Posts from — August 2011

Looking for any leads for Off-Grid Settlements that may exist…any knowledge of a group of people who are building a settlement of off-grid cabins/shacks/shanties … nothing high end but middle to low end as to cost and expenditures??? There must be some groups who’ve pooled resources and land and in a coop type mindset have or are planning on banding together with solar, wind. micro-hydro, roofwater catchment, composting toilets. I’d like to find any such groups out there. Chowan seems to be trying to establish something of this sort in northern nevada. I further guess this would be most successful in the southwest for the sunpower…maybe viable elsewhere…if they can do it in England (to a degree) I guess it could be done mostly anywhere in the USA?? I may be wrong here. Any contacts, websites would be appreciated as I’m finding very little beyond this website and one other. And the number of people on these sites is still very low. thx. Dust

Possible future sea-community

Paypal billionaire Peter Thiel has made his second donation to the Seasteading Institute which is setting up libertarian countries on artificial islands. How Hurriacane Irene would affect such country if it were to be established is hard to predict.

Off-Grid first reported on this story in 2008 – http://www.off-grid.net/2008/05/21/reinventing-the-nation-state/ -

Thiel, who gets seasick and does not like boats. plans to develop the solar and wind-powered micro-economy suitable for up to 300 people off the coast of California. (more…)

Hello, my name is Val I’m from New York City. I’m looking for people here in New York who would like to go off the grid within the next 2 years. It’s been very hard to find anyone especially in this huge busy city. I’m very much into solar power, wind power, hyro-power, gardening/farming, primitive living, and many more but sadly I’m very limited to what I can do since I live in a building with no back yard or anything . Every morning that I get up for work I feel as if I don’t belong into this society, my heart isn’t made for this concrete jungle. I’ve felt like this for many years and I think I need to do this for myself. I know its a lot of hard work but I see myself enjoying it and waking up every morning taking that first morning breath of fresh clean air stepping on to the grass covered with dew, oh man lol I see it all! I do not have a car so if your within the tri-state area that’ll be wonderful. If not maybe we can arrange something. I’m looking to take 2 years or so of organized planning before I/we make a move. I like things to go smoothly and know what ill do before I do it. Also any advice would be great, I’m new to the site and love stories =].

P.S.- I always reply back

Homesteading, it’s a buzzword that means different things to different people, back in the day, it meant getting land for free as long as you lived on it and improved it for x number of years. It was a way to get people to move west (in the USA), back when travel was slow and painful, even dangerous.
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I am currently semi off grid during my construction weekends and am building a homestead on 40 acres in Orlando which will be 100% off grid when completed. The construction is in excavation stage with hand sewn log cabin in the works. My plan is to go back into cattle and semi retirement at what most would consider a young age, mostly I am just tired of “the grind”.

I have tools, knowledge and supplies and am willing to swap trade, barter, etc for materials, labor, equipment, supplies, etc and am looking for others in the state whom would like to co-op or simply share ideas.

I am not interested in saving the world, I find the idea of “carbon foot prints” hysterically funny. Trees are for firewood, not hugging! I enjoy simplicity, low cost and comfort within.

Going fridgless, to most people would be paramount to going topless, many people couldn’t imagine living their lives without having a 19+/- cubic foot energy eating, leftover storing, inefficient cold box sitting in their kitchen. Now days refrigerators do so much, in my old life, I worked for a big box electronics store, the one with the blue shirts and the little yellow price tag, they were starting to put computers in the door, not just electronics, but a real computer screen that could access the internet and help you with your shopping and let you watch TV on your fridge. (more…)

Plenty more where that came from...

The reasons for four days of London riots last week are beginning to emerge.  And they apply equally to every big city in America.

Although the London rioters were dismissed as alienated youth with no political message – intent on taking what was not theirs, the talk has also dwelt on two other things: gang membership that many of the looters apparently enjoy, and the sense of hopelessness felt by many of the alienated and unemployed kids who took to the streets.

But amidst all the talk of a sense of belonging, and a surrogate family provided by the gangs, nobody has yet mentioned the economic impulse of the street gangs – the thing that makes them a real social menace – the drug trade.  (more…)

I am planning my retirement living off the grid completely. Raising my own food from grains to meat. I am studying Herbal Medicine and Holistic Medicine. I was raised on a farm with Pigs and crops so I have a green thumb and am ready to retire from the military and enjoy the sweet knowledge that what I create is mine and others to share the fruits of my labor.

Hey, I’ve been off grid for many years. I have land for sale.   Contact me email if you are looking for land, very remote.
:)