Brighton’s iconic “building of the future” is turning to people power to give it a new lease of life

October 29, 2015
Posted by in Campaigns, Education Buildings | Tagged , , , , |

The crowdfunding campaign aims to raise £20,000 for the vital upgrade of the building’s renewable energy and water systems.

The campaign can be found here: www.lowcarbon.co.uk/earthship-brighton

The Save Earthship Brighton crowdfunding campaign has so far passed the £3,000 mark. The money raised will allow the installation of a new ultraviolet, chemical-free filtration system to purify the rainwater at the Earthship. There’s still plenty more to do to help get the Earthship back up and running.

The Brighton Earthship, an award-winning eco community centre, has hosted environmental education events and community activities for almost a decade. The unique building is turning to friends, fans and past visitors to help switch it back on.

Press release about the crowdfunding campaign.

Earthship Brighton, located in the South Downs National Park, is an off-grid eco-building designed to get all the electricity and drinking water it needs from the sun and the rain.

The Low Carbon Trust needs to raise £20,000 in 30 days to acquire a new ultraviolet water filtration system to purify rainwater for use inside the building, purchase new batteries to store electricity generated by the solar panels, and build a straw bale unit to securely house the new batteries.

The recent closure of three solar businesses in the UK in one week, proposed cuts of 87% in solar subsidies, and the United Nations Conference on Climate Change next month – renewable energy and carbon emissions are still on the agenda.

When the Earthship was built back in 2006, lead-acid batteries were the only technology available to store renewable electricity from the solar panels. Like any battery, its life is limited. And a decade later the technology has moved on.

New regulations also mean that the Earthship needs an updated system to purify the rainwater the building collects in order to convert it to drinking water.

Please head over to the campaign page & help turn on Earthship Brighton: www.lowcarbon.co.uk/earthship-brighton

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