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Posts by — veg-head

Americans taking themselves off the grid
by VEG-HEAD on AUGUST 14, 2010 - 1 Comment in SELF-SUFFICIENCY

American Homesteaders

Two very different projects reported this weekend show how, everywhere you look, ordinary Americans are building their off-grid future.

In Jasper, Georgia, the Pickens County Progress (which is more used to covering bear sightings and armed robberies) reports on Vered Kleinberger’s “Green Building Adventure.” Executive Assistant Kleinberger is building a small, downtown off-grid show home, with 90% upcycled construction materials – and locals are queuing to take a look around.

Deseret Mountain News reports on an altogether larger enterprise – a new off-grid community being built outside Spring City, Utah. (more…)
Earth Balls
by VEG-HEAD on AUGUST 11, 2010 - 5 Comments in WATER
A new solution to off-grid living is making its way towards the Florida Keys.
As his geodesic houseboat meanders south along Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway, Roger Drowne – inventor of the Earth Ball,  and self-nominated candidate for President of Earth — is promoting his platform:
End war.
Clean the planet.
Paint all government buildings rainbow colors. (more…)
What to wear for the Apocalypse
by VEG-HEAD on AUGUST 4, 2010 - 2 Comments in PEOPLE

The Colony: The Right to Bare Arms

“The Colony” is Discovery Channel’s Cormac McCarthy-ish reality show that tests regular people to see if they can survive a global catastrophe.
The participants in the second series, who are all good-looking and carefully chosen to cross age, race and gender lines, have to work together to survive in a wasteland without water, electricity, or government.
Sounds rather like living off the grid.

(more…)

Backyard Hydropower
by VEG-HEAD on JULY 18, 2010 - 3 Comments in OFF-GRID 101

Its the promised land

Hugging the foothills of Mt Field, the tiny hamlet of Ellendale epitomises the bewitching peace of Tasmanian farming towns.  Life centres around a main road, the church, the shop and the Town Hall. It’s hard to believe on one of Ellendale’s story book farms a quiet revolution is taking place.
Across Australia, the cost of electricity is a big issue. Tasmania is no different with anger over soaring power costs and conflict between the state’s energy companies.  More and more people are searching for alternatives and an ex-engineer has come up with a bright idea that’s now powering his entire town. (more…)
Stealth camping
by VEG-HEAD on JULY 13, 2010 - 1 Comment in MOBILE

If you can manage to camp away from the water sources, and from the established campsites, then the many wonderful advantages of stealth camping will be yours. Stealth camping (also known as “wild camping”) is a cleaner, warmer and quieter way to camp, and it offers a much better connection with nature. In all likelihood no one has camped at your impromptu stealth-site before, and the ground will be pristine. (more…)

Cargotecture – shipping containers find new life
by VEG-HEAD on JULY 6, 2010 - 6 Comments in MOBILE

Anywhere home for $20,000

The conversion of a 10-by-20-foot shipping container into an eco-friendly mid-town office is a fine example of workplace recycling.

The corrugated steel container, near the corner of Spadina and St. Claire Ave. in Toronto, has been retrofitted with cool birch veneer interior walls, two built-in work stations, a large five-foot-square window, polished mahogany plywood flooring and a green roof with a patio, giving it the feel of a hip conversion space. (more…)
Bushcraft books – the top five
by VEG-HEAD on JUNE 23, 2010 - 0 Comments in SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Living hand to knife

Bushcraft experts recommend the following titles  for someone with a general interest, each designed to offer a different approach – and with minimal overlap between each book.  Please add your suggestions in comments at the end of this story.

If you were only to get one book this would be it, it’s not too dense and it contains a wealth of information you just  won’t get anywhere else. (more…)
Hearing of the House Science & Technology Committee
by VEG-HEAD on JUNE 18, 2010 - 0 Comments in EVENTS

Republican off-grid Congressman Bartlett

SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT OF THE HOUSE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE – 18th June

REP. BAIRD: I thank you, Ms. Woolsey. I wouldn’t expect the panelists to be aware of this, but the gentleman now about to ask questions is probably the leading authority in the Congress on some of this because he is virtually off the grid, if not entirely off the grid, and has been doing renewable energy in his home, walking the talk for many, many years. So with that, I’m pleased to recognize Dr. Bartlett.

REP. ROSCOE G. BARTLETT (R-MD): Thank you very much. You know, in thinking about these alternative energies, we need to think about them in a different context. The context in which we ordinarily consider them is the present context where about half of our electricity comes from coal. And if you’re comparing these renewables with fossil fuels, they aren’t going to look very good, because the quantity and quality of energy in fossil fuels is just unsurpassed.

(continues) (more…)

Christians Unplugged
by VEG-HEAD on MAY 31, 2010 - 1 Comment in COMMUNITY

Summer Lake, Oregon (CNN) Looking at this beautiful lake in the western U.S. state of Oregon is to understand the meaning of the phrase “God’s country.” And that’s exactly why Brother Gregory lives here.
He is part of a an off-grid movement of conservative Christians who are choosing to live their lives on the edge of society, unplugged from civilization as much as they can, living under basic biblical principles.
Brother Gregory — the “Brother” is more of a nickname than an occupational title — ministers from the Oregon desert where he lives with his wife, some of his grown children and grandchildren. (more…)

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