EARTHSHIP WORKSHOP IN SA!
17-21 December 2021
Earthship Inman Valley (this is what we are building!) View of Greenhouse Atrium looking east.
Inman Valley, South Australia
- Learn from experienced instructors
- See an Earthship/strawbale hybrid under construction
- Have a go at rendering strawbale walls, tyre walls and bottle walls!
- Build bottle walls and make bottle bricks
- Tyre wall pack-out (mixing cob and applying it to the tyre wall)
- Cob stomping... mud glorious mud!
- Greywater planter overview (it's already made, but we will explain how it works)
- Learn about Earthships and have a go!
- Food, water and campsite provided
- Optional Earthship tour (at Earthship Ironbank)
EARTHSHIPS
Earthships are super energy and water efficient homes that are typically off-grid but can also be grid connected. This means little to no water and electricity bills plus the empowering feeling of self-sufficiency!
They are made with natural materials such as earth and straw and up-cycled materials such as tyres and bottles.
An array of amazing and beautiful design features integrate ingeniously to ensure that winter sun gets in and summer sun stays out, resulting in glorious indoor living conditions without the need for an air-conditioner.
A beautiful indoor food producing garden is also part of the typical (non-tropical) Earthship design.
Earthship construction methods are easy to do yourself so you can save money by putting in your own labour and only pay the builder to do the stuff you can't do. It is ideal for owner-builders.
Earthships are super energy and water efficient homes that are typically off-grid but can also be grid connected. This means little to no water and electricity bills plus the empowering feeling of self-sufficiency!
They are made with natural materials such as earth and straw and up-cycled materials such as tyres and bottles.
An array of amazing and beautiful design features integrate ingeniously to ensure that winter sun gets in and summer sun stays out, resulting in glorious indoor living conditions without the need for an air-conditioner.
A beautiful indoor food producing garden is also part of the typical (non-tropical) Earthship design.
Earthship construction methods are easy to do yourself so you can save money by putting in your own labour and only pay the builder to do the stuff you can't do. It is ideal for owner-builders.
workshop photos 2020 photo credits Martin Freney and Kim Kamo
THE WORKSHOP
October/November 2021, over four weeks, 25 students built the tyre wall and bondbeam!
Now the roof is up and glass is in.
Now it's RENDERING TIME! And BOTTLE WALLS time!
This workshop is designed to introduce you to the Earthship concept and give you some hands-on experience so that you can evaluate how Earthship may be appropriate for you - if you are thinking of doing something similar one day, this workshop will be a great way to understand what is involved with being an owner builder.
The specific activities we aim to tackle are listed above. Please understand that weather and numbers of participants may dictate how many of these tasks we can engage with.
The workshop will also introduce you to like minded souls and enter the wonderful world of natural building!
It is intended for reasonably fit and healthy people capable of getting physical on a construction site.
If this is not your cup of tea then please consider booking in for a guided tour of Earthship Ironbank or a BnB stay.
Experience a guided tour at Earthship Ironbank (Australia’s first council approved Earthship). This will address all the key Earthship concepts:
Q&A Sessions
Opportunities to ask all your Earthship questions.
Free Camping
Free camping onsite is included to help participants who are not within easy driving distance (although you are very welcome to camp even if you are local). Camping is highly recommended but not essential.
Food
All food and water will be provided.
Drinking water will always be available.
Transport
You will need to provide your own transport, although you may be able to share rides via some organising - a Facebook page will be setup to facilitate this. There will be limited space for vans, buses, caravans etc, so please indicate this on your application form. We will fit in as many as possible!
THE VENUE(S)
The construction site is in Inman Valley, South Australia, a 1hr drive south of Adelaide on the beautiful Fleurieu peninsula. It is a mountainous bush block with remnant eucalypt forest, scrub, large cleared areas and a couple of dams. There are plenty of places to pitch a tent. It is about 20min drive to the beach at Normanville.
The Tour will be at Earthship Ironbank which is a bed and breakfast in Ironbank in the Adelaide Hills, 40min drive from the CBD and airport, co-located with Marty and Zoe Freney’s strawbale home on 4 acres where they have established a permaculture property. This pioneering project has broken new ground in Australia, inspiring many other similar projects. It demonstrates that you can get council approval for an “Earthship”, it shows how the Earthship can be adapted to suit local conditions (and regulations) and it enables people to experience off-grid Earthship living.
