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Empty shelves

What is the first thing to disappear off the shelves in an emergency? Water, that is the main thing I heard people on the news saying, everyone was out of water, and of course food is close behind of the things that will be stripped from the shelves. Fuel, batteries, paper plates and other things that don’t require washing. I have said it again and again, don’t wait until the emergency is on your doorstep to begin to prep, be ready long before that storm, hurricane, power outage or whatever might occur. It’s not a matter of IF, it’s a matter of WHEN, these things will happen and you can either be the folks standing in long lines, possibly leaving empty handed, or you can be the smart people who are ready for whatever may come.

It’s so much easier to prep ahead of time, you can do it little by little each week or payday, rather than worrying about how much money you will have to spend, that is IF the water, food and fuel are even available, you will be sitting at home, safe with your family, ready to ride out whatever is coming.

This is something I will never understand, people who live on the coast, they KNOW that each year there are possibilities of storms, hurricanes, cyclones, tropical storms, and yet when it happens, the news is full of stories of empty shelves at the grocery stores, long lines, running out of fuel at the gas stations, the hardware stores running out of plywood sheets to cover windows… this goes for people living in other areas that are prone to natural disasters, earthquakes, wildfires, storms, up north where they can get deep snow and ice, anyone who lives in a place that can have weather that can cause power outages or prevent you from getting out.

Even if you are on the thinnest of budgets, you can buy a few extra cans of food, things that don’t require heating, buy an inexpensive MANUAL can opener and make sure it works properly. You can buy up one or two gallons of water a week or payday, those only cost a dollar or so each, you don’t have to get the expensive H2O, get the cheapest you can find and stash it away. Buy up some cheap paper plates and plastic eating utensils, some wet wipes and hand sanitizer. Don’t forget about your pets, a few extra cans of food will not break the bank.

Try to have some comfort food, snacks that do not require refrigeration or heating. If you have children, it’s a good idea to have a few coloring books and crayons or colored pencils to help keep them occupied. Also you can invest in some board games, chess, checkers, Life, whatever you like, you can find these inexpensively in the dollar stores.

Depending on …

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Events

New American homesteaders – author

In new book “The Unsettlers:- Buy it on Amazon” , three American families go beyond ditching the Utility companies –they also walk away from supermarkets, cars and even banks — to define authentic living for themselves.

For “the Luddite curious,” says the LA Times “The Unsettlers” offers a compelling account of diverse Americans living off the grid. These homesteaders in Missouri, Detroit and Montana show us how the other other half lives.

Author Mark Sundeen will appear at Visit Skylight Books this Sunday at 5 p.m. Sunday, spoke to LA Times from Moab, Utah, where he himself spends time off the grid.

You begin with Ethan Hughes and Sarah Wilcox, a young couple who created an intentional living community in Missouri. Why them?

I’d decided that just living off the grid was no longer true dissent. I was curious to hear from people who could go all the way — stop using cars, stop using the banking system.

An intentional living community that forgoes cars, cash and electricity feels pretty radical, and yet you note similarities they share with libertarians and right-wing Christians, some of whom are their neighbors. Was this common ground surprising?

Totally surprising … and totally inspiring. I was so impressed that they were able to find that common ground. That’s something that I think’s important now that Trump is president. The divisiveness that he engenders, it pits people against each other who actually have the same values. Liberals and conservatives both want to live with moral integrity, but they have separate names for that. The right says, “We want to have Christian values, family values,” and that’s interpreted as anti-other religions or anti-single parents or anti-same-sex couples. Liberals say, “We want to end racism, we want to end bigotry, and we want to save the planet,” and that’s another way of living with integrity. I think there’s a lot more commonality than we tend to think.

You never suggest that the reader should renounce her worldly possessions and head to the farm — but are you hoping to influence people?

