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ChelseaMendez

Community

Auroville, the Utopia next door

 

Imagine a place free from politics, religion and money. People from every background, of all ages, living in unity and self-sufficiency. The food that you all eat you grew together from scratch on organic farms. Utopia?

Auroville.

A small universal township, located in south India – on the border of Tamil Nadu state. The concept was birthed from an idea of a township devoted to an experiment in human unity in the 1930s.

It gets better- you can visit it. Yes, this isn’t just a place people may hear whispers about but never actually get to see — you can travel there quite easily, let us show you how.

It was set up officially on the 28th February 1968. 5,000 new occupants assembled at the centre of the township for a ceremony. They brought with them soil from their individual homelands to be mixed in with the new soil of Auroville and there is an urn in the middle containing all the mixed samples of Earth. It is said that the purpose of Auroville is “to realise human unity.”

There is the most beautiful Peace Area located in the middle of the town called the ‘Soul Of The City’ or the Matrimandir at the centre of the township. It helps to create an “atmosphere of calm and serenity” and serves as a groundwater recharge area. Many gather here at sundown.

 

The population is now 2,400 but it can hold up to 50,000 people. The inhabitants live sustained lives side by side in harmony, without money and politics (even though it is backed by the Govt. of India). It is self-sufficient with over 160 hectares of organic farms, cornfields and orchards. The city area was actually built with a radius of a 1.25km ‘Green Belt’ comprised of forests, dairies, wildlife areas. All of which provide habitats for wildlife and serve as sources of food, timber, medicine and so on.

 

They have stated on their website that they have planned a further extension of their Green Belt to transform ‘wasteland into a vibrant eco-system’. They say they are working towards adding an impressive 800 more hectares. Find out more on their website.

The nearest international and domestic airport is Chennai International Airport. If you are already in India and would prefer travelling leisurely by rail, Chennai Central Railway Station connects to all the major cities in India with its reliable express trains such as Tamil Nadu
Express and Rajdhani Express (fully air-conditioned).

 

You can watch someone’s personal experience of entering Auroville as the track how exactly they got there via a travel vlog they uploaded on YouTube. If you have liked what you’ve read, you can support the cause and donate to Auroville here.

It was backed by the Indian Government in 1960 and taken to the General Assembly of UNESCO. Six …

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Could a jacket make unplugged life easier?

 

How much easier would hiking and camping be if you didn’t need a heavy bag. Of course, you can go on leisurely walks without a backpack, but we’re talking about long trips. Ones you couldn’t imagine without having handy a water bottle, your phone, even your laptop – if you’re trying to get somewhere remote. Well, two innovative designs have made that a reality.

The “mobile clothing” brand SCOTTeVEST has designed a new jacket that might solve some problems: The Off-Grid jacket. The jacket is said to be perfect for someone who is on the go and the ultra comfy outerwear boasts 29 pockets in total, each tailored to carry a different item in your life.

Wondering why you would even need 29 pockets?  SCOTTeVEST’s, Luke Lappala explains “we have a pocket for everything”. And they really do: a small zip one for your wallet and keys where you can attach them so you don’t lose them, two big side ones for laptops, clear touch ones for your phone, a tablet sized one, a dog biscuit one, a water bottle sized one. The Off-Grid jacket comes with an RFID blocking pocket to keep your valuables safe. Lappala explains that the features will enable you to “stay ‘on the grid’ even while you’re ‘off the grid’. The jacket has been designed with weight distribution so the bulky items that may weigh a ton in your bag, will feel light in comparison. “All of our garments have a weight management system,” he said. “It’s how the pockets are laid out, how it’s stitched. [It] makes it feel more like a backpack rather than a jacket that’s hanging down on you.” The jacket is retailed starting at $215.

Baubax’s new jacket is very similar but the outdoorsy person rather than the “mobile” person would benefit more from it.

Featuring a neck pillow, eye mask, hand warming pocket, drink pocket, portable charger pocket, gloves, blanket pocket, earphones holders, phone pocket, iPad pocket and much more, it’s perfect for campers or people enjoying an outdoors lifestyle in cold weather.

