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        • The Earthship Visitor Center

          2 Earthship Way, Tres Piedras, NM 87577

          Self-Guided Tours available daily – visitors are welcome to arrive anytime from 9am – 4pm.

          $9 per person for the self-guided tour of our Visitor Center

          • Free for Taos locals and Earthship alumni
          • Free for ages 12 and under

          UPDATED WINTER HOURS:

          Guided Tours available Thursday, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 3pm to 4:30pm
          (please arrive a few minutes before)

          $22 per person • Tickets available at the front desk or: https://exploreorigin.com/en/listings/872008-guided-tour

          NEW! Extended Self-Guided Tour 
          $15 per person • Tickets available at the front desk or:
          https://exploreorigin.com/en/listings/876139-earthship-movie-time

          Private Tours available when scheduled ahead of time More Info

        • Earthship Nightly Rentals:

          Earthships allow people to experience a luxurious off grid life. Being self-sufficient does not mean reducing one’s quality of life.

          Our Earthship rental homes are equipped with all amenities that conventional housing provides

          We are 20 minutes northwest of town of Taos, New Mexico. We are very happy to show you how you can live comfortably without harming nature …

          CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT AVAILABLE NIGHTLY RENTAL EARTHSHIPS.

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        • What is an Earthship?

          An Earthship is a type of house built with natural and recycled materials, with energy conservation in mind. It is designed to produce energy, water and food for its own use.

        • An Earthship is a type of passive solar house that is made of both natural and upcycled materials. Several models exist, and can be built in any part of the world, in any climate and provide electricity, potable water, contained sewage treatment and sustainable food production. Choose your favorite model.

           

          View Earthships currently for sale or buy some land in the Earthship Community

          Building cost could be significantly reduced if you decide to host an Academy or a Field Study.

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The Earthship Academy

The foremost autonomous building school in the world. Gain an understanding of autonomous living and build your own Earthship!

Earthship Classroom
Learn sustainable building techniques from seasoned Earthship Specialists.
 
Earthship Biotecture is committed to offering extensive educational and training opportunities globally incorporating off-grid design principles, construction methods, and philosophy.

Who we are:

The Earthship Biotecture Academy offers extensive training in Earthship design principles, construction methods, and philosophy. Academy classes, labs, tours, and hands-on construction techniques are led by top Earthship builders, electricians, plumbers, and plant specialists. The Academy offers education for those who are excited to learn and live the Earthship philosophy and help expand it globally. The Earthship Academies happen several time a year in Taos, and sometimes also in different countries (International Academies) but the core of the program and the quality of the teaching is always the same.

Earthship Biotecture Academy partners with Western Colorado University’s two-year Master in Environmental Management graduate degree.  Participants in the academy can also earn undergraduate credit to be applied to their bachelor’s degrees in universities across the world.  In addition, AmeriCorps volunteers can apply their Segal Education Award to attending the Earthship Biotecture Academy.  

Dr. Jessica Young and Dr. Scott Borden introduce an exciting partnership between the School of Environment and Sustainability, Western’s Master in Environmental Management, and the Earthship Biotecture Academy.

Earthship Academy partners with Western Colorado University’s two-year Master in Environmental Management graduate degree. Participants in the Earthship Academy can also earn undergraduate credit to be applied to their bachelor’s degrees in universities across the world.

AmeriCorps volunteers can apply their Segal Education Award to attending the Earthship Biotecture Academy.

Who you are:

The Academy has trained over 3000 students from around the world. Students come from diverse backgrounds, many are trained architects, municipal planners, artists, teachers, industrial designers, professional builders, community and environmental activists. There are no prerequisites to attend our program, however applicants must be self-reliant and prepared to work in an intense group environment and take care of themselves physically, financially, and emotionally.

Academy site with transit

Graduation from the Academy

There is no time limit on completing the path to graduation. Some students pursue their degrees in Earthship Biotecture aggressively, others are content with the knowledge they gain during their Academy session and do not strive to graduate. 