THE STUDENTS
We are looking for open-mined, fun-loving people with the desire (and the capability) for some hard physical labour. Earthships can be built with machines (see here) or with people power. There is no right or wrong way to do it, but one great advantage of people power is that they are powered by a renewable fuel (called food) rather thank stinky, dangerous, non-renewable fossil fuels.
THE TUTORS
Please note that the number of tutors is subject to the number of enrolments, however these are the Earthshippers that are keen to teach you!
Martin Freney is one of world's most enthusiastic and prolific Earthship builders, designers and researchers. In fact Michael Reynolds, Earthship god-father, refers to him as "the data guy" because of Marty's research that involves monitoring the thermal performance (temperature, humidity) of Earthships. Marty is the designer and owner-builder of Earthship Ironbank, Australia’s first council approved Earthship which is a wildly popular BnB. When he is not teaching product design and sustainable design at the University of South Australia (part time) he is designing and researching Earthships. He has designed numerous Earthships throughout Australia via his sustainable design consultancy Earthship Eco Homes. He has visited Taos, New Mexico, USA - home of the Earthship - twice, once as an intern in 2008 and a second time in 2011 as part of his PhD which investigated the thermal performance of Earthships and their eco footprint compared to other types of housing. He has built Earthships with Earthship Biotecture in the USA, Indonesia and Australia.
Charles Swain has engaged in the University of life completing multiple phds with many high distinctions (self marked). He has spent the better part of the last five years travelling Australia in a troopy with a dingo, building Earthships, cooking on a fire and living under the stars. The five years before that were not much more stable either, travelling the world, living in strange places and shaping perspectives from even stranger strangers. The most important developmental time perhaps spent in the shadows of South Africa. In 2015 after flying into Vancouver, buying a van to live in and driving the 10,000kms to New Mexico. He attended the Earthship Academy in Taos, New Mexico and has worked on a variety of Australian Earthship projects throughout Australia (SA, NSW, TAS). To say he enjoys a challenge is simply a way to cover up the fact that he downright refuses to take the paths already well travelled. He and his partner are currently living near willunga, in a 40 foot school bus, with four dogs.
THE HOSTS
Evie and Tristan are the amazing couple at the heart of this project. With the help of their young daughter they will be working alongside you, plus managing the camp site, camp kitchen and a myriad of other things!
THE DESIGN
Earthship Inman Valley is essentially an "open-ended" Earthship floor plan with a strawbale open-plan living space at the west end of the home - this is to capture views to the south and west which is otherwise difficult to do with other Earthship designs such as the Encounter and the Global Model. It follows all the usual Earthship design principles. This is a fully off grid building. And approved by the local council. See the floor plan and images below.
October/November 2021, over four weeks, 25 students built the tyre wall and bondbeam!
Now the roof is up and glass is in.
Now it's RENDERING TIME! And BOTTLE WALLS time!
This workshop is designed to introduce you to the Earthship concept and give you some hands-on experience so that you can evaluate how Earthship may be appropriate for you - if you are thinking of doing something similar one day, this workshop will be a great way to understand what is involved with being an owner builder.
The specific activities we aim to tackle are listed above. Please understand that weather and numbers of participants may dictate how many of these tasks we can engage with.
The workshop will also introduce you to like minded souls and enter the wonderful world of natural building!
It is intended for reasonably fit and healthy people capable of getting physical on a construction site.
If this is not your cup of tea then please consider booking in for a guided tour of Earthship Ironbank or a BnB stay.
Experience a guided tour at Earthship Ironbank (Australia’s first council approved Earthship). This will address all the key Earthship concepts:
- Natural & up-cycled construction materials
- Passive/natural heating and cooling
- Off-grid power, water and sewage treatment
- Food production
- Council approval
- Design
- Structural engineering
- Energy assessment
- Construction timeline
- Costs
Q&A Sessions
Opportunities to ask all your Earthship questions.
Free Camping
Free camping onsite is included to help participants who are not within easy driving distance (although you are very welcome to camp even if you are local). Camping is highly recommended but not essential.
Food
All food and water will be provided.
Drinking water will always be available.
