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March 2005

Land

How to build a quick, cheap Greenhouse

Materials needed for 28 x 15 foot Greenhouse (thanks to Laspilitas):

plastic greenhouse
cheap & green

*5×20 foot pieces of 5/8 inch rebar (cut in 1/3’s to about 6 foot lengths)

*7 x20 foot lengths of schedule 40 PVC with a small (3/16- inch) hole drilled dead center, at 10 feet

*2 x20 foot lengths of schedule 40 PVC (cut into 20 inch pieces)

*84 feet of  schedule 40 PVC cut into 4 foot lengths.

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Off-Grid Diaries

Dear Diary
Dear off-grid Diary

There is a sense of purpose and accomplishment that comes from living off-grid, whether you are in a motorhome or a backwoods cabin. Being food and energy self-sufficient, not being affected if the area has a power outage, no utility bills…..

Lest some think it’s a problem-free idyllic life, be aware that when grid support is removed, and you are the primary repairman for a variety of systems, there can be many trials of character, and marriage.

The following links are a few off-grid articles and diaries of folks who walk the walk, and live off-grid. We will carry others in future stories

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Mobile

4×4 car rental in the UK

Get into the car
Let’s go off-road

Want to explore the British countryside by car this weekend? Why not make it as adventurous as possible, and more fun, go off the main tracks to some of the most remote and rugged parts of the country – here are the best 4×4 car rental places online.

If you are worried about eco-impact – specify diesel and then fill the tank with biofuel. Remember to travel the wild parts of the country responsibly. Stick to rights of way and leave no permanent trace behind you.

In the UK try shb.co.uk for rental of rugged 4×4 cars, pickups or people carriers: fill an enquiry form online or email 4×4@shb.co.uk. For luxury 4×4 cars email Scotland@shab.co.uk
Tel. +44 (0) 1236 765566 Fax. +44 (0) 1236 755760

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Land

The Autonomous House

autonomous house
Off-grid Pioneer

BBC Radio had a great dive into the archives tonight (Saturday), with a show about our past visions of the Future House.

From the 1970s it featured the first well-developed idea for an off-grid home — The Autonomous House designed by Brenda and Robert Vale. And from the 80s – Biosphere 2. Both were off-grid ideas that were ahead of their time. The Vale’s ideas are just coming to fruition all over the US and the UK

Listen to the programme

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Land

They practice what we preach

Jules Dervaes and his family who live an almost completely self-sufficient life are about to be featured by the New York Times, with their own video on the newspaper’s web site.

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0954252934-02-mzzzzzzz-6654621Guess what? Ecover is no longer the number one choice among eco-friendly detergents. (find who now holds that honour at the end of this article).

Lloyds TSB and the Royal Bank of Scotland should be avoided if you are looking for a home loan from an ethical company. Try the Nationwide, if you want a big company, or Ecology Building Society or the Ethical Mortgage Service instead. And Ecover has also been knocked off the top slot for house cleaners, dropping to number four.

These are just a few of the useful findings in the new Good Shopping Guide – click on the picture to buy the book. In dozens of handy sections from toothpaste to TVs, and Insurance to Ice Cream, the guide lists the main brands, and then rates them on an easy-to-read scale. Using 14 separate tests, including categories like Irresponsible Marketing, Animal testing, Environmental Reporting and Workers Rights, the guide delivers a point-by-point guide to each company’s activities.

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Community

PENNEY POYZER — Eco-dominatrix

Presenter of new BBC2 eco-series gives us a sneak preview

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What do you do to relax?

How do you relax? Yes, you , dear reader. We want to hear from you.

Meditation? Long walks? Weekends in the woods? What about short moments of relaxation? Do you have a special way to relax and drop off the grid for those moments or hours or days. Or even not such a special way. When you just want to get away from it all, what is the best thing to do? Post your comments below or contact relax@off-grid.net. We will be publishing the best ideas.

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Events

Auto pollutants, What can I do?

Terra Pass Decal
Terra Pass Decal

So here’s the dilemma. You compost, you recycle, get off the grid when you can, maybe even bought a fuel efficient car, getting 30+ mpg. But every day as you fill up on $2+ / gallon gas, you wonder if there is something else you can do to offset your emissions. Not everyone is into diesels and vegetable oil. Along comes Tom Arnold of TerraPass, a student owned and operated company.

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Community

Meet the Reclaimers

stately salvage
Knebworth house, stately salvage Fair

Salvage is so now! It’s not only planet-friendly, its also the cool way to cherish off the grid craftsmanship.

SALVO FAIR, Knebworth, Hertfordshire, England, 2 & 3 July 2005, is a full-on weekend, where you can get down and dirty rummaging amongst hundreds of architectural salvage and garden antique exhibits for sale or dress to the nines and be entertained by craftspeople like Wocko the singing woodman, who will be splitting lathes in the traditional fashion.

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Land

Go Gooshing

gooshing
Goosh till you swoosh

Don’t go shopping, go gooshing. The Ethical Company Organisation (ECO) has launched a new ethical products web site, listing products sold by ethical companies that care about animal rights, human rights and the environment. Look out for the sign on the right, to tell you that a company has joined the scheme. Buying their stuff sends a message to the companies that are not ethical as well as to ones which are.

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Land

Green, green grants of home

Alex Benady guides you through the maze of UK government payments to reduce your dependence on the grid.

Blair breaks eco-promise
Blair poses on solar roof , cancels policy

After promises from the Prime Minister to take climate change seriously, the UK government has ended its solar panel subsidy programme seven years early. The pot of 31m lasting until 2012 was intended to offer cheap electricity and green electricity with grants of up to 50% for building solar panels.

The decision to end the grant was intepreted by many as anti-environmental backsliding. No such thing claims the Department of Trade and Industry which administered the programme. There are still plenty of cheap loans and grants for saving energy in your home. It was a spot of much needed house-keeping designed to tidy up the higgeldy-piggledy system of grants and subsidies and that has sprung up around the areas of energy conservation and alternative energy.

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