Here are the 3 steps towards the Graduation Requirements:

Step 1- ACADEMY SESSIONS:

Complete an Academy session in Taos or a Global session (95% attendance in the classroom and participation in hands-on work as well as a passing grade on the Final Exam are required).

This Step 1 session is also now available online, where you will be able to watch all the classes like if you were attending in person.

Earthship Academy Lectures
STEP 2- FIELD STUDY: 

Students receive credit towards this requirement by participating in an official Earthship Biotecture Field Studies project. Field Study opportunities are intended to help further student’s knowledge of hands-on building techniques by inviting them to work alongside the Earthship Biotecture crew on a ground up build.  They are usually offered 2 to 3 times a year in the US and internationally.  Projects range in duration from 2-8 weeks.  There are two types of Field Studies offered:  client builds, and humanitarian builds.  For either type of Field Study, students are responsible for their own transportation, food and lodging.

STEP 3- INDEPENDENT STUDY:

The Independent Study may take place anywhere in the world and may be physical (launching a demonstration project in China, staging and facilitating a relief project in Haiti) or digital (designing a CAD model of an Earthship city in Turkey, mapping Pockets of Freedom in Australia).

Students may propose their Independent Study after they complete the Academy Session and Field Studies requirements. Independent Studies must receive written approval from Academy Staff and are subject to review to qualify for credit.

ACADEMY SESSIONS (Step 1)

TUITION: 

In Person (4 weeks)– $2,500 USD (+New Mexico Tax apply) 

Online (3 months)– $1,200 USD

Specials: 

  • We offer discounts for pairs doing the academy together and students who have completed the internship

  • $500 usd off for all Western Colorado University (WCU) students

  • $1,000 usd off for all students registered in WCU’s Masters in Environmental Management

Only one discount applied at a time.

Please note your payment is nonrefundable, but may be used towards future sessions for up to 2 years. In the event of cancellation 2 weeks or less before the start of the session date, your deposit will be kept. In the event of cancellation more than 2 weeks prior to the session, we will withhold 15% of the total cost of the program from your credit.

The curriculum for each session is identical and consists of classes, labs, hands-on construction, and tours of many Earthship and pre-Earthship buildings. You only need to attend one of the sessions.

Sessions are intensive and are five days a week for four weeks. Half of the time is spent in the classroom and half on learning hands-on techniques on the construction sites.

An initial $500 deposit is required to confirm your space at the Academy. The remaining tuition balance must be paid before the start of your session.

We recommend purchasing Earthship Volume 1 (We offer 50% discount to our students) and the Simple Survival Earthship APP from the App store, prior to arrival at the Academy Session

Earthship Academy Sessions in Taos:

2024

Session 1: April 1st – 26th

Session 2: June 3rd – 28th

Session 3: August 5th – 30th

Session 4: October 7th – November 1st

Session 5: November 4th – November 29th

In person Academies in Taos, NM, USA

Students typically work on at least two different Earthship construction projects, usually a Global Model Earthship and a Simple Survival Earthship and/or an experimental project like E.V.E. (Earthship Village Ecologies). Instructors divide the class into smaller groups and work on a variety of aspects like such as pounding tires, can and bottle wall construction, adobe mud pack-out and plaster, carpentry, roofing, glazing and independent power and water systems.

 Classroom

Classes are typically an hour and a half long.

Partial list of Academy classes:

  • History and Evolution of the Earthship Concept

  • Thermal/Solar Heating and Cooling

  • Building with Natural and Recycled Materials

  • Water Harvesting, Storage and Filtration

  • Contained Sewage Treatment
  • Food Production in Earthships

  • Sustainable Retrofit for Conventional Homes

  • Building permit process for Earthships

  • Staging an Earthship build

and  more!

Labs

The Labs give students a chance to go in-depth with technical aspects of the Earthship systems. With guidance from our Plumbing Specialist, students build a Water Organizing Module and learn about all filters, pumps and valves. Students also do hands-on basic electrical wiring for lights and switches. During the Earthship Maintenance Lab students learn all aspects of caring for an Earthship building from servicing the batteries for the solar system to cleaning out the grease and particle unit of the gray water system.