Transport
You will need to provide your own transport, although you may be able to share rides via some organising - a Facebook page will be setup to facilitate this. There will be limited space for vans, buses, caravans etc, so please indicate this on your application form. We will fit in as many as possible!
THE VENUE(S)
The construction site is in Inman Valley, South Australia, a 1hr drive south of Adelaide on the beautiful Fleurieu peninsula. It is a mountainous bush block with remnant eucalypt forest, scrub, large cleared areas and a couple of dams. There are plenty of places to pitch a tent. It is about 20min drive to the beach at Normanville.
The Tour will be at Earthship Ironbank which is a bed and breakfast in Ironbank in the Adelaide Hills, 40min drive from the CBD and airport, co-located with Marty and Zoe Freney’s strawbale home on 4 acres where they have established a permaculture property. This pioneering project has broken new ground in Australia, inspiring many other similar projects. It demonstrates that you can get council approval for an “Earthship”, it shows how the Earthship can be adapted to suit local conditions (and regulations) and it enables people to experience off-grid Earthship living.
THE STUDENTS
We are looking for open-mined, fun-loving people with the desire (and the capability) for some hard physical labour. Earthships can be built with machines (see here) or with people power. There is no right or wrong way to do it, but one great advantage of people power is that they are powered by a renewable fuel (called food) rather thank stinky, dangerous, non-renewable fossil fuels.
THE TUTORS
Please note that the number of tutors is subject to the number of enrolments, however these are the Earthshippers that are keen to teach you!
Martin Freney is one of world's most enthusiastic and prolific Earthship builders, designers and researchers. In fact Michael Reynolds, Earthship god-father, refers to him as "the data guy" because of Marty's research that involves monitoring the thermal performance (temperature, humidity) of Earthships. Marty is the designer and owner-builder of Earthship Ironbank, Australia’s first council approved Earthship which is a wildly popular BnB. When he is not teaching product design and sustainable design at the University of South Australia (part time) he is designing and researching Earthships. He has designed numerous Earthships throughout Australia via his sustainable design consultancy Earthship Eco Homes. He has visited Taos, New Mexico, USA - home of the Earthship - twice, once as an intern in 2008 and a second time in 2011 as part of his PhD which investigated the thermal performance of Earthships and their eco footprint compared to other types of housing. He has built Earthships with Earthship Biotecture in the USA, Indonesia and Australia.
Charles Swain has engaged in the University of life completing multiple phds with many high distinctions (self marked). He has spent the better part of the last five years travelling Australia in a troopy with a dingo, building Earthships, cooking on a fire and living under the stars. The five years before that were not much more stable either, travelling the world, living in strange places and shaping perspectives from even stranger strangers. The most important developmental time perhaps spent in the shadows of South Africa. In 2015 after flying into Vancouver, buying a van to live in and driving the 10,000kms to New Mexico. He attended the Earthship Academy in Taos, New Mexico and has worked on a variety of Australian Earthship projects throughout Australia (SA, NSW, TAS). To say he enjoys a challenge is simply a way to cover up the fact that he downright refuses to take the paths already well travelled. He and his partner are currently living near willunga, in a 40 foot school bus, with four dogs.
THE HOSTS
Evie and Tristan are the amazing couple at the heart of this project. With the help of their young daughter they will be working alongside you, plus managing the camp site, camp kitchen and a myriad of other things!
THE DESIGN
Earthship Inman Valley is essentially an "open-ended" Earthship floor plan with a strawbale open-plan living space at the west end of the home - this is to capture views to the south and west which is otherwise difficult to do with other Earthship designs such as the Encounter and the Global Model. It follows all the usual Earthship design principles. This is a fully off grid building. And approved by the local council. See the floor plan and images below.
WHAT TO BRING
SAFETY GEAR AND WORK CLOTHES
CAMPING
Camping facilities include:
OTHER THINGS TO BRING
*optional
THE SCHEDULE
Fri 17 Dec 2021
4:30pm - Arrive from 4:30 to setup camp.