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Outdoor living made a little easier

 

Campfires are unpredictable and some camping stoves are bulky and let’s face it, impractical. Whether you want to heat some porridge to start your day and or keep warm whilst you star gaze, a reliable fire would be an asset.

A new Kickstarter company might have the answer.’Engineered for adventure’: Solo Stove is offering a new kind of off-grid fire pit and stove range, which pushes the limits of combustion airflow efficiency.

The stove only uses the highest-grade 304 stainless steel in the design and it’s engineered to maximize the airflow of the burning process. So basically, it’s pretty powerful for such a compact, easy to carry around essential. Starting from $69.99, the stove comes in a three types. The lite stove good for an intimate setting of 1-2 people and the titan model, one for a bigger get-together of 2-4 and finally the campfire version for 4+.

There’s no heavy battery needed either. Simply pop a few small twigs and logs in the bottom and the stove will burn through them to give you authentic flames, painting a smooth ambiance that will help make the most magical memories with nature and your loved ones. The possibilities are illustrated beautifully in their short video. The clean up is easy too, just wait for the stove to cool down, shake the remaining ash out of it and back into the bag it goes. When you’re ready to move, it slips into a drawstring bag which you can connect to your rucksack or carry yourself.

 

The company is also creating a bonfire, using the same technology to build a bigger experience which can be used in your own backyard. Hayley Perry, a spokesperson from the company explained: “As a wood burning fire pit, the Bonfire runs completely on biomass and is the most eco-friendly fire pit on the market.” They’re offering a 10% commission on every $1 that you contribute, so if you’re interested, click here to donate. Pre-orders will be available on their website in October with the official release happening in early December.

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Self-Sufficiency

Doomsday retailer

 

Meet Scott Hunt, also known as Engineer775 on his Youtube channel where he gives expert reviews for National Geographic’s reality TV show, Doomsday Preppers.

His religious stance has made him plan accordingly to doomsday, plans which include his and his families 55-acre farm near Pickens being totally sustainable if, oh let’s say out our nation’s electrical grid, shut down its water supply or render its computers useless.
But don’t think of him as gloomy, the creative genius is actually very energetic and he has made a “booming business” out of helping others get prepared for whatever may come.

On the farm, they grow their own food, generate their own electricity, maintain their own water supply and powers their machinery with fuel made from their own wood.

It has elevation change, which can be used to provide a gravity-powered water system. He pumps water from a well low in his topography to a high point on his property and sends it flowing downhill from there to his house with the twist of a faucet.
The tract has ample trees, which he looks on as “solar batteries.” He uses them to fire a 500,000 BTU boiler that provides hot water to his house, and a wood stove for heat and cooking, and for gasification, using a process developed by the Germans during World War II.

With the success of their own off-grid living arrangements, Scott is a consultant and installer of solar-powered water systems and other devices for others who like the idea of being unplugged.
“I feel like that’s what my calling is right now – to help many people as possible,” said Hunt, a former pastor, former Michelin engineer, and upstate New York native.
Tinkering is in Hunt’s genes. He comes from a family of tradesmen. His father was an auto body man. His grandfather was a carpenter and operated a lumber yard. He also went to university to study engineering which is where he found God.

“Some people just want to go off the grid. Some people want something sustainable. Some people are into preparedness big time,” he said. “I just provide solutions that make sense.”
His homestead was ideally suited to become his laboratory for developing self-sufficiency solutions.
If you’re interested in learning some of his tricks, most of his business comes from the Internet. He has a store on his website, www.practicalpreppers.com, from which he sells and drop ships items such as solar water pumps, and his book, “The Practical Preppers Complete Guide to Disaster Preparedness.”

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Community

Dartmoor community eviction

 

An off-grid community located in woodland within Dartmoor National Park, UK are faced with eviction after 15 years of living side by side with nature. The park authorities are ordering them out on the grounds that they had a “harmful impact on the character and appearance of the Devon park”.  Meanwhile, the same authorities are allowing property developers to make millions building hundreds of homes.  See our new video here

The Steward Community Woodland group appealed the decision, stating they have “hugely improved the biodiversity on their 32-acre plot”. Their homes are completely off-grid, made up of recycled timber produced on site, amongst other reused materials elsewhere, that fit nicely with the woodland.

