Earthships provide sustainable homes as residents hunker down during COVID-19 pandemic

Light falls over the walk way to the shower in Ullyses Gordon's earthship home near Heber-Overgaard on Jan. 14, 2021. Gordon lives almost entirely off the grid in the Earthship, a building made out of tires, trash, and other recyclable material that self heats and self cools using thermodynamics.

An Earthship is seen at the Greater World Earthship Community in Taos, New Mexico. on Feb. 4, 2021.

Michael Reynolds, the creator of Earthships, stands near the site where is most recent design, the Unity Earthship, is under construction at the Greater World Earthship Community in Taos, New Mexico, on Feb. 4, 2021. Reynolds, who began building Earthships more than 40 years ago, is battling stage four prostate cancer.

Ullyses Gordon crouches with his dog Oswald in front of their Earthship home near Heber-Overgaard on Jan. 14, 2021.

Used glass bottles make up the foundation of a wall in Ullyses Gordon's Earthship home near Heber-Overgaard on Jan. 14, 2021.

Light shines on glass bottles placed inside a wall for decorative purposes inside an Earthship home at the Greater World Earthship Community in Taos, New Mexico, on Feb. 4, 2021.

The kitchen of an Earthship home is seen at the Greater World Earthship Community in Taos, New Mexico, on Feb. 4, 2021.

Adam Baisely, the president of the board of Biotecture Planet Earth, throws used tires into a pile that will be used to build the foundation of a new Earthship at the Greater World Earthship Community in Taos, New Mexico, on Feb. 4, 2021.

Light falls over the entry way to Ullyses Gordon's earthship home near Heber-Overgaard on Jan. 14, 2021. The home is made out of tires, trash and other recyclable material that self heats and self cools using thermodynamics.

Phil Basehart surveys a site for a new Earthship design, called Unity at the Greater World Earthship Community in Taos, New Mexico, on Feb. 4, 2021. Basehart learned to build earthships more than 20 years ago and has been working with the founder of the concept, Michael Reynolds, ever since.

The bedroom of an Earthship home is seen at the Greater World Earthship Community in Taos, New Mexico, on Feb. 4, 2021. An earthship uses thermodynamics to self heat and self cool without being connected to an outside source of electricity.

Light falls over the living room inside of Ullyses Gordon's Earthship home near Heber-Overgaard on Jan. 14, 2021.

Lauren Anderson, the academy director at the Greater World Earthship Community, stands in the site of her Earthship, which is under construction in Taos, New Mexico, on Feb. 4, 2021.

Joe Archuleta operates a backhoe at the site of a new Earthship development called Unity at the Greater World Earthship Community in Taos, New Mexico, on Feb. 4, 2021.

An Earthship home is seen at the Greater World Earthship Community in Taos, New Mexico, on Feb. 4, 2021.

Ullyses Gordon poses inside his earthship home near Heber-Overgaard on Jan. 14, 2021. Gordon lives almost entirely off the grid in an Earthship.

An Earthship home is seen at the Greater World Earthship Community in Taos, New Mexico, on Feb. 4, 2021.

Michael Reynolds, the creator of Earthships, stands near the site of the Unity Earthship near Taos, New Mexico, on Feb. 4, 2021.

An Earthship is under construction in Taos, New Mexico, on Feb. 4, 2021.

The bathroom of an Earthship home is seen at the Greater World Earthship Community in Taos, New Mexico, on Feb. 4, 2021.

An Earthship is seen at the Greater World Earthship Community in Taos, New Mexico. on Feb. 4, 2021.

Snow rests on the Sangre de Cristo Mountains as seen from the Greater World Earthship Community in Taos, New Mexico, on Feb. 4, 2021.

Oswald the dog runs at the camera in front of the Earthship home where he lives with Ullyses Gordon near Heber-Overgaard on Jan. 14, 2021.

Ullyses Gordon shows off storage space beneath his bed in his Earthship home near Heber-Overgaard on Jan. 14, 2021.

Old cans are used to support the foundation Ullyses Gordon's earthship home near Heber-Overgaard on Jan. 14, 2021.

Tires and used trash are held behind chicken fence wire to for the foundation of a wall outside of Ullyses Gordon's earthship home near Heber-Overgaard on Jan. 14, 2021.

Light falls over the kitchen inside of Ullyses Gordon's Earthship home near Heber-Overgaard on Jan. 14, 2021.