6:30pm – DINNER at Earthship Inman Valley
7:30pm – Lecture/Presentation/Discussion/Q&A re Earthships - COMPULSORY
9:00pm - end of activities
Sat 18 Dec - Monday 20 Dec 2021
7:00 am - BREAKFAST
8:30am - Morning Meeting, Safety Talk, and Stretches - COMPULSORY
9:00am - Construction session
12:30pm - LUNCH at the worksite
1:00pm - Construction session
4:00pm - Worksite clean up
4:30pm - Free time for beach swims, exploration, rest, bathing, etc
5:30pm – Opportunity Space for offering personal Workshop sessions (Dance/art/music/yoga etc)
6:30pm – DINNER at the campsite
8:00pm – Q&A sessions, quiz night, party, movie night
9:30pm - end of activities
Tue 21 Dec 2021
7:00 am - BREAKFAST
8:30am - Morning Meeting, Safety Talk, and Stretches - COMPULSORY
9:00am - Construction session
12:30pm - LUNCH at the worksite
1:00pm - Construction session
4:00pm - Worksite clean up
4:30pm - Group photo, packup camp
5:00pm - roll out, head for home or Earthship Ironbank (for an optional tour)
6:30pm - arrive at Earthship Ironbank for tour - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BUT OPTIONAL
7:30pm - end of tour
SAFETY GEAR AND WORK CLOTHES
- Work boots
- Gloves (leather riggers gloves or ninja gloves are ideal)
- Work clothes
- Sun screen
- Sun glasses (and/or safety glasses)
- Hat
- Water bottle
- Change of clothes/shoes
- Camping gear (see below)
- NOTE: Any other PPE that you need will be supplied
CAMPING
Camping facilities include:
- toilets
- outdoor, covered, kitchen with water and electricity for phone charging
- 4G phone services (check your carrier's coverage map for Stockwell Rd Inman Valley )
- dam for a dunk or a wash
- trees - for hanging solar shower bags from (BYO)
- beach is 20min drive for a cleansing ocean plunge
OTHER THINGS TO BRING
- tent or swag
- ground sheet (tarp to go under swag or tent)***
- tent pegs and hammer
- warm sleeping bag
- warm clothes
- beach stuff (bathers, beach towel, Frisbee)
- air mattress***
- pillow
- towel
- toiletries
- torch and/or head torch
- solar phone charger***
- mosquito repellent***
- solar shower bag***
- teddy bear*
- midnight snacks*
- drum, guitar, didgeridoo, flute...*
- camping chair*
- any other glamping essentials such as coffee tables and LED lights*
*optional
THE SCHEDULE
Fri 17 Dec 2021
4:30pm - Arrive from 4:30 to setup camp.
6:30pm – DINNER at Earthship Inman Valley
7:30pm – Lecture/Presentation/Discussion/Q&A re Earthships - COMPULSORY
9:00pm - end of activities
Sat 18 Dec - Monday 20 Dec 2021
7:00 am - BREAKFAST
8:30am - Morning Meeting, Safety Talk, and Stretches - COMPULSORY
9:00am - Construction session
12:30pm - LUNCH at the worksite
1:00pm - Construction session
4:00pm - Worksite clean up
4:30pm - Free time for beach swims, exploration, rest, bathing, etc
5:30pm – Opportunity Space for offering personal Workshop sessions (Dance/art/music/yoga etc)
6:30pm – DINNER at the campsite
8:00pm – Q&A sessions, quiz night, party, movie night
9:30pm - end of activities
Tue 21 Dec 2021
7:00 am - BREAKFAST
8:30am - Morning Meeting, Safety Talk, and Stretches - COMPULSORY
9:00am - Construction session
12:30pm - LUNCH at the worksite
1:00pm - Construction session
4:00pm - Worksite clean up
4:30pm - Group photo, packup camp
5:00pm - roll out, head for home or Earthship Ironbank (for an optional tour)
6:30pm - arrive at Earthship Ironbank for tour - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BUT OPTIONAL
7:30pm - end of tour
THE PRICES
New Earthshipper $450 (Concession* price $380)
Returning Earthshipper $190 (If you have been to Earthship Inman Valley or Amy's Earthship Goolwa workshops in the past)
* Concession price is for tertiary/secondary students and unemployed people
Please note, there will be a small booking fee charged by the online booking system.
$50 discount for Early Birds (buy a ticket before midnight Saturday 11 Dec to claim this discount).
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. No refunds (with the exception of the organisers postponing the workshop - see point 2 below). Please be sure you have made all the necessary arrangements before you apply and make payment. If necessary, you may transfer your place in the workshop to another suitable person (who has been accepted via the online application system) but your payment is non-refundable.
