Michael Reynolds builds self-sufficient 'earthships' that generate their own power. Kirsten Jacobsen

Full name: Michael Reynolds

Age: 63

Current position: Founder of Earthship Biotecture

How I got to here in 10 words or less: Don't give up.

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Architect Michael Reynolds has built more than 1,000 homes from materials including used car tires and glass-bottle bottoms. He calls his self-sufficient designs "earthships" because they require little heating or cooling and generate their own electricity and water. His company, Earthship Biotecture of Taos, N.M., designs and builds sustainable homes world-wide.


A: I discovered early on that architecture needs to embody the needs of people. Most architects have impractical ideas that are wasteful. That's why I've drifted away from what you know as architecture. The University of Cincinnati had a co-op program where you could work for three months and go to school for three months. It took me six years of working in a lot of architectural offices around the country to discover that I didn't want to do architecture the way it was being done.


Best advice: Get free. Do not let economy manipulate your life. Get your essentials taken care of. Then you can pursue what's in your heart and in your mind.

Skills you need: Building knowledge and experience. "Most architects don't build," he says. "They just design and not well as a result."

Professional organizations to contact: Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility; American Wind Energy Association

Salary range: The U.S. Bureau of Labor reports a 2006 mean wage for architects to be $64,150. The highest 10 percent earned over $104,970.

Q: Where did you get the idea to use trash?


Q: How did you go from cans to car tires?

A: I later decided to try a different material and thought of the mountains of discarded tires that can be found everywhere. Pack them with dirt and they will store energy. Plus they're strong and resilient, so I built an entire house out of them. I went on to add photovoltaic panels, windmills, water collection and onsite sewage treatment.

Q: It didn't sound like you got many takers in the beginning.

A: We did sell houses here and there. I wasn't trying to build a big corporation and, of course, our overhead was low. I just needed to get the idea out there. I was also a licensed contractor so I could work on other projects.

Q: Who were your early adopters?

A: When I started, it was young hipsters who were not afraid of trying something new. As recycling and conservation became more mainstream, it became a wider variety of people ... from all walks of life.



Q: That's when you took your fight to the state legislature?


Q: And you went overseas with your ideas?


Q: What did you see in the Andaman Islands?


Q: What's next?

A: We're launching a village project called Eve: Earthship Village Ecology in Taos. The focus is complete independence. We're specifically working on food production in the home, and we've dedicated 50% of the floor space to gardens.

Q: How efficient are your earthships?


Write to Dennis Nishi at cjeditor@dowjones.com