Interest soars in self-sustaining homes called Earthships: "It's kind of like a conspiracy of enlightenment"

Along a rural road in northern New Mexico, homes rise from the dusty desert with futuristic shapes resembling something from another planet. They are known as Earthships: off-the-grid homes built into the ground. 

They are made mostly from recycled materials — what some would call garbage — like used tires tightly packed with dirt for insulation, structural walls and old bottles that become part of the interior.

There are no power, water or sewage lines connected to one Earthship under construction. Electricity is generated from solar panels, water is collected on the roof and filtered, and the treated sewage nourishes plants and trees.