By Anya Kaats
The Crestone Energy Fair’s recent Natural Plasters & Earthbag Greenhouse workshops were a huge success, drawing participants from across Colorado and New Mexico—and as far as California—for two distinct weekends of immersive, hands-on learning. The Natural Plaster workshop was led by world-renowned natural plaster expert Athena Steen of the Canelo Project, whose decades of experience brought depth, artistry, and inspiration to the process of mixing and applying clay-based finishes. The Earthbag Greenhouse workshop was guided by local builder and CEF crew member Dana Oglesby, who taught participants how to construct strong, sustainable walls using scoria-filled earthbags—a DIY technique ideal for Crestone’s high-desert climate and enthusiastic owner-builder community.
Both workshops emphasized accessibility, collaboration, and skill-sharing, with plenty of time for shared meals and community connection.
Building on this momentum, the Crestone Energy Fair is offering two additional workshops this summer. On Saturday, July 19, a Screen Printing Workshop will teach DIY printing led by local resident and artist Chris Manfield. From July 26-27, a high-desert Permaculture workshop will be taught by legendary permaculture teacher Jerome Osentowski of the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute and will focus on cultivating food forests, best practices for growing in a greenhouse, soil building and high-desert permaculture.
Tickets are offered on a sliding scale. Low-income tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Tickets can be purchased at crestoneenergyfair.org/ongoing-educationThe Crestone Energy Fair will celebrate its 36th annual event on September 11-14. Details on our 2025 lineup will be announced soon. Visit crestoneenergyfair.org for more information and to sign up for announcements.