I’d specifically like the well-intentioned liberal to ask questions about their consumption and not just about their political stance. People say, “I’m going minimalist, I’m going to get rid of all my books and CDs and records and just use a smartphone.” Well, OK, I’m glad that your house is less cluttered, but you’re actually using more fossil fuels and doing more harm with that smartphone than you would with a whole library of books.

Each family’s commitment to the good life is inspiring but intimidating. For those of uswho are inspired to make a change, where do we begin?

I don’t think you begin by depriving yourself of things you love. On the one hand, this book is about the ethical boycott of destructive industries, but on the other hand it’s about following …

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911 – My Tiny House has been Stolen

The tiny house movement never expected this:- instead of them stealing from his home, Lawrence Thomas returned to the street where he had parked his 95 square foot house in Hermiston Oregon, to discover thieves had actually made off with his entire home.

The custom-made tiny building was stolen after Thomas parked it in Hermiston while passing through the area.  Umatilla County Sheriff Terry Rowan said his office took a report of the theft on Jan. 1 and is investigating.

Thomas said most of his possessions were in the house, including important documents like his birth certificate, and sentimental items that can’t be replaced.

“I really like the idea of a tiny house,” he said. “You save money, and you don’t have a mortgage. My idea was to buy a plot of land and then make the tiny house as off-grid as possible. You can enjoy a higher quality of life without having to spend all your money on rent.”

Thomas estimates the house’s value at about $25,000.

“My house was small — even for a tiny house,” he said. The 95 square-foot structure was 17 feet long by 7.5 feet wide. Thomas lived in it with his two dogs.

“I’m trying to get the word out so that if anyone sees it, they can report it and maybe I can get it back,” he said.

Because of a snowstorm in the Blue Mountains, Thomas, who was moving from Seattle to Las Vegas, stopped at the One Stop Mart outside of Hermiston in late December. He was driving an SUV and hauling his house, where he’d been living for the last four months.

Unable to drive in the bad weather, he parked up at a truck stop on Interstate 84. He spent the night there and realized the next morning that he couldn’t take the house with him in the snow. He said he talked to the manager at the truck stop, who said he could leave the house there until he came back to pick it up.

“She was very helpful, and asked me to pull the tiny house in front of the shop so she could see it,” he said. “And because she said cameras were facing it.”

The two exchanged information, and Thomas continued on to Las Vegas. Then, on New Year’s Eve, he found out the house was gone — and the surveillance cameras he was told would be on his house were in fact facing another direction.

“The manager said they’re going to try to find it,” he said. “They found out the cameras were not pointing that way. The house was locked down and dead-bolted, but someone used bolt cutters and took the house.”

Thomas is now living in Las Vegas with a friend. He spent about 6 months building the house.

 

 

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All the latest tech products at CES Las Vegas 2017

Here is a list of every exhibitor at the CES event – there are many of interest to off-grid denizens – everything from portable battery chargers to “smart pillows” (battery operated of course), and many eco-devices.

