Category — SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Anne Cobham: practising what she teaches

Paul and Anne Cobham are the second in our series about Canadians living off the grid. They run Willow Retreat and Survival School from a secluded off-grid property in Cape Breton. They moved there in order to escape from the suburban grind and live a simpler, less stressful life. This is not quite what they ended up with!

“But that’s part of the journey,” said Paul, a survival instructor. Anne is a Reiki Master  - a teacher and meditation instructor. They are on the Cabot Trail in the small village of Middle River, Nova Scotia, (more…)

Base camp for gadgets

Some survival gadgets are on display at CES, and a handful of them are surveyed in this report from outdoor website Gear Junkie.
I love a gadet as much as the next guy, but I notice my own list of must-carry gear includes things that need no battery or charging cable, so don’t qualify for CES. Here’s the top ten – what would you add? (more…)

New Zealand web site Oily Rag is a swap shop of money saving tips for everyday household items. Here are a few examples.

*One very handy easily remembered recipe for a lovely shortbread — say 3, 6, 9. I can only do ounces — 3 sugar, 6 butter and 9 flour! Make as usual. – Ann of Whakatane.

*My house is always looking for mouthwash, and a cheap, easy way to make some is to simply put half a teaspoon of baking soda in with a small glass of water, gargle as normal. Also, for a set of sparkling pearly whites, brush teeth with toothpaste as normal, then brush again, this time baking soda sprinkled on your toothbrush. Over two weeks your teeth will whiten, and save you an expensive trip to the dentist! (more…)

Angelina and Brad at Fallingwater in 2006

Five years ago Angelina Jolie gave Brad Pitt a visit to architectural marvel Fallingwater as his birthday present. The stunning Frank Lloyd Wright designed house is built right on top of a waterfall in Western PA.

This December 18th,  she went one better – with the present of a waterfall of his own, plus the land surrounding it – so Brad can build his own version of the Wright home – but unlike the 1934 original, this one could be powered entirely from the waterfall beneath it.

“He’s so hard to buy for,” Jolie had told Fallingwater’s staff members during their previous visit to Wright’s masterwork.

“Brad said he had wanted to experience Fallingwater ever since he took an architectural history course in college,” (more…)

Across America, people living off the grid are finding a local or State thug in their future.  The entire off-grid movement needs to come together to fight this threat.   Please send reports of Nuisance Abatement Teams in your area to news@off-grid.net.  The move first surfaced in September 2011, but has intensified since then. (more…)

LaMar's off grid cabin

I just love learning how other people live off grid, especially when they are doing it in a very similar way to how I live. LaMar Alexander has done all of this and more, we may be in different places, but we both started out with small and simple systems, cobbling together this and that, building an independent life one piece at a time.
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Hidden away in UK woodland, a new subculture

Until now the idea of preparing for the coming collapse in the UK was seen as faintly crazy, a bit like  believing the Mayan prophecy of doom in December 2012.

But sites like post-apocalypse.co.uk, and companies like Emergency Food Storage in Leeds  and B Prep in London are reporting sales increasing 10-fold in a year,  as Brits get ready for the collapse of the Euro and an almighty recession.

Ordinary families are storing cash, fuel, food and household products  in anticipation of a calamitous disruption to everyday life. (more…)

Chinese Home Remedies

Part of being more self sufficient is being able to take care of minor medical issues yourself. It can become rather expensive to run to the doctor or hospital (or clinic) for every little sniffle or scratch. Like so many people, health insurance just isn’t an option, so I try to live in a healthy manner and I read up on how to take care of my own minor health issues. (more…)

Naomi Wolf - should try roughing it, but too timid

Writer Naomi Wolf’s latest article describes the off-grid lifestyle and says it has taken off in America because of a loss of trust in the system.  Our sentiments exactly.

But she is clearly unhappy about this new development, calling it a “narrative fantasy,” rather than simply accepting it as a choice that many are making – those who are lucky enough to  set themselves up with some land, or have the skills to make it work for them.  You get the impression she knows its inevitable, but probably can’t stand the idea of living that way herself.

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