A real Mongolian yurt

Living in a yurt, in the countryside, rent free? Nothing more than a daydream surely, writes Dan Grace in an article first published in the Idler magazine – www.idler.co.uk.

Its the kind of thought that surfaces in those little periods of inaction that constitutes the majority of the working day. An easily dismissed Walter Mitty-esque fantasy of a life far removed from my own, working in London, still living with my dad, on the other side of the country from my girlfriend, Ruth, and thoroughly fed up with it all. Or so I thought… (more…)

Beam me up, Ssscotty

What are the choices for off-grid telephony? This article runs through the available options and recommends Spread Spectrum Signalling (SSS).

Imagine the scene – you’ve finally gone off-grid, your cosy hut is nestled somewhere rural and beautiful, and you feel really cut off from everything, in a good way. You’ve got the solar panels, a wind turbine and a non-flush toilet, but you haven’t really thought about your communications, have you? You can still have a phone , right? (more…)

Harvest Help Chitenge!

Here are some eco-product freebie offers you might want to check out…

*Go on a treasure hunt of the Harvest Help website in order to answer the following question: “How does our number one principle of sustainability help the rural poor in Africa?” and you can win a Chitenge (African clothing direct from Zambia). All you need to do is email from their website giving your details and the answer to our competition. Please ensure that you put EJ/ED in the subject line otherwise you will not be entered into the competition. The winner will be randomly selected on March 20th, 2007.

*Win a SimpleHuman Stainless Steel Double Recycling Bin worth £129.99 from HomeRecycling.co.uk! (more…)

Steve’s Composting Sawdust Toilet

On our homestead, we have greatly reduced our water usage by eliminating the flush toilet. The idea of polluting fresh drinking water with humanure is an odd concept, but widely held as the only solution. At the same time, we have embarked on a process that builds topsoil depth and quality. By combining a sawdust toilet with a compost bin, we are reducing our “waste” footprint and creating valuable healthy soil.

A sawdust toilet is ONE of three components. The system will NOT work without all components, which are: (more…)

Fergus: Still wriggling

Fergus Drennan is a man who literally feeds off the land. Nothing is too odd or disgusting for him, from nettles to roadkill. He’s had his share of interesting experiences and speaks knowledgeably about badger dishes: “There’s no rhyme or reason to badger. Sometimes it tastes really gamey and uriney, even if it’s fresh. It can be excellent though.”

”I used badger intestines once to make some chipolatas,” continues Fergus cheerily. “They were so difficult. It took me hours just to make nine chipolatas. Then when I put them in the pan, they all exploded because I’d forgotten to prick them.” (more…)

Shorten: Prius man

Celebrities all over are espousing their love of green. Australia’s business and political bosses are no exception. Up-and-coming senator Andrew Murray announced recently he would become carbon neutral by buying a hybrid car, joining the green electricity grid and buying a bus pass. Insurance Australia Group’s chief executive Michael Hawker has replaced his old gas-guzzler with a Prius. Rising Australian Labor Party star and union boss Bill Shorten is also buying a Prius.Origin Energy’s Tony Wood has planted 4000 trees on his property, and BlueScope Steel’s Kirby Adams has added a rainwater harvesting system to reduce his home water consumption. (more…)

Must fly….planet to save

OK, somebody’s got to say it, and I guess it will have to be me. Al Gore is worse than just a disappointment – he is a liability. He is not “the best spokesman” we environmentalists have in a bad field. The inconvenient truth is that Al Gore is self-promoting, venal and bland. He has become a standard bearer of the Green cause because there is a political vacuum in America with neither party willing to take ownership of environmental issues, just yet. Live Earth will be a meaningless event which changes little and raises no consciousness.

Gore had eight years in his own little office in the White House and he never did a damn thing about the environment. Now he has no power, he is trying to coat-tail on the green movement to win some influence back, and, say it’s not true, have another run at the Presidency. (more…)

Yo! I’m Green. Bush walks ranch

George Bush’s policies on just about everything to do with the environment are wrong headed and destructive, but you cannot say the same for his ranch in Crawford Texas. Amazingly, given his oil industry links, Bush’s ranch is off-grid, boasting a range of eco-features including geothermal heating and cooling, that would make Leonardo di Caprio proud. The passive-solar house is positioned to absorb winter sunlight, warming the interior walkways and walls. Does his inside knowledge lead him to suspect that he will need it to survive a downturn very soon? To see full details on the house, click here: (more…)

Citizenre’s happy, shiny people

It’s like the early days of the Internet in the renewable energy business. The conmen and scamsters are coming out from under their stones - and in some cases it is the exact same people who did fake IPOs in the dotcom bubble. Solar expert Jeff Wolfe has exposed an apparently idealistic solar power company called Citizenre, which in reality is a multi-level marketing scheme.

Its stated plan is to build the world’s largest solar panel manufacturing plant and install 100,000 residential systems annually. The business model, which is not unique, is to promise householders solar electric power for the same price they currently pay for electricity. . (more…)