Earthships -Taos, NM

One of the more memorable places we visited in Taos was The Earthships. These structures are described on their website as "radically sustainable buildings made with recycled materials."  They use solar panels to generate electricity and rainwater for drinking water, sewage, and food production.  They are essentially designed to be self-containing units with the rare use of propane.

As you can see in the photos below the walls of The Earthships often incorporate either glass bottles or aluminum cans.  I loved the color in the glass and the repetition of all of them.  Oh, and FYI, I added a little lens flare to the photo above for dramatic effect.  I usually don't like to alter my photos like that, but I thought it added a little "alien flare."

When we were there you couldn't help but feel you were on a different planet.  And I don't know which came first, the earthships or Tatooine, but they certainly resemble each other.  I thought I might see C-3PO and R2-D2 around the corner at any minute.

The building below was a particularly fancy Earthship under construction.  I wonder how many crushed cans go into a building like this.  If you are ever in Taos, it is certainly worth the time to stop at the visitor center and watch the movie and to walk around the buildings.  But don't forget your hat and sunscreen (or your lightsaber!).