Inside the yurt on the property owned by Amanda and Andy Bramble, between Madrid and Cerrillos, there is an indoor kitchen with a small stainless-steel sink. Across from the sink, a tall bookcase holds the Brambles' medical and reference books. On the east side of the yurt, a gold lamp with a white shade, a CD player and some computer speakers sit atop a hutch-like cabinet.

The couple bought the yurt four years ago and put it on their newly acquired property. Their goal was always to live a sustainable life on the beautiful land, up a narrow, bumpy road, surrounded by trees and arroyos.

"When we came out here and saw the land and how amazing it was, we were just like. 'Wow, we could live here,' " Amanda Bramble said.

Andy Bramble argreed. "We instantly fell in love with the land," he said.

When they moved to the property, there was nothing but piles of coal, which have now been spread on the road to help ease the bumps leading up to their home. First they built the yurt; now they have completed a cottage; a home and a guesthouse are under construction along with an an outdoor living room and a tool shed.

The structures are small and they were built fast, on a deadline. All were built from natural or recycled material.

"All our building has been done really, really fast because we need something before it gets cold," Andy Bramble said.

They call this place the Ampersand Sustainable Learning Center and they teach people how to live more sustainable lives.

"We got this property with the intention ... to have a community here in some way," Amanda Bramble said. "It might not be a residential community, but to be a center where people come and share resources and learn from each other and learn how to live with the land in a good way."

The Brambles are the picture of health, both strong and lean with healthy skin and high energy levels; and they do it all with as little damage to the earth as possible.

They have rigged several contraptions all over their land. Solar panels track the sun to get the most amount of energy; water-collection barrels are painted black to absorb heat during the day and keep them warm at night; a homemade solar oven swivels because the bottom is made from an old office chair.

Aspects of everyday living that perhaps people think they can't live without, such as running water and lights controlled by switches, are still part of their life. They had an electrician come and wire their yurt, cottage, new house and guesthouse to use the energy from the solar panels.

They also had a backhoe come and dig some trenches, which later became their underground water system.

The Brambles never hurt for entertainment either, with their many books, their cell phone and laptop, which acts jointly as a computer and source to watch movies.

The Brambles' complex water system uses runoff collected from the roofs and routed to a big water tank on the west hill of their property. Pipes run from the tank to a black barrel outside their bathroom, which heats the water, so they can have warm running water in their shower.

The Brambles only use about 100 gallons of water a week, including what they use for the garden.

"Most people are surprised that we live off our rainwater catchment," Amanda said. "A hundred gallons a week for two people — most people would consider that painful."

Their home isn't just for them — it's a place where people can learn how to be more conservative with natural resources.

They've held several workshops at the center since they got their nonprofit status in December. They are planning more in May with Carole Crews, a natural builder; and Jim Harford.

The center is a cozy place.

Outside the yurt is the outdoor kitchen and living room, complete with a gas stove, a small chimney stove (which can boil water by burning a twig as small as a pinkie) and cupboards stocked with condiments and cooking supplies. Intricately woven carpets lie on the dirt underneath the kitchen table, a futon, recliners and a bean bag.

Their solar oven swivels on an old bottom piece of a swiveling office chair. Remnants of Amanda's recently cooked meal of potatoes and carrots are still visible on the oven's aluminum bottom. It's a simple thing to build, and at around 2:30 p.m. last Wednesday afternoon, the oven's temperature gauge read 250 degrees.

"Anyone can make a solar oven," Andy Bramble said. "You don't have to be a carpenter."

Solar ovens are best for cookies and pizza, Andy said.

They have a place where greens grow and have designed a heating and cooling system that is partially underground to keep the veggies growing year-round.

The couple's cozy cottage is small, no more than 300 square feet, but its high ceilings and comfy couch and bed, atop a loft, make it inviting. The CD tower and bookcase, filled with the Brambles' leisure books, is their source of entertainment. A wood stove sits in the northeast corner of the place and the straw-bale and mud walls keep it cool, despite the breezy yet hot day outside.

The Brambles are in the process of building their dream house, right above the cottage on the hill, near their water system. It's partially underground, and like all their other buildings, built entirely from natural and salvaged materials. The walls are made from straw bales.

The pair maintain anybody can live a sustainable life, something they learned to do through research.

"It's just using the free resources that are not hurting anyone to use, that are just available," Amanda Bramble said. "It's fun for us when people come and they realize how good it feels to be connected with your resources in that way."

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