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October 2010

Community

Voluntary Simplicity movement

A shed living experiment in the urban jungle of Melbourne, Australia, inspired by the life and ideas of Henry Thoreau

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Can solar crash the grid?

Uptake of solar in Germany has been so great that the sudden appearance of the sun could generate so much power that it blows the county’s grid.

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Community

Excerpt from OFF THE GRID – Inside the Movement….

In this section from “Off the Grid: Inside the Movement for More Space, Less Government, and True Independence in Modern America”, I visit an Amish community in Kentucky. Look forward to hearing your comments:

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Urban

In an Emergency, do I head for country or city?

The conventional wisdom is that if the system breaks down for reasons of economic collapse, or some sudden natural disaster, then the best place to be is the countryside, in a rural community with provisions and the means to grow more.

However a few folks on different discussion boards have been questioning that – wondering whether actually the city might be a better bet…..I have opened a discussion about that over in our forum.

Here are two views from the off-grid Facebook page:

Noreene Bailey-Treece says: I am in the country and would prefer to be there (in an Emergency. I have medical training. am used to going without so called vital services. i feel i would fare better at home in the country. As for shelters.. as a parent i would not take my children to one. there is too much risk and danger there for them. ie the superdome in New Orleans.

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Urban

Australian off-grid home design

Its not quite a McMansion, as its appearance is too distinctive, but is this $500,000 home a case of greenwash, or just naive?

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Community

Off-Grid updates

My off-grid life is more enjoyable and more fulfilling than just about any part of my old life – living in the city, working 2 jobs just to make ends meet (barely), work, eat, sleep, pay bills, repeat. Honestly I am more busy now, but it’s things I want to do, not things I am forced to do by government, society and life as I used to live it. I get to choose what fun activities and community activities I wish to do and is that ever fun! How does this work?

Simple,

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Tankless water heaters

In my experience tankless water heaters are the way to go in areas with little sun.

In sunny areas, water can act as an energy sink, absorbing excess energy from your solar panels once any batteries are fully topped up.

But in places where that is not an issue, tankless water heaters can be very energy efficient. My own preference is for gravity fed water, ie your water source, such as a rainwater storage tank, is above the location of the tankless water heater. That way you are not relying on pumps to push the water through the heater, as that requires another energy supply, as the following Q&A from a Winnipeg newspaper shows:

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Energy

LPG Generators

Green Power gensets – CC5000 series with Single-Phase Synchronous Brush Alternators

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Land

How to avoid foreclosure

Most who cannot afford their mortgage might think, “well, I can’t afford a lawyer either.” Its OK, you don’t need one

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