Self-building an Earthship
What is an Earthship?
An Earthship is a low impact building that makes use of recycled materials in its construction including over 1000 car tyres*. It has passive solar heating and cooling and uses only renewable technologies. All the water used is harvested from rain-water and recycled with waste water management on site.
*When tires are exposed to sunlight, they begin to degrade and release toxic gasses as they break down. Tires used in Earthships are covered in cement or stucco, so there is no exposure to any toxic vapors in the Earthship.
Course Content
The course will cover:
- Planning permission & building regulations
- Financing an eco-home
- Exploring passive solar heating and cooling
- Rainwater harvesting & wastewater recycling
- Different renewable energy sources
- Earthship construction techniques
- Sourcing natural and eco-friendly building materials
Learn how a building can use the sun instead of central heating and how to build in natural, passive ventilation. We’ll look at how it is possible to live off-grid or reduce your reliance on the grid. This includes how you can harvest and recycle water and an outline of the relative merits of micro-renewable technologies like solar, biomass, wind and hydro. We will look at what you need to think about when sourcing environmentally-friendly materials and how to avoid the most damaging materials.
Mischa Hewitt will discuss the practicalities of turning the dream into a reality – finances, planning permission and building regulations.
You’ll get hands-on practical experience in ramming car tyres that make up the walls of an Earthship, earth rendering, and making a glass bottle brick wall.
Lastly, you’ll see how all these elements come together in case studies, including Earthship Brighton.
This course will build on the good work of Mike Reynolds and focus on adapting Earthships to the UK climate.
Who is the course for?
This course is open to anyone aged 16 or over. It is for anyone thinking about building their own home and anyone interested in learning about Earthships. It is suitable for complete beginners, as well as those who are familiar with eco-building and want to know more.
This is an intensive practical and theoretical course; expect long days of hands-on work with short theory sessions, but also lots of fun.
Course Tutors
Led by experienced tutors, including:
Jonathan Kalviac
Jon is passionate about building homes that don’t cost the Earth. He is a tutor, consultant and designer of ecological buildings using timber frame, straw bales, cob, rammed earths and blends of recycled and natural materials with over 20 years experience..
Mischa Hewitt
Mischa is a Sustainability Consultant and Project Manager with a particular interest in affordable low energy buildings from natural materials.
Course reviews & feedback
2026 Course
Friday 10 to Sunday 12 July 2026 FULLY BOOKED*
*Use the Make an Enquiry button below to ask to be added to the waiting list
Venue
Earthship Brighton
Stanmer Park (near University of Sussex)
Brighton
Map & Directions
Fees
Fees include tuition, refreshments, handouts and information sheets.
£340
£340
£285
£230
Our commitment to affordability relies on voluntary support.
ACCOMMODATION
If you intend to book accommodation, please check availability before booking a place, as accommodation in Brighton can be hard to find, especially over the summer months.
Get details of local accommodation and Brighton Permaculture Trust supporters who can provide accommodation in their homes.
BOOKING
Booking is essential, as most of our courses/events are fully booked weeks in advance. However, if places are still available, then bookings can be made until midday the day before the course/event. A place is not secured until we have received the requested payment.
If you have completed the booking process but you haven’t received a confirmation email from us please contact us to check your booking has gone through.
If you are booking within two weeks of the event, or the event is nearly full, you will not have the option to pay by BACS. Instead, you will need to pay immediately using a credit/debit card or PayPal.
ACCESSIBILITY
If you have any accessibility needs or concerns, please contact us in advance, and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Have questions?
For any enquiries or if you need further information, feel free to reach out. We’re here to help!