Description: Taos, New Mexico is a amazing place. Somehow the flat-topped mesa mountains outside Taos have become a mecca for off-the-grid lifestyles with hundreds of
Taos, New Mexico is a amazing place. Somehow the flat-topped mesa mountains outside Taos have become a mecca for off-the-grid lifestyles with hundreds of people living off-the-grid in Taos Mesa. These people are not just hippies, there are all kinds of people from veterans to people preparing for the end of the world and others who are trying to escape society. But among these are also people who see off-the-grid living as a way to live more in tune with the environment and to achieve independence and self
We in the off-grid community have all heard about natural building materials like straw bale, reeds, woodchips, sawdust, sticks, and anything earthy: earth bags, cob, rammed earth, adobe, rocks, sand and stones. But have we heard of papercrete, paper adobe and hemp-crete? These are gaining attention and recognition in the green-building community, and yes, are reported to be just as workable and dependable — yet more versatile — than other building materials are. Bamboo, coconut, cork, sisal and other fast
As you make tentative plans for your building project, check to see what is already available and naturally occurring in the area you are building. What kind of earth is there? Clay? Sand? Lime? Rocks? Even compost or vermiculite will be useful if you’re going to go with cob. All these are renewable and non-toxic. They also require little or no embodied energy – or the energy that goes into producing, transporting, de-constructing and decomposition of materials used in construction. Best of all, they’re dir