Announcing Our 2026 Programs!
Join us this summer and fall for explorations of sustainable and compassionate living
We’re happy to share with you what we‘ve been cooking up for 2026! We look forward to welcoming new friends and old for the continuing adventures of developing our eco-campus and ourselves.
Our 2026 programs will span the spheres of natural building, organic gardening and permaculture, meditation and, as always, Earthville’s contemplative, community-oriented approach will provide fertile opportunities for connection, reflection, insight, and joy.
Note: In addition to the in-person programs below, we may add one or more online courses at any point in the year, so drop by our events page for the latest.
We’re looking forward to offering these empowering experiences, and we hope you can join us for one or more!
Open Volunteer Period: Sustainable Living
Jul 6 – Sep 4, 2026 — flexible timing: come whenever you can!
A hands-on service-learning opportunity where you can explore foundational practices for sustainable living, including natural building, organic gardening, and permaculture principles, while supporting the creation of a new eco-campus for the study of compassionate living.
The hands-on work will include various projects around the campus, including interior and exterior work on several natural buildings that are in various stages of completion, as well as organic gardening and other permaculture projects. We provide basic training in some of the fundamental techniques required to do the work well, and then you’ll practice them by working alongside our team.
For details and registration, see this page.
Sustainable Thriving Intensive Immersion
Sep 14 – Oct 17, 2026
A five-week immersive residential service-learning program providing an engaging in-depth exploration of sustainable and compassionate living integrating hands-on experience with contemplative practice in a healthy and supportive environment in the lap of nature.
Explorations will include:
Earth-friendly natural building
Organic food-growing
Permaculture principles
Integrated personal and vocational development
Healthy living: meditation, yoga, and more
For details and registration, see this page.
Organic Gardening Workshop
Sep 15-19, 2026
Immersive residential service-learning workhop integrating hands-on experience with contemplative practice in a healthy and supportive environment in the lap of nature.
The focus of this workshop will be the creation of organic garden beds in and around our geodesic dome greenhouse (including both indoor and outdoor beds). It will include hands-on explorations of permaculture-inspired gardening techniques, natural building materials and methods and contemplations of permaculture philosophy and our place in nature.
For those with interest and time, the workshop will be followed by an optional practicum enabling participants to continue deepening their learning and refining their skills by staying on as a volunteer and working alongside our team in the ongoing gardening work.
For details and registration, see this page.
Touching Earth: Natural Building Workshop
Oct 6-10, 2026
Touching Earth is a five-day workshop exploring natural building techniques and our connection to nature.
This interdisciplinary workshop-retreat will provide opportunities to learn and practice some of the foundational skills of natural, eco-friendly earthen building — including clay and lime — and contemplate living in harmony with nature while enjoying a healthy and sustainable lifestyle in a beautiful part of Colorado. Our focus is healthy, low-cost, high-performance buildings made with natural materials for the benefit of people and the planet.
Touching Earth is designed as a residential workshop-retreat and is best experienced that way, but in support of those who live in the area and would like to stay at home, that option is also available.
For those with interest and time, the workshop will be followed by an optional practicum enabling participants to continue deepening their learning and refining their skills by staying on as a volunteer and working alongside our team in the ongoing building work.
For details and registration, see this page.
Nature-based Meditation Retreat
October 12-17, 2026
This five-day program is a hybrid of a meditation retreat and a creativity workshop, where the whole is far more than the sum of its parts. The alchemy between the contemplative and expressive elements supports us to go much deeper into both aspects, and to integrate them into our practice in ways that can be profoundly supportive and empowering in our lives and work. This can also bring health, balance, and greater ease into our relationship with creativity — and with “making things happen” in general.
For details and registration, see this page.
Weekly Group Meditation Practice & Discussion
July 5 until October 25, 2026 (check with us to confirm before coming out)
Interested in meditation? We warmly welcome you to join us for our weekly group meditation and discussion sessions in the supportive natural setting of our yurt beside the creek.
Rooted in the Buddhist tradition, and open to everyone regardless of background, belief, or prior experience.
Feel free to come as you are. The greatest benefits come from keeping up a regular practice, but know that you’re welcome whether it’s just once, or every week, or whenever you like.
For details and registration, see this page.
Building a Better World
Our flagship service-learning program for compassionate and creative changemaking
Ongoing, with multiple intake dates
Building a Better World is a collaboration between Earthville Institute and Dharmalaya Institute (our Himalayan sister school), structured as an ongoing series of workshops, courses and retreats designed to empower the creators of a more sustainable and harmonious world.
This contemplative and embodied program seeks to engage the whole of us in the exploration of the most vital topics of our times:
Responsible local and global citizenship
Insightful and effective changemaking
Cultivating holistic well-being for self and others
Integrated personal and vocational development
Wise and compassionate leadership
The power of creativity to transform people and the world
For details and registration, see this page.
