Arriving at Arcosanti, an experimental eco-city in central Arizona, I was acutely aware of my non-greenness.
I had spent the morning expelling carbon on my flight to Phoenix.
My rental car was messy with empty soda bottles, a few plastic bags and a banana peel that I didn't plan to mulch.
With this kind of résumé, would Mother Earth's minions still let me inside?
“Hey, come join us,'' a guy in a dress, belt and an outsize personality beckoned.
The Californian graphic artist was one of up to 80 residents living and working at Arcosanti, a pilot Utopian community that champions sustainable living.
Ecofriendly ambition
Arcosanti was started in the 1970s by Italian architect Paolo Soleri, a spitfire who seeks an alternative to a car-dominant, hyper-consumerist society.
With his so-called urban laboratory, Soleri, 88, hopes to eliminate the automobile, promote frugality and create a functional metro centre run on Earth's resources: food from organic gardens, power from the sun, air-conditioning from the shade and building materials from natural surroundings.
While more-mainstream eco-resorts feature energy-saving light bulbs, organic meals and save-the-sea-turtle outings, Arcosanti goes deeper.
It aims to change behaviour through workshops, tours, conversations and a happy hour with a man with gender-bending style.
Arcosanti was founded on the lofty concepts of “arcology'', an elision of “architecture'' and “ecology'' that was coined by Soleri and reimagined by many science fiction writers.
The property sits on 15 cactus-strewn acres, a small wedge of the 860 acres owned by the non-profit Cosanti Foundation, which also leases an adjacent 3,200 acres from the state.
Despite its compactness, Arcosanti has all the necessities of village life: a café, a bakery, an art gallery, apartments and dorms for residents and guests, gardens and greenhouses, ceramic studios, a foundry, an amphitheatre and a swimming pool which overlooks a static tide of sand and rocks.
I met my next-door neighbours, parents of resident Anna Greenberg, a 23-year-old from Washington DC, the US.
Greenberg, who works in the foundry and the bakery, led our tour, a colourful guide in purple overalls, pink Crocs and a silver stud above her lip.
An educative tour
At each building, she stopped to point out the innovative constructions and features.
The heat from the foundry, for example, warms the apartments above. Evaporation from a moat encircling the amphitheatre stage cools concertgoers.
Olive trees salvaged from Phoenix produce shade and a Mediterranean flavour in meals.
“This is not the perfect arcology but it's a place to experiment,'' Greenberg said, admitting that the city was still on the grid, must order food from outside sources and only about 5 per cent complete.
Since Arcosanti is a working city, not a top-service resort, visitors are left to their own devices for amusement.
The most obvious distractions are the hour-long tour, the bakery and the gallery.
Go there ... From the UAE
Closest international airport to Arcosanti is Phoenix.
British Airways flies six days a week via London.
Fare from Dh6,160
Delta flies six days a week via Atlanta.
Fare from Dh5,900
Emirates and American Airlines fly daily via London and Chicago.
Fare from Dh4,860
— Information courtesy: The Holiday Lounge by Dnata.
Ph: 04-3166160
Where to stay
Arcosanti offers 12 guest rooms that are basic — no TV, phone or air-conditioning — yet comfortable and fit for the desert surroundings and the eco-theme.
A double with shared bath starts at $40 (Dh147); add $10 (Dh37) for private bath. Breakfast included.
For longer stays, the Experience Arcosanti package includes a room with two twin beds, private bath and kitchen; extended personal tour of Arcosanti; and home visits with residents.
The one-week deal costs $390 (Dh1432).
Where to eat
- The café serves three buffet meals a day, but don't expect canned fruit and deli meats.
The dishes incorporate ingredients from the garden — and sometimes, the previous day's leftovers.
On the night I helped out in the kitchen, we made cheese and basil pizza, bean salad, pasta salad, a tofu-and-cabbage dish, carrot soup and more. - For more information on Arcosanti, visit www.arcosanti.org
