NATURAL BUILDING, NATURAL LIVING
Learn it by doing it!
Jul 22 – Aug 3, 2024
Touching Earth is a two-week residential workshop exploring natural building techniques and our connection to nature. Will provide opportunities to learn and practice some of the foundational skills of earthen building and contemplate living in harmony with nature.
Week 1: clay-based materials and techniques
Week 2: lime-based materials and techniques
AT A GLANCE
Location: Earthville Institute, Colorado
Dates: July 22 through August 3, 2024 (with optional practicum thereafter)
Program type: Residential service-learning workshop with a contemplative approach
Focus: Natural building, with a focus on clay (week 1) and lime (week 2)
Principal instructor: Mark Moore
Additional facilitators: Daphne Charles, Anya Chang-DePuy, James Simmons
Language: English (translation may be possible)
Building a Better World? Yes, this workshop-retreat qualifies as a module in the Building a Better World program and provides two weeks of credit toward certification in that program.
INTRODUCTION
Earthville Institute is pleased to announce its third annual Touching Earth workshop for 2024!
This interdisciplinary workshop-retreat will provide opportunities to learn and practice some of the foundational skills of natural, eco-friendly earthen building and contemplate living in harmony with nature while enjoying a healthy and sustainable lifestyle in a beautiful part of Colorado.
Touching Earth is designed as a two-week workshop and is best experienced that way, but in support of those with limited time we also offer the option to register for only one week: week 1, with a focus on clay; or week 2, with a focus on lime.
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.
Read on below for details and registration.
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
Making traditional adobe bricks (sun-dried blocks made of clay and a bit of straw)
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
Limecrete elements (e.g. flooring, windowsills)
Possible work on other lime-based projects, such as hand-sculpted Moroccan-style tadelakt walls for the kitchen bathroom
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 and lime as building materials, 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).
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”
To get a feel for what our Touching Earth workshops are like, you can check out our story on the Touching Earth 2023 workshop, with photos and reflections. You might also enjoy this origin story from 2022.
TWO OPTIONS: CAMP WITH US OR STAY NEARBY
Welcoming local and global community
Earthville welcomes everyone who shares our wish to build a more compassionate world. The good folks who attend our programs come from all backgrounds and from across the globe. At this start-up stage in the development of our campus, we have no beds to offer, but we have a beautiful rustic campground for those who enjoy being in the heart of nature.
Additionally, we support local participation by providing the flexibility for local participants to have the option either to stay home and commute daily or to camp with us on the property.
The camping option: Healthy community living
Most of our residential 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 experience for them. We cultivate a culture of kindness, sensitivity, and cooperation, and it’s great to live and work with kindred spirits in this kind of environment.
The lifestyle here is focused on holistic well-being: organic plant-based food, nature walks, contemplative practices (meditation, yoga, etc.), and a healthy body and mind (free of intoxicants of all kinds).
There will be time for contemplative practice every morning (e.g. yoga, chi kung, or meditation, which might be guided or unguided depending on the circumstances). For those who wish to keep up their existing yoga and/or meditation practices, our yoga space will be available in the mornings before breakfast and in the evenings.
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).
Supportive routine: A daily rhythm balancing hands-on work and outdoor activities with contemplative practice, discussions, and quiet time for reflection and meditation.
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 much time for activities unrelated to the workshop. (That said, if you need to check in in on work or family while you’re, you could use some of the personal time in the evenings for that .)
Plenty of physical work: Most of the work to be done is physical, and some of it requires physical endurance, so it’s best to be prepared both physically and psychologically for doing a healthy amount of hard work. (Of course each of us humans has physical limits, and we support everyone to stay within those and take care of our bodies.)
Emotional work, too: 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 others might experience and hold a supportive space to move through it without judgment and learn all one can from it.
Natural simplicity: Rustic living, camping in a beautiful forest setting, with undeveloped campsites and very basic facilities. At this stage, we have outdoor showers with (limited) hot water, basic toilets and porta-potties, and plenty of space to pitch your tent or park your trailer or RV (but no RV hookups).
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), lovingly prepared by all of us (together or in shifts).
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 of us who are normally glued to our phones, it may take some adjustment at first but soon you might 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 our WiFi is available during free time and for emergencies.
SCHEDULES & DATES
Program schedule: Start and end dates
The program will begin at 10:00am on Day 1. All newly arriving participants should plan to arrive either the afternoon before Day 1 (between 3:00pm and 5:00pm) or between 9:00 and 9:30am on Day 1 itself (we will provide detailed timing, instructions, and travel tips after confirming your registration). On the arrival day, you’ll be settling in and getting oriented, with introductions and an overview of life at Earthville Institute in general and of this program in particular.
The program will conclude at 4:00pm on the last day. Participants who are leaving after the program can plan to depart at 4:30pm on the last day (or, alternatively, by noon the following day).
Daily schedules: What will the days be like?