Company: 3dRudder
Booth: LVCC 27018
Web: www.3drudder.com
Press Kit: https://www.tradeshownews.com/events/ces-2017/3dRudder/
3dRudder WIRELESS expands compatibility to mobile games and a wider variety of VR headsets. Selected as a CES 2017 Innovation Awards Honoree in both Gaming and Accessible Tech categories, 3dRudder is the only foot-powered movement controller for gaming and Virtual Reality (VR). Simply sit down, place your feet on the circular disc, and begin moving effortlessly through 3D environments with hands free for other functions. 3dRudder adds a fourth axis of simultaneous movement with a tilt of your feet. It’s intuitive and allows for total immersion you let you move in a whole new way in worlds you never imagined.
Company: Acoustique Quality (AQ), s.r.o.
Booth: Venetian Suite 30-308B
Web: www.aq.cz
Acoustique Quality (AQ) delivers the music lover’s dream without compromise. Born out of a passion for music, respect for high-fidelity sound, and a love of cohesive design and sustainability, our speakers blow minds—not budgets. Sitting perfectly at the sweet spot of price, performance, and size, our speakers deliver the most natural sound tucked in an eco-friendly, modern and compact design. Boosted by refined speaker technology, acoustic enhancements, and composite recyclable materials perfect for sound quality, it’s a music lover’s best value.
Company: Action Star Technology Co., Ltd.
Booth: 1917 (Westgate)
Web: www.actionstar.com.tw
Established in 1988, Action Star Technology has nearly three decades of experience designing and manufacturing computer peripherals. From napkin to production, Action Star is a one-stop OEM/ODM shop for realizing your product ideas.
Action Star offers an extensive catalog of USB and video accessories that are ready for customizations large and small; it also has a dedicated team that provides quick and reliable support for customers that wish to evaluate ideas and develop them into viable products.
Drop by its booth to see its latest USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 solutions.
Company: Aguila Technologies
Booth: 50841
Web: https://aguila.fr/en/
Aguila, French pioneer of IoT solutions, a significant player in the growth and vibrancy of the global consumer technology industry and award-winning company regularly ranked among the 100 most innovative startups, launches Cariboo, a revolutionary universal innovative device designed to empower drivers and leverage all vehicles to a smart connected and collaborative dimension. With a unique real time autonomous social connecting device, you increase the intelligence of your car that respects your privacy and remains effortless. Location data can be shared and enhanced by our big data approach to simplify your life; you get insightful driving information and you get notified when your car is lost or stolen.
Company: AHOKU ELECTRONIC COMPANY
Booth: 52316
Web: www.ahoku.com
AHOKU focuses its core competences on Electronic and Mechanical technology since the business started in 1983. From the
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Learn to live the old ways

Go to India to learn how they used to live, before power and water came to large parts of the country.

Starting Jan 28, A two-day workshop with Grassroutes in the safe village of Purushwadi will teach you how to live off the grid, skills from tribes handed down to them over generations. There will be things that you haven’t done before — making fire, foraging for food, and even learning to make your own shelter.

Where: Purushwadi, 220 km from both Mumbai & Pune en route to Nasik

Entry: R4500 – Just $66 – Air fare – $850 (from NYC)

Log on to: https://www.grassroutes.co.in

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UK Glamping Show goes down a treat

 

The Glamping Show UK, made its annual appearance last week near Coventry.  The 3-day festival is for businesses and enthusiastic campers.

The event included talks about solar power being introduced into glamping, advice on how to build your own outdoor kitchen, how a Co2 heat pump can meet your outdoor hot water demands and our old favourite, yurts!

Experts from Adrian Williams, solar power innovator to Erik Verwaaijen, the man who invented the en-suite pod for camping guests shared their knowledge and answered any and all questions from the audience.

Businesses such as The Garden Oven Company have showcased their products to crowds of eager shoppers, ready to jump onto the next hot thing for outdoor living. The owner of the Garden Oven Company, American raised, Jay Larson, rightfully boasted about his product, claiming; “The Garden Oven is intended for year-round cooking. With its multi-function oven, chefs can cook, bake, grill, roast and smoke a wide range of dishes from pizza to fish, bread to Sunday roast! Unlike traditional brick ovens, the Garden Oven is transportable with no building work required.”

 

Another new item that got a lot of attention was The Modern Igloo: a new concept of modular housing designed for outdoor living. It uses strong and durable ABS panels and protects campers against snow, rain, mould, wind and much more.

 

Goers took to the Facebook page to sing their praises about the event, calling it “fantastic”, “really well set out and organised” with “great people, a great venue [and] great products”.

Can’t wait ‘til the next one!

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Reynolds builds off-grid school

Where better to teach the next generation to be eco-friendly and self-sufficient than inside an off-grid school? This may be the future thanks to Michael Reynolds. The 70-year-old Taos-based American architect, – also known as the “garbage warrior” for his long career in building self-sufficient projects with discarded products – is the brains behind the school in Uruguay.

