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MLBLUE
FALL2016
words & photos :: Nelson Phillips
The winds howled, and the willows whipped, as my mouth filled with
swirling airborne dirt, held agape at the sight of a weird, green, oddly
beautiful structure just outside of Collingwood. Presided over by the
Niagara Escarpment in the background, the region’s first Earthship has
landed. What began as an interest in school two decades ago is finally
coming to life for Matt Code, the Earthship’s mastermind and co-owner of
Heathcote-based Free Spirit Tours.
An Earthship is a passive-solar home made of both natural and upcycled
materials including earth, old tires, cans and bottles, designed by
Earthship Biotecture of NewMexico. Michael Reynolds designed the
first Earthships in the early 1970s and eventually established Earthship
Biotecture and the EarthshipAcademy, where Code undertook a 2-month
internship in the desert outside of Taos.
Over the past year, people have driven from Toronto and beyond just
to spend an hour or two helping out with the Collingwood build.
They’re seeking knowledge—Earthships are rare inOntario. Code has run
ENVIRO
THEEARTHSHIPHAS LANDED
COLLINGWOOD-BASEDSUSTAINABLEHOMEAPARAGONOFPROGRESSIVEDESIGN
ABOVE
TheBlueMountain escarpment overlooks the Earthshipon the outskirts of Collingwood.
BELOW
Recycled tires, earth, and cans form themainwalls.
