April 2005

Food

Jamie Oliver’s Camper Van Adventure

TV chef Jamie Oliver to go off-grid alone

So it IS true.

We broke the story TV chef Jamie Oliver ‘s production company denied — and today it was confirmed.

On 24 Feb we announced that Jamie was going to live in a camper van in Italy for his next series. Today he set off on his trip. We wish him well.

Jamie Oliver and wife Jools make a meal of their tearful farewell – as he set off on the six-week cooking tour. The gossip in London’s Primrose Hill is that Jamie is not a happy man. Whether his marriage is truly on the rocks or it is being done for the benefit of the cameras remains to be seen.

Jamie has become a national hero since he reinvented school food, and a knighthood cannot be far off.

Now he will reinvent off-grid cooking. A new TV show will follow Oliver on a trip round Italy in a converted camper van carrying all his kitchen kit.

It is no coincidence at all that Sainsbury’s is overhauling its Italian food range under the single banner of Simply Italian.

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April 13, 2005 No Comments

Urban

We are all carbon neutral now

Marketing firms are cashing in on public concern about the environment to sell PR services rather than solutions.

They claim to be able to create offset projects such as woodlands to absorb all the harmful carbon dioxide emitted by individuals, firms, or meetings. One example of this worrying trend is the UK-based Future Forests, which sells a so-called patented carbon-neutral label to clients. Unlike companies such as EcoSecurities, Future Forests concentrates less on helping its customers cope with new climate-related legislation than on helping them advertise themselves to the public as climatically responsible.

Planting tress is no substitute for using renewable energy. The answer, if you want to plant trees is to plant your own , in a window box, a back yard, or your best friend’s garden. You do NOT need others to do it for you. Future Forests appears to be planting less trees than it promises and takes a large cut from payments made by individuals who can scarcely afford the sky high prices they charge.

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April 13, 2005 No Comments

Land

Remote Scottish eco-project

Utterly remote

Wildlife millionaire Paul Lister bought the Alladale Highland Wilderness Reserve after a 10 year search. He was looking for somewhere isolated, private and with vast, uninterrupted views to fulfill his dream of reintroducing indigenous predators to the Scottish Highlands. He is now offering students an ecology holiday, but at a price.

Set within 11,000 hectares of truly dramatic and stunning Highland landscape, the reserve covers 5 glens, 10 hill lochs and 2 river systems. Alladale is the site of one of Europe’s most prominent ecological restoration programmes, conserving native wildlife whilst reintroducing once native Highland flora and fauna in a controlled environment.

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April 12, 2005 No Comments

Urban

Cheap London from A-Z

More for less

This is the first in a series about how to get around cheap or free in major cities.

Contributors from around the world – welcome. Please send us your ideas or whole articles on how we can resist the forces of consumerism and still have a good time.

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April 12, 2005 2 Comments

Energy

Wind-diesel power from Russia

Russian turbine team

If you want a high-quality, low-cost household wind turbine, go to St Petersburg. Toomas Pungas, Project Manager, ElektroSfera, explains.

Russia is the world’s biggest country. Almost 70% of it is sparsely populated. That means 70% of the country is off the grid, including European North, Siberia and the Russian Far East. Power in these regions is usually by diesel generator. Thousands of small and big diesel power plants consume 6 to 8 millions tons of fuel annually. Some of the regions are very inaccessible, and the fuel is ferried by planes and helicopters, which is wasteful and expensive. There are villages where electricity is available only a few hours a day for morning and evening milkings.
The total population of these regions is about 10 million. Annually Russian state and local budgets spend more than $3 billion to provide distant territories with fuel.

Now they have started paying more attention to wind resources.

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April 11, 2005 1 Comment

Energy

Off-Grid Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

Grass is greener in BurntPoint

The Rich are meaner than you and me.

Solar power for homes is so subsidised, some high-end home owners, never afraid to take whatever handouts are going, are shifting to innovative energy practices–and not for environmental reasons.

