INTEGRATING OUTER & INNER SUSTAINABILITY
Learn it by living it!
August 28 – September 23, 2022
A 27-day residential workshop series exploring natural building techniques and our connection to nature, to ourselves, and to one another. Will provide opportunities to learn and practice some of the foundational skills of natural building, including straw bale and earthen techniques, while living in harmony with nature.
AT A GLANCE
Location: Earthville Institute, Colorado
Dates: August 28 – September 23, 2022
Program type: Three one-week service-learning workshops and a one-week contemplative retreat
Focus: Natural building and personal development
Principal instructors: Andrew Morrison & Mark Moore
Additional facilitators: Anya Chang-DePuy, James Simmons
Language: English (translation may be possible)
INTRODUCTION
Earthville Institute is pleased to announce its inaugural workshops in Colorado for 2022! The following is from our friends at Strawbale.com, with whom we are collaborating for this workshop series at our newly developing eco-campus in Colorado.
Hello everyone! This is Gabriella and Andrew with a special note about this 27-day hands-on workshop experience. We are thrilled to share an exciting collaboration with the amazing folks at the Earthville Network. They are creating a sustainable community development project on 640 acres west of Durango, which we are honored to be involved with.
Over the course of 27 days we’ll be offering an incredible opportunity for a fully immersive retreat experience. Not only will you have the chance to attend three phenomenal, hands-on construction workshops, but you’ll also be able to join us in our brand new Journey Back to Center Experience. If you’ve been feeling ready for a truly transformational experience, we hope you’ll join us for this 27-day retreat.
Your home for the immersive experience is the stunning mountain landscape just west of Durango where you’ll be able to unplug from the day-to-day habits and patterns that have perhaps been weighing you down. Your body will be supported by organic deliciously prepared vegan meals (one of our facilitators used to run a vegan café in the Dalai Lama’s exile hometown of Dharamshala, India), daily yoga opportunities (one of the facilitators is the co-founder of Routes of Yoga), miles of pristine nature to explore (two of our facilitators are professional wilderness guides/experiential educators), and an invitation to take a break from recreational substances.
Over the course of 27 days you’ll attend these 4 workshops:
Two 7-Day Hands-On Straw Bale Workshops (one on 8/28-9/3 and one on 9/11-9/17)
A 5-day personal growth event called The Journey Back to Center Experience
A 5-day hands-on event called Touching Earth Workshop
We truly hope you’ll join us on this never-before offered retreat experience. It will be an incredible opportunity for personal growth, body cleansing/rejuvenation/healing, reaching a high level of proficiency in straw bale construction and natural building, and for creating life-long friendships and connections.
For details and registration, see this page. [SORRY, THIS WORKSHOP SERIES IS NOW FULL!]
NATURAL BUILDING
Sustainable, Healthy, Affordable & Beautiful Homes
There's a reason that earthen building is enjoying a renaissance around the world: it is simply one of the wisest ways to build. The many benefits of earthen buildings and clay plasters include:
Sustainability (one of the most eco-friendly ways to build)
Human health (no toxic materials, vapor permeability while maintaining insulative qualities)
Better thermal properties (balance of insulation and thermal mass)
Optimal acoustic properties (good sound insulation and natural acoustic profile)
Better fire resistance (compared with many conventional building materials)
Affordability (especially when DIY with the support of friends)
Natural beauty with a wide range of design flexibility
We can help you achieve these benefits in your own building, with an emphasis on best practices and a context-responsive approach that will support you to get the best results possible for your unique needs.
What we’ll be learning
Hands-on learning projects will include:
Applying clay plaster to interior straw-bale walls
Applying lime plaster to exterior straw-bale and mud-brick walls
Masonry: building walls with mud bricks and mud mortar (including best practices, bond patterns, etc.)
Creating optimal mud mixes for all of these applications (plasters, bricks and mortar), including DIY soil testing, harvesting, sieving, pugging (mixing with the feet), preparing, and testing the mixes
Possible work on other projects
The hands-on work will be enriched by discussions, presentations, and other activities to provide greater depth and breadth of knowledge, including discussions of best practices for all of the above activities, and why each of them matters.
