The Only Public Earthship on the East Coast

Earthships are environmentally friendly buildings that are made with a mix of natural and recycled materials. Did you know that the only public earthship on the east coast is located in Pennsylvania? Learn more about this Earthship and how you can pay it a visit. 

When I first heard about this Earthship last year I knew I had to check it out. I was an environmental science minor in college. This led to my fascination with off grid housing and ways that people could live on the planet in more environmentally friendly ways. I was ecstatic when I found out that there was an Earthship available to visit nearby.

We registered for a tour last month so that we could visit the Earthship. We parked near the lake and walked over. There was a meditation circle on the ground outside as well as tire planters. There was a fire pit that the nature center uses for maple sugaring events.

The front of the Earthship looked more modern with its windows and solar panels while the rest looked more like a hobbit house. We were all excited to go inside. The kids were a fan of all the recycled bottles on the walls in pretty colors. My son loves cars and was intrigued to see tires in the walls. Barb Campbell gave us a great tour of the Earthship and answered all of our questions.

What is an Earthship?

An earthship is a type of structure that is built mostly out of natural and recycled materials. They are designed to be environmentally friendly by doing things such as harvesting water and producing food. They generally use solar or wind energy for their electricity. They are off-grid and can cool and heat themselves without using electricity.

Where is the only public Earthship on the East Coast located?

It is the Silver Lake Earthship Education Center located in Bristol, Pennsylvania. It is associated with the Silver Lake Nature Center. This September it will be ten years since it was built.

The address is 1006 Bath Rd Bristol, PA 19007.

What materials were used in its construction?

The Silver Lake Earthship Education Center was made of multiple different materials. The walls were mostly made with tires packed with dirt, effectively turning them into tire bricks. These were then covered with clay to make the interior walls. There were over 350 tires used in its construction that were donated by Tire City. They were stacked with screws and filled with dirt with sledgehammers to make the three outside walls. There were 84 truckloads of dirt brought in from Nichols Pool Service.

Parts of the wall were also filled in with colorful glass bottles. The glass bottles were cut in half and combined together using duct tape to make bottle bricks. The area around them was filled with cement. They look pretty and let the light shine through.

There were also aluminum cans used in portions of the wall as well. These were also used like bricks. They were dented so that they remained in place once the cement hardened. The cans help to strengthen the wall.

This Earthship was built due to the hard work of many volunteers doing things such as floor installation, solar panels and the insulation. It was also built from money from a grant as well as donations.

How does this earthship have electricity?

This is a zero carbon emissions building. Energy is provided through use of solar panels that face South on the Front Face of the Earthship. These photovoltaic panels use this energy to make Direct Current electricity. They are wired to an electric panel and meter in the utility room so that the power can then be sent to where it is needed. Often more is harnessed than is needed and sold back to the power company.

The windows also face South to get more sunlight via passive solar energy. This lets in more light for the plants and helps to warm the earthship. The design of the Earthship also helps block the sun in the summer, keeping it cool.

How are plants watered in the greenhouse section?

Water is harvested from the rain. The water system is a first flush system. This means the first 50 gallons that come off the building are not collected. Water is collected from the roof into cisterns. This then goes back into the earthship and is filtered with a UV filter and pump. After that it goes to a holding tank so that it can be used for the sink. After being used the water is then considered to be gray water. This goes through a gray water filter and into pipes connecting the bathroom to the plants in the greenhouse area near the entryway. In this manner the plants are able to be watered from the water that has been collected in the gray water planter.

What are other interesting things inside the earthship?

The Earthship itself is built into a berm which helps to provide insulation.

There is a green roof over the porch with succulents.

There is an educational space inside of the Earthship.

The bathroom has a waterless composting toilet.

There are vents to let air out in the greenhouse.

How can the Earthship be visited?

There is one Saturday each month when the earthship is open for free tours.

These are the next dates for free earthship tours:

February 15, 2025 from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm. Register for your free tour here: February Earthship Tour

March 22, 2025 from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm. Register for your free tour here: March Earthship Tour

Groups can also schedule their own tours for $120 for one hour for up to 12 people: Schedule Earthship Tour

The building can hold up to 20 people and be rented for $30 an hour: Rent the Earthship.

Throughout the year there are programs for kids. Sometimes the classroom portion is inside the earthship (such as when kids look at macroinvertebrates found in the water through microscopes).

Are there other Earthships?

Yes. There are some where visitors can even spend the night such as in Taos, El Pedros and Tres Piedras, New Mexico. There is also an Earthship in England called the Earthship Brighton. Some people have also built them on their property.

Resources used: Educational posters at the Silver Lake Nature Center and the Earthship Model Kit book created by Eric Ficinus.

Be sure to visit the Earthship! It will give you hope to see that there are ways people can live in better harmony with our environment.