The wealthiest American families are using geothermal heating and cooling systems; efficient wind turbines make it a breeze to generate electricity.

“Some of our high-end clients literally never see their energy bills,” says Steven J. Strong, president of Solar Design Associates in Harvard, Mass. “They are putting a higher value on having more control over their energy destiny. This is a hedge against uncertainty.”

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April 11, 2005 No Comments

Urban

Buy this book

Save Cash and Save the Planet – buy this book

Printed on 100% recycled paper, of course, this book is a refreshingly commercial attempt to guide readers along a greener path.

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April 9, 2005 No Comments

Events

Reed Bed water filters

Reedbeds really clean water

Richard Furthy and June Evans installed an ornamental water garden rather than a septic tank for their isolated home. Their idea spread and has now become so popular they are offering guided tours of their garden every Sunday. The design was environmentally sound, an organic solution to a difficult problem (their original septic tank had been playing up). But Furthy is not an eco-activist; he is a bathroom designer in Wiltshire. The story he has to tell is not how he discovered the

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April 9, 2005 1 Comment

Off-Grid 101

Have you seen one of these?

Real people live in these

This is a REAL HOUSE! If you know the locations of any like it, please email us (news@off-grid.net)

They are called Futuro Houses — designed by a leading Finnish architect, but no longer in production. They were manufactured around the world.

Off-Grid is delighted to assist in the mission to find remaining examples of these rare and beautiful structures. The Off-Grid team want one for an office and to live in.

Rick Pisani of Futuro House, takes up the story: In 1965 Dr. Jaakko Hildenkari asked the Finish architect Matti Suuronen to design a sky cabin. Ploykem Ltd. of Helsinki, Finland began producing the final design in March 1968.

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April 9, 2005 3 Comments

Off-Grid 101

Off-grid hotel – 10% discount

You can see for miles and miles

The Alpujarra with a Difference is a truly off-grid multi-activity rural retreat based at a secluded farm 5,403ft above sea level in the Sierra Nevada Natural Park. In the high Alpujarra, rush hour is a herd of goats! Off-Grid have negotiated a 10% discount on the published tarriff. Just mention us when you book.

Water is from two springs which are fed from snow melt on the mountains. Hot water is heated by solar panels. Power is from solar panels converted to 220 volts by an inverter. In the winter hot water is backed up by butane gas and power by a generator. Effluent is via septic tanks.

The chalets sleep four and cost 500 a week in high season. The discount applies to room only. British hotel owners specialise in catering for walkers, runners, ornithologists, horse riders, and athletes seeking high-altitude training.

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April 8, 2005 1 Comment

Which Batteries? (2)

A Reader wrote to us: Hi!

I intend to use a solar system, but don’t seem to get proper advice on storage batteries.

I was advised to use Trojan 105 (6 volt) golf cart batteries x 2 for my six 22 Watt solar panels. Apparently there’s also a 12 volt type golf cart battery available, instead of the two 6 v. batteries. We have daily good sunshine of app. 8 hours and PV output app.12 amp @ app.. 16.8 (Voc).

Now, I don’t know if above are **wet cell** types, giving of gasses or whether they are sealed types. And moreover, should their electrolyte be topped up etc. The main point is: I would like to keep my batteries inside the house, due to excessive heat in our area, but with vapours it would be very corrosive indoors. On the other hand I would prefer “deep cycle” batteries for longest lifespan, that would be the most cost effective.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could advise on these matters.

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April 7, 2005 No Comments

Events

Walk this way

Happy walking

Here are some web sites on walking — where to walk, how to walk and who to walk with.

We came across the Simon Willis web site while researching the story on Wild Camping (see below). Simon is one of nature’s off-grid-ers, walking, camping, kayaking and cycling his way around the world. The descriptions of his walking tours are remarkable and contain loads of really useful stuff about which are the best rest-stops with nice B&bs and useful general stores.

Other sites listed include US and UK walker guides and notice-boards, as well as some very handy advice on how to walk, according to the Alexander technique.

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April 6, 2005 No Comments

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