A community stalwart named Merlin manages the community energy schemes such as solar and hydro power systems to generate and store power for the 23 occupants.

The group welcomes locals  to come and help in the communal gardens. Schoolchildren from the area are also invited to learn more about woodland and growing skills in a hands-on and fun way instead of inside a classroom.

Tom Greeves, the chairman of the Dartmoor Society has praised the group, stating: “We admire the tenacity and dedication over 15 years of the small group of men, women, and children who have opted for a very different lifestyle”

However, the park authority does not agree. It granted temporary planning permission twice in the past and now the development management committee has refused permanent permission.

The 14 adults, four teenagers and five children who live there are devastated. Sonia Parson who has raised 3 of her children on the commune said she is heartbroken by the news in a video you can watch here. She says her kids see the other members and the animals they live among as family and do not want to be moved on.

After the decision on 10th August 2016. The group took to their website to express their anguish over the news: “It is with huge sadness and utter shock that we must let you know our appeal has been dismissed” one post reads. Whilst another exclaims gratitude to their supporters:  “We received over 400 letters of support and a significant number from our local area. We would like to THANK all the people who wrote in and have supported us mentally,

Whilst another exclaims gratitude to their supporters:  “We received over 400 letters of support and a significant number from our local area. We would like to THANK all the people who wrote in and have supported us mentally, physically and emotionally. Your support will and has been a huge help to us.

You can view the details of the appeal here.

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Mobile

In praise of the humble Hammock

 

Yes, those things your grandma used to relax in in her garden with a nice book are the way forward when camping.

Hammocks can keep you warm and dry these days – off the big- infested floor and with waterproof covers.

Floor’s damp from rain? Not a problem. Suspended between two trees, you don’t have to worry about creepy crawlies getting into your sleeping bag or resting your head on an uncomfortable surface. Camping hammocks use taut, technical fabrics and are very stable so you’re unlikely to flip out of them. Not the best at setting things up? Not a problem, most of them are easy peasy, much less of a head scratcher than tents.

To keep the autumn chill off your back as you sleep, you can attach one of the fitted “underquilts” that most companies offer—an insulated sling that sits under the hammock. And of course, your sleeping bag and standard sleeping pad will provide extra structure and warmth.

To suspend your hammock, simply wrap “tree straps” around two appropriately spaced trunks. Because this flat webbing is wider than rope, it won’t damage the bark. And tempting though it may be, don’t hang your hammock more than a few feet off the ground. It will be easier to climb in and out if the hammock is lower, and in the unlikely event of a suspension failure, you won’t have as far to fall.

We have listed a few of our faves below for you to take a little peek at:

Eagles Nest Outfitters Single Nest Hammock
Price: $59.95
This one comes in 21 different colors, making it easy to coordinate with your personal style and mix match with the family. It is high strength and can hold up to 400lb, features 70D high tenacity breathable nylon taffeta and triple interlocking stitching. The hammock itself weighs just 1 pound and can be bunched up into a softball-size bundle. ENO attempts to reduce potential waste by using every bit of fabric available in production so it’s eco-friendly, yay!

You can find it/alternatives here if you’re in the UK and here if you’re in Canada.

Hennessy Ultralight Backpacker Classic
Price: $239.95
This light favourite was designed with utility in mind and was eve based on the design of World War II Army hammocks. If this one tickles your fancy, you can look forward to enjoying the following features: A mosquito net sewn right in; a sleeve to hold your sleeping pad in place; a Velcro-sealed doorway allows for easy entry; and an asymmetrical shape allows you to lie across the centerline for a flatter position.

You can find it/alternatives here if you’re in the UK and here if you’re in Canada.

