Chris White: Building a Sustainable Community

In this inspiring episode of Colorado Soul Stories, Mama Jill travels to the high mountain ridge of Poncha Pass to sit down with her longtime friend and visionary builder, Chris White, the creator behind Yurts at Poncha Pass and a self-built, sustainable Earthship home. What begins as a conversation about off-grid housing opens into a deep exploration of community, resilience, affordable living, and reclaiming personal agency in a world shaped by rising costs and rigid building codes. Chris shares how his journey started with a simple need—an affordable home—and evolved into a multi-year experiment in sustainable living: pounding thousands of tires, designing passive-solar structures, hosting volunteer workshops, and building a space where people can learn, contribute, and imagine life beyond a 30-year mortgage. From stories of building yurts at 9,000 feet, to navigating legal battles over a wildlife-supported pond, to dreams of future permaculture gardens and community food systems, this episode is a heartfelt reminder that another way of living is possible—one built on cooperation, creativity, and courage. Listeners will walk away inspired, grounded, and maybe even a little more hopeful about the future of housing, the planet, and the communities we build together.