The term Earthship refers to a building – typically a house – that is completely off grid. It has three main goals: to be built using sustainable and recycled materials; to rely only on natural energy sources; to be affordable to for the average person with no specialised skills to build.

The Stanmer construction is made from recycled car tyres in a rammed earth wall, and sustainably sourced timber. It has adobe walls. A large, south facing glazed area maximises passive solar gain, and a solar hot water system on the roof provides hot water. Electricity comes from solar PV and a wind turbine. All water is harvested from the rain, grey water is treated with planters and black water treated with a reed-bed system, and it is the only building in the country with a licence to turn grey water into drinking water. Composting toilets means all human waste can be dealt with sustainably.

It now acts as a community centre for all those working at Stanmer Organics, a venue for courses and it is available for hire for weddings or conferences. Monthly tours give everyone the opportunity to have a look around, learn about low carbon living and get inspired.

www.lowcarbon.co.uk/earthship-brighton

Over the years the challenges have been numerous, with each initiative taking huge effort and planning. The restoration of a signal box, for example, took a staggering seven years to complete.

The crowning glory of the whole project, however, is the Linklater Pavilion, a centre for the study of environmental change.

Placed at the entrance of the nature reserve, the £630,000 centre has been built through voluntary fundraising in difficult financial times.

The building itself has photovoltaic solar panels, a sedum roof, a ground source heat pump and it’s own water supply. It is built on stilts to withstand the frequent floods faced by the area, and using only local and sustainable materials.

It’s the planned usage of the building that is most inspiring, however. Named after the late Peter Linklater, who led a public inquiry into the proposed concreting over of the whole site, the pavilion will be a community centre for environmental education. It will allow the Railway Land Trust to continue their work preserving and researching the land as well as helping the local young people connect with their environment. It is to be an archive of transition from our current society to a more sustainable one. And it will act as a base for adults with learning disabilities to work alongside schools.

It’s creation has been no less than epic, with floods, delays, sewage works and even manpower pressures caused by the the 2012 Olympics seeing the cost of the project rise from an initial £250,000 for the first plan in 1997 to a whopping £750,000 in 2008.

John has been at the forefront from the beginning, driving the project with an iron will and keeping going where many would have given up. He says: “We are still fund-raising for fitting out but we expect to take possession of this magnificent building in mid June.”

www.railwaylandproject.org

Ann says: “I wanted to make big reductions in the carbon impact of our house, and couldn’t until we moved to Lewes. I wanted a plainer, more modern house also – the appearance is important. Moving to a smaller 1950s house enabled this. I want to make changes to prepare for peak oil and reduce climate change. I felt I had waited so long, and so wanted to do the maximum we could.”

The work on her house has taken around five years, although Ann has been active in environmental work for four times as long. Her overarching philosophy is to seek a balance between enjoying life and doing what seems logically required.

She says: “I don’t feel at all right if I sense my activity is seen as nagging, or if anyone feels guilty. I think we just have to be examples of getting on and doing things, and say why when asked.”

Energy saving measures in her house includes extensive insulating, glazing and draught proofing as well as a solar hot water and photovoltaic system, and the ultimate aim is to be zero carbon.

The conservatory was made using locally coppiced chestnut, which will regrow quickly and provides a sturdy, beautiful building material. The conservatory – or sun space – also acts as a heat sink, passively warming the rest of the house.

A wood burning stove helps the solar panels heat the water supply, and a rainwater recycling system has been installed to conserve the precious liquid.

Renovations came in at around £100,000, but Ann is very aware this isn’t within reach of many people. The house is an example of what is possible and what could be normal in the future. She says: “Enjoy life now. Have a vision for a good future. Keeping that in mind is better than dreading a bad one.”