A presentation on earth as a building material, including both the science of how earth holds together as a building material, and the art of earthen building as explored through a slideshow discussion of earthen architecture around the world (including our eco-campus in the Himalayas).
An overview of other earthen building materials and techniques, with a look at the pros and cons of each, and how to evaluate the best materials and methods to use in your own unique situation.
Daily morning yoga and meditation practice to ground into our earth body, restore balance and vitality.
Discussions exploring our connection with the Earth, and with nature more generally, and how we cultivate a deeper sense of connectedness with nature in a cultural context that has lost most of that wisdom.
Meditative nature walks on the 640-acre grounds, and other opportunities to observe the earth in the context of the site and discuss what we observe.
Consistent with the contemplative theme of the program, all of the hands-on work will be supported by reflection, journaling, sharing and group discussions, to help everyone get the most out of the experience.
All of the above activities together will provide a well-balanced integration of theory and practice, will empower participants with basic skills and important sensitivities, and will provide a good foundation for further explorations (whether those might be with us or elsewhere).
In support of the contemplative foundation of this program, there will be time for a group practice session every morning (e.g. meditation, yoga, chi kung). For those who also wish to keep up their existing yoga and/or meditation practices, a practice space will be available in the mornings before breakfast and in the evenings.
CAMPUS LIFE: USEFUL THINGS TO KNOW
The experience of living in community
Most of our long-term participants tell us that the experience of being a part of the Earthville community, living and working together, is one of the best parts of our programs for them. We emphasize a culture of kindness and cooperation rather than selfishness and competition, and it’s great to live and work with kindred spirits in that kind of environment.
Earthville maintains an environment in which everyone is supported to learn and grow through reflecting on our interactions with one another, and this kind of learning truly changes lives for the better, because few lessons are more valuable than those that help us understand ourselves and others better and learn to relate with others more sensitively and skillfully.
So one thing to understand is that learning to be a healthy part of a healthy community is one of the most important aspects of all of our residential programs — and of compassionate living more generally — so that kind of inner work and social evolution should be something that appeals to you if you’re thinking of applying for this program. We’ll be spending time talking about it and asking you to self-reflect, journal, and share with others about your experiences, which benefits everyone.
What to expect
Two of the keys to happiness are: (1) to have realistic expectations to begin with; and (2) not to be too attached to those expectations, but rather to stay flexible as life unfolds. With that in mind, here are some of the things participants can expect (while remembering to keep a flexible attitude).
Full-time program focus: For this immersive residential workshop, the point is to be completely focused on the program. While there will be some time for rest, reading, journaling, and personal reflection, there won’t be time for activities unrelated to the workshop. While you’re here, the expectation is that your full attention will be focused on the program experience from start to finish.
Emotional work: In a contemplative program such as this where we’re exploring some of life’s big questions, it is normal for a range of emotions to come up, and for many this is a necessary part of the process — a good sign. We encourage all participants to prepare yourselves to welcome whatever you and other might experience and hold a supportive space to move through it without judgment and learn all we can from it.
Supportive routine: A daily rhythm of contemplative practice, outdoor activities, discussions, and silent meditation time.
Natural simplicity: Rustic living, camping in a beautiful forest setting, bathing in an outdoor shower, etc.
Yogic lifestyle: Clean and simple ashram-style lifestyle in which everyone contributes to the running of the place, including cleaning, washing dishes, etc.
Healthy food: Natural and organic, purely vegetarian meals (100% plant-based, vegan).
Digital detox: In support of the immersive experience, we encourage everyone to put your phones in airplane mode most of the time you’re here so you can give yourself (and others) the ginormous gift of being present with nature and with one another. For those who are normally glued to your phones, it may take some adjustment at first but soon you’ll be amazed how much better you feel engaging with nature and fulfilling activities with good people rather than the screen. Also, cell service is very spotty here, but you can use our WiFi during free time and for emergencies.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS & FACILITATORS
The instructors for the natural building aspects of the program will be Andrew Morrison (for the straw bale workshops) and Mark Moore (for the Touching Earth workshop). All other aspects of the program will be cofacilitated by the whole Earthville Institute team.
REGISTRATION
For fees and registration, see this page. [SORRY, THIS WORKSHOP SERIES IS NOW FULL!]