Tours

Students participate in guided tours of at least 15 different Earthships and pre-Earthship experimental buildings. These tours showcase a variety of Earthship types: Packaged, Modular, Custom, Global, and Simple Survival. On many of the visits, the residents of the Earthship are present to answer questions about their homes including modifications they have made and how they have made their lifestyle fit their building.

Earthship Academy Tours

Taos Campus and Housing

Campus

The Earthship Academy is based at the Greater World Earthship Community which is the world’s largest sustainable, approved subdivision and home to the world’s first Sustainable Development Testing Site. Classes are held at the Academy Classroom which is housed in a modular Earthship at the entrance to the community. Hands-on building takes place within the community, on the the Test Site and at other locations in the Taos area. 

Earthship Academy Campus

Optional Housing

Housing through the Earthship Academy is entirely optional. However, for those interested in an immersive Earthship experience, we offer very basic, dormitory-style housing to Academy students for an additional fee. The accommodations include pre-Earthship designs, Earthship-inspired buildings, and our latest Simple Survival models. 

Some of the water and power systems of these buildings are designed for minimal use only, not for ideal modern creature comfort. These spaces are rustic and you must be prepared for camping-like conditions.

Mattresses are provided, but you will need to bring bedding and a pillow. You will need to be prepared for keeping your food in a cooler (provided). There is free wifi available in most locations.

These spaces are limited and are offered on a first come, first served basis.

Dog-friendly housing is limited and requires an additional $100 dog fee. For a second dog, the dog fee is $75. 2 dogs max.

Cleaning Deposit / Check Out Policy

A $100 cleaning deposit is collected upon arrival to the Academy and is collected during the orientation on the first day of the session. The deposit must be either cash or check.

All Academy housing must be vacated by 3:00 pm the day the session ends.

Your cleaning deposit will be returned to you via mail or PayPal after your session ends if your housing passes the cleaning inspection.

Please note: we are unable to accommodate you before or after your session date because of the short turn-around time between our next session.

Should you choose to camp or find your own housing, we can provide a list of recommendations. Please note camping is not available on the campus itself.

Also, if you are planning on finding your own housing outside of what we offer we strongly advise having a car, as Taos is quite spread out and there is no public transportation.

Email academy@earthship.com or call +1 575 613 4888 if you have any questions concerning housing

ONLINE ACADEMY

Are you unable to come to Taos? Unable to enter the U.S.? Under 21 years old?

YOU MAY STILL BE ABLE TO LEARN WITH US!

The ONLINE ACADEMY you can access all the classes, which have been recorded from the original Earthship Academy.

If you watch 2 or 3 hours of classes daily for 4 weeks, so you should be able to finish it in one month or you can break it at your own pace.

EARTHSHIP ACADEMY SCHOLARSHIP

Are you an active community member interested in attending the academy in Taos? 

Do you see Earthships influencing your immediate “greater world”?

Earthship Academy is offering 2 half scholarships ($1250 USD towards tuition) for each 2024 in-person Academy session at Earthship Biotecture headquarters in Taos, NM. 

Scholarship Candidates: Who should apply?

These half scholarships are intended to empower low-income communities located in rural regions of the US. We are looking for candidates in the following categories:

  • Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) are especially encouraged to apply

  • Individuals and/or appointed members of organizations who contribute to their communities in rural/low-income/marginalized areas and/or native American reservations

  • Individuals studying housing issues and/or low-income housing alternatives

  • Housing activists and environmental activists

  • Experienced construction workers passionate about building off-grid communities

“Once all application materials are submitted, applicants receive an email confirming submission. Scholarship recipients are contacted 2 months prior to the session for which they have applied.”

Please note that we also offer scholarships to individuals living in countries
where the cost of living is drastically different from that of the United States, contact us at: lauren@earthship.com

How do we compare?

Chart of Green Building Schools

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Still have some questions? Check our FAQ: