What are Earthskills?

Earthskills equip our communities with knowledge and practices that bring us closer to nature and allow us to meet our basic needs for free. Gathering people together to share these skills provides us access to information and real-world-experience often not found elsewhere. Earthskills give us the opportunity to create the things we need and use ourselves, or within our local communities, thus building resilience.

Earthskills gatherings are educational events geared for all ages, and are useful in both rural and urban settings. Teachers share skills in workshops focusing on earth-friendly living, including topics such as gardening, herbal medicine, alternative technology, cooperative skills, natural building, basket-making, social justice, wild mushroom ID, fiber arts, blacksmithing, foraging, pottery, woodworking, hide tanning, fishing, fermentation, food preservation, and much more! Gatherings also often feature music, arts, community-building activities, overnight camping, and shared meals.

Here are workshop topics taught in the past (see links in top menu to prior events for more)

How to Make Salves, Ointments, and Balms
Herbal Hair and Skin Products

Uncle Mud Presents: Building with Local Natural Materials

Cooperation During Crisis

Wild Mushroom ID

Beginning Hand Spinning

Intro to Fly Tying: Tying Your First Fly

Mead Making

Racial Equity in and through Cooperative Economics

Mythical Mushrooms: The Legends and Lore from the Forest Floor

Using Plants and Herbs from Your Yard

Present Minded Conveyer of Emotion Through Movement

Making Cordage with Plant Fibers

SKY Breathing Break!

Useful Trees, Shrubs, and Vines

The Power of Poo… and Showers, Too!

Natural Beekeeping: Introducing the Warre Hive

Fermentation

Civil Disobedience Training

Acorn Processing for Food & Medicine

Zero Waste 101

Natural Husbandry of The Dairy Herd – Caprines Well-Kept

Gifts from the Hive: Honey as Medicine

Democratic Schools as a Model for Social Permaculture

Building Your Own Herbal Apothecary

Direct Action 101

Chain Stitch Introductory Crochet For Kids

And much much more!!

Examples of non-workshop activities we’ve had:

Children’s activity: Making a Hand Bound Natural Journal

Children’s Junk Parade! Make a parade from junk!

Open mic

Evening Talent Show

Contra Dance!

Performances by musicians, dancers, comedians, acrobats!

And much much more!