Kammok Roo
Price: $99.00
Lightweight but massive (about 10 feet long by 5½ feet wide), this hammock is an all-enveloping cocoon of strong ripstop fabric. Although it’s …

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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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Community

We want to hear YOUR UNPLUGGING stories

Some of you will be reading this at your desk at which you spend 8 hours a day, just to pay the bills and mortgage. Some will stare at our off-grid memes, posted on our Facebook page just wishing they could trade in their current situation for something a little more extraordinary. But if you were given the chance, would you be brave enough to take the leap of faith?

Author Vanessa Run has done just that. She studied Journalism and went on to work in various media companies, but the work bored her and she realized that ‘living for the weekend’ was not living at all. Her current book is on escaping the rat race for an off-grid lifestyle, close to nature in a campervan traveling around the picturesque beauty New Zealand has to offer.

Writer Nick Rosen has also published his own book, How To Live Off-Grid, in which he embarked a similar journey in a campervan.

Nick has also made short films all over the world about off-grid homes and the people who built them.

Enough about other people, we want to know about you. How do you live?

Can you send us a video? Or some still photos? Have you tried to live unplugged from the grid? Did you ditch your job for a mountain top cabin and a simpler life?

We want to hear from you!

Write to us at news@off-grid.net


Your name* 

You don’t have to use your real name, just tell us what you would like us to call you

Who are you?*
 Where do you live, how old are you, are you living alone, in a family or in a group etc, do you work.*
What do you do?* What job do you (or did you) have?
Your unplugging story*

How did you do it?*
Why?*
Where did you go and why?
How has it changed your life?*
Do you plan on moving back?
Tell us about your new life
so how remotely do you live? Tell us your daily routine)
Please add a photo or video if you think it will add to your story
File uploads may not work on some mobile devices.
Can we publish your response?*
Contact details
Please provide a telephone number or email. This will be kept confidential but we may contact you to ask you to contribute to our coverage.

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Community

California Gov, Jerry Brown – Off-Grid

 

Environmental champion, Jerry Brown says his next home will be totally off the grid. Powered by solar panels, the 2,674 square feet abode will include one-bedroom, one and a half bathrooms, a large lounge area, wood fireplace, an office, a mud room and a massive porch to sit on and watch the world go round.

 

Architect Dna Hoover describes it as a “boomerang-shaped building that kind of curls around a little knoll with two really old blue oak trees.” The site will afford the Browns “a pretty incredible view that’s quintessential California landscape. It’s incredibly beautiful but harsh in the same way,” he said.


Usually, Gov. Brown spends weekends at a rustic cabin west of Williams and resides the rest of the time in the Governor’s Mansion in Sacramento, which is an energy sufficient property. He has described his cabin outside Williams in 2014 as “pretty primitive,” with no water or toilet. He said at the time that the first lady “would like more amenities.” Hence the fancy soaking tub and wood fireplace in the new home.

Aged 78, Brown is the state’s oldest and longest-serving chief executive and was first elected to a statewide office in 1970 and is set to govern until 2019. He is also a pro-environment fiscal conservative and is a longtime champion for environmental causes, so it’s surprising he’s realised that going off-grid is the way forward!

According to plans for the house, “landscaping shall be designed and installed so as to not use potable water.”

The fourth-term Democrat and his wife, Anne Gust Brown, sold their previous home in Oakland Hills this year, after giving up their Sacramento loft and moving into the renovated Governor’s Mansion. Brown will term out of office in 2019.

Hoover said he will start working on the solar panelled palace as soon as he gets a permit. “(Brown) wants it done now,” Hoover said. “They’re very anxious to move up here.”

We’re excited for you to move off-grid too, Jerry!

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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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Land

Vladamir Putin’s strangest obsession: Mount Athos

 

 

Mount Athos is a secretive, autonomist, theocratic region in a pocket of Greece, ran by Greek Orthodox monks, for the monks. It is  also home for the biggest and most populated off-grid community in the developed world –  it is completely unplugged.

