latitude of 23 degrees!!)  The bright folks that developed the design incorporated a system of air circulation using duct-work approximately 10 inches in diameter buried deep underground.  The result is air that competes very favorably with air conditioning without the freon or other coolants.  The land surrounding the house looks rather "un-remarkable" until you look closely - or, in my case, have the unique features pointed out to you.  The gentle slope I mentioned earlier has been meticulously sculpted into an almost invisible network of  "berms" in a pattern of concentric circles that gently nudge whatever moisture occurs - rain, dew, etc. - down to another large cistern located at the lower tip of the property.  There it is collected and eventually pumped back to the cisterns at the back of the house.  

They are also building a large workshop where they can continue to fabricate the remarkable fixtures, furniture, decorations and functional items that they plan to use to make their home even "greener" as time goes on.  The shop will be quite large (probably 20x30) and will be constructed mainly of bamboo using NO NAILS!!! 

I could go on and on (as you can tell) but I'll try to let the pictures do the talking for me from here. 

Seriously, if you get a chance, check out those web sites.  I was totally impressed with the young people who have done their talking about ecology with their hands and hearts and have shown us it can be done in a beautiful and highly functional manner.  

 
The things Anna and her brother (as well as the many folks assisting them along the way) have done in the way of using alternate energy, reclaiming discarded materials, maximizing attention to the needs of the land and creating a "fun and liveable" home should be a model for all of us.  If you had any questions about the ingenuity, drive and fortitude of young people - there are a bunch in Baja Sur that can answer them for you.  And y'know what??? We have seen kids just like them all over our own beautiful U.S.A. 

This only touches the surface of this fascinating topic but I'll give you a rest for now!!  But - we've got lots more to show you so come back soon.  See ya.