Straw bale workshops, Earthship tours, green living at Blue Rock Station.

Like us on Facebook

This Month's Events

Our Ohio Video

Just Published

"it's the end of the world as we know it... and I feel fine."

Featured on MTV

Our earthship & green living center was featured on MTV (Teen Cribs program) in May 2010 - could Jerry Springer be in our future?.

Visit Ohio's First Earthship
Construction began in 1996 on our 2,200 sq ft home made of tires, bottles, and assorted salvaged materials. Designed by famed architect Michael Reynolds, the Earthship at Blue Rock Station was the first built east of the Mississippi.
The Gardens of Blue Rock Station - such as this Rain Garden
What is life without gardens. We are constantly experimenting with different forms and plantings. Each season is an new experience.
Earth Plastering Workshops
Let your creativity loose and play in the mud. The oldest, and perhaps the most fun way to construct a home.
Cool Buildings
Greenhouses made of plastic bottles, homes made of tires, barns made of straw bales and mud... solar showers, rocket stove, composting toilets, and more.
Products and Publications
We also offer a wide variety of products and publications - from llama poo plant tea fertilizer, to straw bale needles (essential for constructing your own cottage in the woods) to a wide variety of publications (including electronic versions to save on shipping and the chopping down of trees).
Internship Opportunities
Join us for a couple of weeks, or a couple of months - learning, working and laughing.
Visit with the Critters of Blue Rock Station
Blue Rock Station is a working farm, with dairy goats, llamas, free range chickens and the occasional pig or two.
Llama Treks in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains
Take a walk with a llama... Enjoy a unique quiet afternoon walking the woodlands trails with a quiet companion. Specific dates are scheduled (see our workshops) or schedule your own for your small group.
Straw Bale Workshops
Join us for a 5-day, or 2-day workshop where you will learn straw bale construction, earth plastering, Earthship construction techniques, and much more.
Cool Stuff made from Trash - like this Rocket Stove
We are constantly experimenting with reusing materials, building items such as this rocket stove made with reclaimed bricks, mud and parts of an old barn.

Upcoming Workshops

Check out the workshops that are coming to Blue Rock Station in the next month or so...

May 26 - May 31st: The Complete Straw Bale/ Earthship Workshop

June 3 - 7th: PHOTOVOLTAICS WORKSHOP - PREPARES FOR ETA LEVEL 1 PV CERTIFICATION

Saturday/Sunday, June 15-16: Green Skill-Building Weekend “Get-Away”

Saturday, June 15th: EARTHSHIP AND SUSTAINABLE FARM TOUR

Sunday, June 16th: LLAMA TREK - WALK THE TRAILS FOR FATHER'S DAY

The Complete Straw Bale/ Earthship Workshop - May 26th - 31st, 2013

This basic project incorporates most of the skills and techniques that you will need to tackle much bigger things (like building your own Earthship or building that dream mansion out of straw bales). But the scale of our project is small enough for a beginning “green builder” to learn all the useful techniques for big or small building projects - without being overwhelmed.

It also a great opportunity to see IF you enjoy the process enough to tackle a larger project - and also gives you the unique opportunity to compare Earthship building techniques with straw bale building techniques (there are advantages and disadvantages in both).

This Year's Project:

During this week-long workshop, we will work on several different projects (to ensure we work on every stage of a project, from start to finish). This will allow us to do finish work without having to wait the several weeks it takes for everything to dry. This year we will build a ""Hobbit House" root cellar with a living roof, complete the "Dragon's Lair" sleeping cottage, and construct a beer bottle castle

New Solar Electric (Photovoltaics) Workshop

Prepares Students to Sit for the ETA Level 1 PV Certification Exam

Want to learn how to install solar? Maybe you even want to become certified to work in the solar field. Now you can spend just five days of training (4 1/2 classroom instruction and 1/2 day taking the certification test) in a beautiful setting - not in a classroom - to realize your goal.

Besides learning everything you need to know to install a solar PV array, you will be immersed in surroundings that exhibit the lifestyle that goes along with the spirit of solar power.

This course will be offered the week of June 3 - 7, 2013. Accommodations are available nearby, or free camping is an option right here at Blue Rock Station. Straw bale cabins are also available for rent here at BRS should you choose to take advantage of that option.

Hearty meals are provided as part of the fees (breakfast, lunch and dinner). ETA Examination fees (normally $150) and course materials (also around $150) are included as part of the course fee.

The course will consist of lectures (about 50%) as well as hands-on labs (also about 50%). You will work with a working PV system, dismantling and reinstalling it, troubleshooting and ensuring its proper operation. You will also learn how to integrate a working wind turbine into the PV system.