From the category archives:

SELF-SUFFICIENCY

by Wretha on March 5, 2010 · 1 comment

in FOOD, POWER, SELF-SUFFICIENCY, URBAN, WATER, WRETHA

Time is slipping away...

So, just what does that mean? I can tell you from personal experience and from the responses I have received from people over the years that it definitely has different meanings to different people. From living completely without any utilities, no electricity, water or gas (think hunter’s cabin, wood stove, candles or kerosene lamps, no running water…), to generating one or more of these items on site yourself (think solar panels, wind power, methane digester…), I even had one person say that for him, living “off the grid” meant living so remotely that the government couldn’t find you, essentially hiding from the world. For some people it brings up a picture of a hermit living in a shack on a remote location, others envision a state of the art home that independently takes care of the needs of all occupants from food and water to electricity.

»Keep reading 'Off the Grid and the prepared'

US Prepper movement explodes

February 13, 2010
US Prepper movement explodesThere are now over four million active preppers in the US - meaning that this middle-class "survivalism lite" movement far outnumbers the Tea-Party protesters, estimated at about one million members.  Self-doctoring, laying down food supplies, and a "bug-out" location where friends can meet if things go bad, are the main preparations being made by preppers. Both preppers and tea-partyists are disillusioned, alienated or just plain angry at the way society is run,and both are dominated by middle class families which have the most to lose in the event of a major calamity - whether economic or physical.  But it is the prepper movement, repeatedly covered in previous articles on Off-Grid.net, which is growing fastest. Prepper Web sites advise readers on such matters as the best chickens to rear and other aspects of survivalism.

»Keep reading 'US Prepper movement explodes'

The accidental environmentalists

January 24, 2010
The accidental environmentalists It’s hard to live off-grid, disconnected from mains electricity, gas and water, in a small, densely populated country like the UK. That’s why off-grid living in this country has hitherto been limited to travellers, hippies, dedicated greens, and unsociable eccentrics. But finally it seems that the appeal of the life off-grid is going mainstream as increasing numbers of perfectly conventional people choose to live sustainable lives unfettered by connected amenities.

»Keep reading 'The accidental environmentalists'

Humanure – sawdust toilets

December 13, 2009
Humanure – sawdust toilets Sit, flush and forget, that's what most of us do, multiple times a day. Composting toilets are the answer. We use perfectly good, drinkable water to flush our waste --  what a waste it truly is! After we flush, we don't think about all the water that is used/wasted to process the sewage that is created, chemicals are pumped into our water system, the water we DRINK, so that we can do it all over again. I'm starting to sound pretty green aren't I?

»Keep reading 'Humanure – sawdust toilets'

Off grid update

December 8, 2009
Off grid updateWhat a great early Christmas gift, I know that to those who get snow every winter, it's not that exciting, but for those of us that live in places with little to no snowfall, it transforms everything into a winter wonderland.

»Keep reading 'Off grid update'

Off grid questions

December 1, 2009
Off grid questions Every now and again, I get an email with some great questions, this evening I received such an email from a new 'net friend, Marcy. She has recently taken the plunge to live completely off grid. She is starting out in a rather primitive way, much like we did. I found her questions very good and decided I would post the email exchange here. Thanks Marcy, enjoy!

»Keep reading 'Off grid questions'

Possum Living-How To Live Well With (Almost) No Money

November 16, 2009
Possum Living-How To Live Well With (Almost) No MoneyI wish I could say that I had read this book way back when, and that was what inspired me to live my off grid life... but my earliest inspiration was the Grizzly Adams series. If I had come across Possum Living before now, I know it would have also been a great inspiration for me. It  was written in the 70s by a very smart young lady, Dolly Freed. She and her father lived in a regular house, on a large lot by today's ...

»Keep reading 'Possum Living-How To Live Well With (Almost) No Money'

Shoestring Survivalism – book review

October 20, 2009
Shoestring Survivalism – book reviewThis is the third book I received from Paladin Press to review. I appreciate the chance to read and review these books, I have enjoyed them immensely. This book is about survivalism on a budget. Being on a budget is a full time occupation for most of us.  With these uncertain times, it's good to have backups, ways to get along if things go wrong. It's ludicrous to think the government will step up and take care of us, your best bet is to be your own best advocate, take care of yourself and your family. With the knowledge gained from this book, even someone on the tightest of budgets should be able to implement many of the ideas in this book with little or no financial output.

»Keep reading 'Shoestring Survivalism – book review'

Ellen Page on Perma-culture

October 10, 2009
Ellen Page on Perma-culture Juno star Ellen Page recently took a break from Hollywood to study permaculture design in an eco-village near Eugene, Oregon. Teen Hollywood reports that Page "spent a month living on the settlement and learned how to live more simply -- and how valuable urine can be."

»Keep reading 'Ellen Page on Perma-culture'

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