The brand new primary school which opened its’ classroom doors only a few months ago is Located in Uruguay,Jaureguiberry, a tiny community of 500 inhabitants an hour’s drive east of the capital Montevideo. The building is made of tires and glass and plastic bottles, is off the grid and non-polluting. The school produces no waste and has it’s very own compost-fed kitchen garden brims with basil, tomatoes, strawberries, and chard. On the roof, rainwater is collected then filtered before it is used in the garden or the toilets.

The teachers have special training so they can adapt their courses by tying them to respect for the environment and the responsible use of the building and its energy.

The school’s director comments on the energy storage unit which powers the school for all the pupils and staff: “We are doing fine, with a more than 50 percent charge only from solar energy,” said Alicia Alvarez, 51.

The school opened in March to children between the ages of three and 12, it claims to be the first public school in Latin America that is totally green. The school currently has 39 students but can accommodate 100. The project, supported by a local charity and a detergent company, is estimated to have cost $300,000, according to Uruguayan media.

The school is completely unplugged, not connected to the electricity grid in any way.

From the outside, its environmental bona fides are evident: colorful recycled tires at the entrance, solar panels covering its roofs, big windows overlooking kitchen gardens. A sight sure to put a smile on any off-gridders face!

Reynolds developed what he calls “Earthship Biotecture” — buildings designed to independently sustain human life.

He has built “Earthships” all over the world, from the US state of New Mexico (where he currently lives) and Easter Island in Chile to Ushuaia in Argentina and Sierra Leone.

“People called me an idiot: building with garbage, what a fool, you’re a disgrace to the architectural community,” he told AFP in an interview.

“You know, I was trying to contain sewage and treat it and do all of these things that architects didn’t do.”

But how did he make his latest masterpiece? It took about 2,000 tyres, 3,000 glass bottles, 1,500 plastic bottles and 12,000 cans. They were put together with wood, glass, and cement to fashion the new school.

When speaking to students at the colourful school, it was clear they were all very happy to be there.
“It’s a school full of life,” said a smiling Paula, seven, …

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Community

New TV series off-grid in Scotland

The series due to launch tonight on BBC Channel 4, will chronicle the successes and failures of a new social experiment in Ardnamurchan, near Lochaber, in Scotland’s wild western Highlands.
Using only natural resources to build shelter, hunt for food and cook.

Making up the rules of their new society as they go along, the 23 contestants in the rather unoriginally named “Eden” will spend a year getting to grips with the remote countryside and learning to live with each other. The series shows that the appetite for life in the wilderness — both experiencing it and watching it — remains strong, and really gets to grips with the idyllic notion of self-sufficiency.

the series bills itself as an antidote to the usual trivia you see in reality shows, but the early signs are not good – the press releases stress that the inmates got drunk and flirted with each other. And the idea that they would be cut off from their nearest neighbors makes it more of an unreality show.

In reality, trying to forge a community from scratch can be a lifetime’s work. There are, however, a number of alternative settlements in Scotland in place that eschew conventional ways of life in favour of an existence focused on the land, spirituality, or making a living from traditional crafts and techniques.
Experts say that many of these communities are finding favour with burnt-out city-dwellers looking for a break, a new business opportunity or a complete change of scene.
We look at some of Scotland’s most interesting rural villages and settlements where it is possible to buy — or acquire membership — into a different way of life.Findhorn Ecovillage, MorayConceived in the 1970s by the Findhorn Foundation, a community began to evolve on the north coast of Scotland. It includes an on-site theatre and concert hall. Governed by members of businesses within the eco-village, such as a publishing house and an arts centre, the settlement can be found to the south of Findhorn, on the Moray Firth.
Andrew YeatsEDENTV, a partner at Eco Arc, has seen the settlement flourish. “When I was an architecture student it was my thesis to design the concept of a sustainable eco-village,” he says. “Initially I went to Findhorn for six months, and ended up staying for six years. I’ve been working on the eco-village ever since.
“Originally, the community group bought a 35-acre caravan park and sought planning permission to change the use of the site to house permanent dwellings. The idea was to build a village that translated their ecological aspirations of being lighter on the Earth.
“The eco-village now has some of the most environmentally efficient buildings in Europe, with electricity produced from wind turbines and the ability to treat sewage. Residents grow a lot of their own food on site. They co-run a Rudolf Steiner school and a number of …

