Living Green, Building Sustainable, Thinking Toward The Future
Green takes on many faces. Solar energy, passive & active, re-cycled materials, off-the-grid, sustainable. It's about being friendly with your environment and being pro-active in thinking about the future.
Taos can claim itself the Solar Capital of the Southwest with 360 days of sunshine, where the radio station is solar powered, as well as the Internet provider with solar wireless connection. Taos is a place where ecological sustainability has made the news since Mike Reynolds introduced his first beer can house and earthship. The original adobe mud hacienda built centuries ago were made from the earth with thick walls keeping cool in summer and warm in winter.
All of us can help to sustain our environment. It is available and affordable.
Rain catchment systems taking gray water to your garden & trees, tram
walls capturing heat with southern exposure windows, vents & heat mass,
alternative building materials such as tires, pumice, rastra block & strawbale,
all are adaptable means of being energy efficient. The Taos Pueblo and today's
condos all have common walls, common space, shared heating/cooling systems,
shared water, rain water cisterns & solar panels. Condos are affordable,
planned communities allowing for open space to sustain natural habitats, air
quality & water resources.
Xeriscaping adapts to the natural climate & environment. We live in a high mountain desert, where thoughtful landscaping can bring natural cooling. The initial trouble of establishing your plants would be well worth it. Check with a landscape architect for plants that are suited best for your property.
We are not re-inventing the wheel. We are re-learning for economic, ecological
and sustainable living. Consider Taos Land Trust who fosters open and productive
lands for future generations. We have a chance to make a difference.
Look for the green logo throughout our printed materials: website, newspapers, real estate guide, advertisements.
This signifies a property that has taken thoughtful steps in being energy efficient.