2. In the event of lack of interest, mishap with council approval, bushfire, extended heat-wave, pandemic shut-down/border closures/quarantine*, or other calamitous event, the workshop will be postponed in which case you can decide to receive a 95% refund (5% is retained to cover administration expenses), or you can hold onto your ticket and attend the workshop on the new (postponed) dates. *UPDATE 7-12-21: If COVID issues mean you can not attend, you will receive a FULL ticket price refund.
3. In no circumstances will your travel expenses be refunded.
4. You have 48hr to make payment after you receive the email confirming that your application was successful. After that, your place in the workshop may be offered to someone else. Please pay promptly.
5. Participants who are unable to comply with instructions regarding the safe and the orderly running of the workshop will NOT be allowed to participate any further in the workshop activities (including camping) and will forfeit their payment for the workshop.
6. Sexual, racial, or any form of harassment will not be tolerated.
7. If you are under 18 years of age you must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who has also purchased a ticket to the workshop.
8. Participants must complete the online application form and agree to these terms and conditions. These terms and conditions are duplicated on the workshop website.
REGISTRATION AND TICKETS
Step 1 Fill Out Online Registration Form - you will receive an email within 3 working days to advise you further.
Step 2 Purchase Ticket Online
STEP 1 - ONLINE APPLICATION FORM
Please fill out the online registration form by clicking on the REGO FORM button below. We need your contact details and would like to understand a little bit about who are, what you like to eat, why you want to attend the workshop etc. You also need to accept the terms and conditions.
New Earthshipper $450 (Concession* price $380)
Returning Earthshipper $190 (If you have been to Earthship Inman Valley or Amy's Earthship Goolwa workshops in the past)
* Concession price is for tertiary/secondary students and unemployed people
Please note, there will be a small booking fee charged by the online booking system.
$50 discount for Early Birds (buy a ticket before midnight Saturday 11 Dec to claim this discount).
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. No refunds (with the exception of the organisers postponing the workshop - see point 2 below). Please be sure you have made all the necessary arrangements before you apply and make payment. If necessary, you may transfer your place in the workshop to another suitable person (who has been accepted via the online application system) but your payment is non-refundable.
2. In the event of lack of interest, mishap with council approval, bushfire, extended heat-wave, pandemic shut-down/border closures/quarantine*, or other calamitous event, the workshop will be postponed in which case you can decide to receive a 95% refund (5% is retained to cover administration expenses), or you can hold onto your ticket and attend the workshop on the new (postponed) dates. *UPDATE 7-12-21: If COVID issues mean you can not attend, you will receive a FULL ticket price refund.
3. In no circumstances will your travel expenses be refunded.
4. You have 48hr to make payment after you receive the email confirming that your application was successful. After that, your place in the workshop may be offered to someone else. Please pay promptly.
5. Participants who are unable to comply with instructions regarding the safe and the orderly running of the workshop will NOT be allowed to participate any further in the workshop activities (including camping) and will forfeit their payment for the workshop.
6. Sexual, racial, or any form of harassment will not be tolerated.
7. If you are under 18 years of age you must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who has also purchased a ticket to the workshop.
8. Participants must complete the online application form and agree to these terms and conditions. These terms and conditions are duplicated on the workshop website.
REGISTRATION AND TICKETS
Step 1 Fill Out Online Registration Form - you will receive an email within 3 working days to advise you further.
Step 2 Purchase Ticket Online
STEP 1 - ONLINE APPLICATION FORM
Please fill out the online registration form by clicking on the REGO FORM button below. We need your contact details and would like to understand a little bit about who are, what you like to eat, why you want to attend the workshop etc. You also need to accept the terms and conditions.
STEP 2 - PURCHASE TICKET
If your application is successful, you will receive payment instructions via email. You will know if your application is accepted within 3 working days.
QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions please email Martin Freney via the web form here: https://www.earthshipecohomes.com.au/contact.html
Please resist the urge to ask questions on Facebook etc - Marty will not see your question! Email him or call him on his mobile.
If your application is successful, you will receive payment instructions via email. You will know if your application is accepted within 3 working days.
QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions please email Martin Freney via the web form here: https://www.earthshipecohomes.com.au/contact.html
Please resist the urge to ask questions on Facebook etc - Marty will not see your question! Email him or call him on his mobile.