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WIN A COPY OF "OFF THE GRID"  
Events

WIN A COPY OF “OFF THE GRID”  

WIN A COPY OF "OFF THE GRID"  Do you have ​great pictures of your Off-Grid cabin, shack, trailer​…. ​or somebody else’s that you happened to be visiting?
Now is your opportunity to put them to good use!
You could win a copy of Nick Rosen’s book, “Off The Grid”,​ published by Penguin,​ and see your ​snaps published on our website, Facebook page, twitter, and instagram.

Just follow ​these simple steps to enter the contest!

1. ​Email a brief story of how ​you came to be​ at the place in the photo​, ​or what inspired you​ about it​, with your full name and email address ​to: ​news@off-grid.net (only ONE picture by participant).
2. Attach the pic to the email
​ 3. ​Like the FB page​ – offgridpeople

The contest will end ​31 Jan 2016 at ​23.59 GMT
-Follow us on twitter and instagram! @OffGridNetwork and @offgridnet
-Share this post!
By​ entering the contest, you are giving ​us permission ​to publish the photo for non-profit purposes.

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Events

Off-Grid girl on American Idol

All the way from a remote mountaintop 6 miles from Crawford CO, Jeneve Rose Mitchell didn’t think she was ready to take her small-town voice to the biggest of stages, but the final season of “American Idol”has made the 15-year-old a national face.

Jeneve has lived for the past eight years in a straw bale home with no running water or electricity.

“We can’t get power lines up there,” she tells the TV audience, “so we use kerosene lanterns. Twice a week, during ‘American Idol’ season, we turn on a generator to get the TV going.”

Jeneve’s quiet corner of elk wilderness where she spends much of her free time training horses and playing music, is “definitely lonely sometimes,” she admits.

“Me and my mom and my dad pretty much fend for ourselves on our ranch. Sometimes we go (back)packing. We are big campers.”

Her mother, Jenny, is a heath care provider and operates a local family clinic. Jeneve’s father — who also serves as her vocal coach — is a carpenter. He built the family’s home by hand using straw bales and mud from the mountainside.

With a cello draped across her body — you’ll have to see it to believe it — Mitchell stood out in a crowd of nearly 10,000 this fall in Denver and was selected to play in front of “American Idol” judges Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr.

Not only did Mitchell secure a spot in front of the trio of musical stars, she’s also likely to appear in the premiere episode of the 15th and final season of “American Idol” airing Wednesday, Jan. 6, on Fox. The second night of the premiere airs on Thursday, Jan. 7.

In advance of the premiere, Mitchell spoke in a telephone interview about her decision to audition for the show, her musical background in Crawford and the rather unorthodox way she grew up watching “American Idol.”

Melinda Mawdsley: Thank you so much for your time. This is the final season of “American Idol.” I’m guessing that helped push you into an audition.

Jeneve Rose Mitchell: Yeah. I’ve always wanted to try out for “American Idol” but was going to when I was older and more polished, but since this was the last season, I decided to just go for it. I pretty much grew up watching “American Idol.” We turned on the generator up here just to watch “American Idol.” Otherwise, we don’t have power up here.

Mawdsley: Um, what? Where do you live?

Mitchell: I was born in Las Vegas and lived there until I was 7. My parents bought a bunch of property on a mountain near Crawford five years before I was born. My dad grew up near here. When I was 7 we moved here. When we moved here my mom had my dad build her a clinic.

Mawdsley: Is your …

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