Living Off the Grid
Living off the grid ““ are you up for it? It’s an extreme yet liberating lifestyle requiring complete self-reliance for water, energy and resources. Most of us probably aren’t willing to go all the way (armchair off-gridding). Even if your electricity comes from wind or solar, having internet access means you’re on a grid. Perhaps your electric car charged with solar power keeps you off petroleum, but if you drive on managed roads, you’re using the grid, too.
Few of us would ever go completely off the grid ““ but there are a lot of things we can do to lower our dependence on it. Dave Black’s book Living Off the Grid gives a no-nonsense overview of your off-grid options.
The book begins with a chapter on conservation, for people who are city-bound (and therefore very much grid-bound) and need ideas on how to manage their home and property in energy-efficient ways. For those who have access to land, the next chapters cover shelter, energy, water and waste management. This book is not technically dense and makes for an easy read, especially for the amateur off-gridder.
Although just about every off-grid option imaginable is explained and some basic instruction is given, you’ll need more resources to actually do any of the more complex projects. An appendix of websites will help you find the extra instruction you need. Even if you’re not planning to go all the way, consider this book a well-rounded, frank introduction to the world of self-sustained living.
Image: visualpanic
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
How to Live on $6,500 a Year and Love It
XHello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic. Show of hands: how many
10 Tips to Go Off the Grid This Weekend
XHello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic. Cell phones, laptops, the Blackberry,
Wood You Wear My Ring?
XHello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic. Artisan David Finch, in partnership
Solar Power on a Budget
XHello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic. If you’ve been thinking of
|
Bookmark |
1 Comment
January 20th, 2009 at 6:38 am
That’s one I need to read, if just for my inner Mountain Man.
I like the idea of the grid being a backup, with the bulk of your energy being produced at home. Hopefully the Obama administration’s massive investment in green energy production will include plenty of education and dissemination of not just the technology but the know-how behind it, and encourage home-grown off-grid investment. I’d also like to see these ideas trickling down into high school science classes, to be firmly embedded in school Science.
Welcome! The comment box is all yours to say what you like. Just make sure you use a real name, not a site or company, so you don't get sent to the spam bin. (That makes us sad.)