Its a most difficult place to visit; you must apply for a visa a month beforehand and send in a copy of your passport. They allow 100 orthodox and 10 non-orthodox male pilgrims in per day. It is only accessible via the sea and visitors must arrive on an authorised boat where a policeman checks their visas against their passport before boarding. The visa is valid for only three nights; you have to book each night in advance and may not spend more than one night in the same spot. You may be thinking, why on Earth would Vladimir Putin, leader of Russia and ex-KGB be interested in a place like this? Which is what everyone is thinking.

Off-grid’s groundbreaking video about Mount Athos released last year is the most detailed portrait yet of this secretive community. The film takes you deep inside the world of the priests who run the mysterious mount….and leaves you hungry for more. Which brings us to Putin’s fascinating involvement with the region.

Putin made a public rapprochement with the Orthodox church after many years as a KGB agent and therefore a presumed atheist. He well knows that a significant percentage of Russians are adherents so it makes sense to use the church and Mount Athos as a propaganda tool. He has given money to the Russian monastery of Panteleimenos, which houses just 70 monks but has rooms for hundreds more. He attended a mass which was held in his honour earlier this year in May, and was seated in the bishop’s throne. Afterwards, he attended talks with the Greek president Prokopis Pavlopoulos whilst commemorating the 1,000th anniversary of a Russian monastic presence on the Holy Mountain.

 

“I am confident that relations between Russia and the Holy Mount Athos, and Greece as a whole, will only strengthen, while the spiritual relationship and trust will continue to determine the nature of our traditionally close and friendly relations,” – Vladimir Putin

 

 

 

 

Putin has formed an unholy alliance with the Orthodox church in order to ensure he receives its blessing. This fits with his self-image as a modern Tsar embodying church and state. For believers, the Holy Mountain is the centre of their faith, their Rome, the place where the flame of their faith connects to heaven. He also visited the mountain in 2005, making him the first head of Russian state to set foot on their holy soil.The monks who live there take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and once their final vows are sworn, become monks for life.

Mount Athos is currently one large building site …

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Energy

Off-grid couple takes on Supreme Court and wins

Victory!

Not just for the couple who won the right to use water to power their home, but for many others in a similar situation.

Nestled in Colorado’s vast 125 miles long San Luis Valley, off-grid couple Chuck and Barbara Tidd sought to use a creek on their property to source energy from for their solar panels. Their self-sufficient decision erupted into a legal battle that went as high as to the Colorado Supreme Court.

In a radio interview the couple explains how the Rocky Mountains have a ‘desert feel’ to them, and any water is scarce, which is one of the reasons the lawsuit was sparked.

The couple live in a home they built themselves on the mountain tops, with jaw-dropping panorama views of the Valley. When they first moved in, they were told it would cost $100,000 to run power lines to their home which they declined, so they are 100% off the grid. They get their drinking water from the springs and their electricity from a solar array, which was fine until it was cloudy. With no chance of getting lines put in and no back-up for the solar power, they were stuck.

Until they looked at hydropower alternatives.

Now, there was an irrigation ditch that ran through their property. The only problem was that it belonged to another family (The Frees) down the hill, who disapproved of the Tidds using their water and the way they went about it.

“My understanding—incorrect understanding—was that you start working on it and then you file. Wrong.” Barbara explains “Chuck started digging and was going to lay some pipe and then he called the irrigators up to look at it and they said, “Don’t touch my ditch.”

There’s a Colorado Water Law that the Frees used to defend their case, known as the “Prior Appropriation System” that basically says “First in time, first in right.” It started back in early gold mining days and essentially allowed the first guys in dibs water from a stream before anyone else could use it.

What the Tidds wanted to do seemed more than fair, they wanted to run water through a pipe to generate power and then return every drop back to where they got it from. But the case got brought up to ‘Water Court’ where the Tidds won….. but the case was far from settled for the Frees. They challenged the judge’s decision and took it up to Supreme Court arguing that the Tidds could not use the water because it already belonged to them and they should have the right to use it before anyone else.

Chuck wouldn’t back down though, he exclaimed in an interview and in court that: “water can be used many ways. It’s a usufructuary right to use that water, meaning you don’t own it. They use the term ‘use the molecules of water’ before anybody …

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