Although the day-to-day schedule will vary a bit, the schedule for a typical day during this program would more or less as follows:
6:00 Wake
6:30 Morning practice (group yoga/movement or your own contemplative practice)
8:00 BREAKFAST
9:00 Morning sessions: learning, practice, and/or creative activities
12:30 LUNCH
2:00 Afternoon sessions: learning, practice, and/or creative activities
5:00 Personal time
6:00 DINNER
7:00 Evening session: meditation and often a short talk or discussion
8:30 Quiet time for journaling, reading and personal meditation
9:30 Lights out
Practicum option
Those attending this workshop may be interested in gaining more learning and experience by staying on with us after the workshop to work alongside our team for as long as you’re able (until as late as September 21, 2024, the final day of our program season). The daily schedule during the practicum week would be similar to the workshop schedule, but with more personal/social time in the evenings. If staying on for the practicum, you’ll have Sundays off (perhaps to check out Durango or Mancos, or to explore the gorgeous Four Corners area, or simply to rest). If you’re interested in the practicum, let us know and we’ll be happy to discuss possibilities with you.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS & FACILITATORS
Touching Earth will be hosted and facilitated by members of Earthville Institute’s core community. The main instructor for the natural building aspects of the program will be Mark Moore, cofounder of Earthville Institute and of Dharmalaya Institute (our sister school in the Himalayas). All other aspects of the program will be cofacilitated by the whole team.
PROGRAM FEES
As a nonprofit educational organization, Earthville Institute is dedicated to making experiential learning and compassionate living accessible to all. Recognizing that our participants come from diverse backgrounds, we provide a sliding scale with three tiers, to make it possible for each participant to give according to their means.
Additionally, we wish to support local participation by providing the flexibility for local participants to have the option either to stay home and commute daily or to camp with us on campus. The rate for those camping with us includes three meals daily and space for camping, while the rate for those staying off site includes only lunch.
Cost for those wishing to camp on-site (recommended)
The total cost (inclusive of workshop/retreat fees, three healthy meals daily, and use of our eco-campground) for the full two-week program at each of the three tiers are as follows:
Standard rate
(For most participants)
$900
For transparency: This standard rate is essentially a break-even rate, just enough to cover the Institute’s total estimated costs.
Subsidized rate
(For low-income participants who can’t afford the standard rate)
$600
For transparency: This subsidized rate is approximately 33% below our break-even rate, which means it is not enough to cover the Institute’s costs, though hopefully that shortfall might be covered by other participants who choose to pay the “supporter rate” to the right.
Supporter rate
(For those with means to help subsidize lower-income participants)
$1200
For transparency: This supporter rate is approximately 33% above the break-even rate, and that surplus will be used to support lower-income applicants to participate at the subsidized rate. We thank you sincerely for your generosity in choosing this rate if you can.
Cost for those wishing to stay off-site
The total cost (including tuition and daily lunches, but not other meals) for the full two-week program at each of the three tiers are as follows:
Standard rate
(For most participants)
$540
For transparency: This standard rate is essentially a break-even rate, just enough to cover the Institute’s total estimated costs.
Subsidized rate
(For low-income participants who can’t afford the standard rate)
$360
For transparency: This subsidized rate is approximately 33% below our break-even rate, which means it is not enough to cover the Institute’s costs, though hopefully that shortfall might be covered by other participants who choose to pay the “supporter rate” to the right.
Supporter rate
(For those with means to help subsidize lower-income participants)
$720
For transparency: This supporter rate is approximately 33% above the break-even rate, and that surplus will be used to support lower-income applicants to participate at the subsidized rate. We thank you sincerely for your generosity in choosing this rate if you can.
Scholarships and fundraising support available
*We do not want cost to be a barrier to a sincere applicant’s participation, so if you have exceptional financial hardship and cannot afford even the lowest subsidized rate, you can contact us to let us know your situation and your needs, and we can discuss work-study discount and scholarship options (subject to limited availability and based on genuine need).
Members of the Ute and Diné (Navajo) nations qualify for full scholarships (subject to limited availability).
Option to register for only one week
Touching Earth is designed as a two-week workshop and is best experienced that way, but in support of those with limited time we also offer the option to register for only one week, and you can find the event pages for each of those one-week options here: week 1, with a focus on clay; or week 2, with a focus on lime.
Practicum option
Costs for the practicum period after the workshop would be on a sliding scale from $14 to $21 to $28 per day to help cover the Institute’s cost of hosting and feeding the participants.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Before you pack for your trip to Earthville Institute, please read the important information on our Campus Life page. If you have a question that is not answered there, feel free to contact us here and we’ll be happy to answer.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Space in this workshop is limited. Participation is by application and is subject to acceptance.
STEP 1 — APPLY: Submit the application form. (We recommend using a desktop/tablet browser, as some people find doing the applications on a phone screen to be tricky.)
STEP 2 — CONNECT: The next step is for us to schedule a short video call to give you a chance to ask whatever questions you may have, and to help us better understand your interests and confirm if the program is a match.
STEP 3 — DEPOSIT: After the call, we’ll send you more detailed information about the program and how to prepare for your time at Earthville Institute. You will then have one week to make your nonrefundable deposit to hold your place in the program. The minimum deposit is 50%, and it is also possible to prepay in full if you prefer.
If you have any questions after reading all the material here on our website, feel free to contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
We look forward to connecting with you!