Grid On The Skids

The UK national grid is in danger of total collapse during national emergencies according to government tests carried out to prepare for a national emergency.

Read More »

Van dwelling in rural UK

Fuelled by a desire to break free from mortgages, rent and commuting;  searching for the simple life, in beaches and beauty spots  a largely invisible,

Read More »

Truck garden

Growing up I had heard of truck farms, usually small family farms, when the produce is ready, the farmer takes the produce to a farmer’s

Read More »

Inside a Dutch Houseboat

The Netherlands has long been known for its magical and magnificent houseboats across its vast network of canals, but there is a serious problem for

Read More »

The Lilypad

The Lilypad, love the name, love the home, it’s one of the cutest tiny homes I’ve seen, I know I say that a lot, but

Read More »

Shop the bunker

The Spectator newspaper reports that an architect who usually designs Manhattan skyscrapers was recently asked to pitch for a far more interesting project. The client,

Read More »

Living inside the box

This absolutely falls under the “How cool is that!” category… I have seen lots of sheds, workshops and homes made out of shipping containers, some

Read More »

Fast-growing Urban forests

Bangalore, April 22nd — Planting miniature forests in cities sounds like a job for a government department rather than a small entrepreneur. Although these “forests”

Read More »

Mitsubishi Smart House

Service promises to keep energy bills down and an eye on grandma Is today’s smart home technology, which connects a household’s appliances to the Internet,

Read More »

Affordable Green Homes

China’s government just announced it will allow financial institutions to provide lower mortgage rates for buyers of environmentally friendly housing (see below for more detail).

Read More »

Future high-end homes

Los Angeles, the Southern California Institute of Architecture and the California Institute of Technology are running a poster child for a new generation of smart

Read More »

Urban Danger

“Civil unrest could be a very high probability,” says a ten-term US congressman from Maryland. “….those who understand, need to take advantage of this opportunity when the winds of strife are not blowing to move their families out of the city.”

Read More »

Man Maketh the Clothes

Make your own clothes – Book review of Through the Eye of a Needle by John-Paul Flintoff, about a middle class guy who makes his own Y-fronts to prove he has not been infantilised by consumer society

Read More »
Shoulder to shoulder

Men need Garden Sheds

The Australian Men’s Shed Association (AMSA), has been beavering away for some years now, trying to help depressed, lonely males. They call themselves Shed Men

Read More »

Poland Off the Grid

Dear readers of Off-Grid.net, My name is Krzysztof Lis, I live in Poland, and since 2005 I am interested in off-grid living. My off-grid journey

Read More »

Urban Bushcraft

A new book, How to predict the weather with a cup of coffee: And other techniques for surviving the 9-5 jungle, takes the survival tips

Read More »

Foreclosed? Move to Rio Rancho

Architecturally, the dwellings run the gamut — railroad cars, travel trailers, plywood shacks, doublewides and two-story ranch-style homes.

Here in Rio Rancho outside Albuquerque, residents are beyond the reach of power lines and piped water. A few have solar panels or small wind turbines. For others, like a shanty built by Liz Owens, 57, the cost of renewable power sources and drilling a water well is prohibitive. Generators and plastic water tanks are common yard features.

The local County is concerned about the proliferation of informal development. Sandoval County’s long-term planner said home styles in the area range from railroad cars to travel trailers, plywood shacks and ranch-type homes.

Read More »

Whole Green Catalog

Click to buy There is too much information around about how to go green.  Many are left wondering who to trust and just how they

Read More »

Pay it back!

The financial community should repay their bonuses for the past decade — the profits were illusory. That money could be used to bail out failing banks and insurers

Read More »