Communities

Communities

Extinction Rebellion founder says we must topple the political elites

The driving force behind Extinction Rebellion has said the group will shortly announce a co-ordinated global action in 40 countries.
“There is going to be a rebellion in America this Autumn,” Roger Hallam told us in an extended video interview from his new office in London, where he started work less than a week ago.

Hallam, co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, gave a one-hour interview explaining why XR was launched, talking about his own background and how XR will achieve its goal of zero carbon in ten years.
“As far as I’m concerned, the political class has to be removed from power,” he said as he sipped water and joked about the impact XR is having on the nations’ leaders. “At least they think they have to co-opt us,” he said.
“From the get-go you knew we were onto some major political explosion. Now we’re on the cusp. On Monday or Tuesday the UK is going to declare a rebellion episode…against the British government.”

The new rebellion will be another series of stoppages across major towns and cities. “We’re looking at broadly repeating what we did in April, but on a far bigger scale. This is big. This isn’t some XR hippie routine.”

Hallam said he already had support from Trade Unions, Gay groups, Christians and many other Eco-organisations and others.

Extinction Rebellion is well on the way to becoming a global phenomenon, now in 40 countries and expanding every day. Millions are pouring into their coffers, including from the band Radiohead and from tech millionaires as well as thousands of small contributions. Next week the central steering group will begin dispersing that money to the local groups worldwide. Living off-grid, and campaigning for others to do so, is just one way to make your contribution to the future security of the planet. Another way is to join the XR actions in your local area. In a long interview with Nick Rosen, editor of Off-Grid.net Hallam declared “the political class are gonna do everything apart from anything. As far as I am concerned they have to be removed from power.”…

Read More »
Spirit

Scotland’s multiple off-grid opportunities

The sparkling glens and mountains of Scotland boasts a wide choice of off-grid holiday accommodation and if you fall in love with the lifestyle there are many off-grid homes and jobs jobs that could make your stay a lifelong one.

The remote community of Scoraig is looking for a teacher and there are always numerous jobs as gamekeepers, loggers and crofters.

Scotland is the perfect place for those keen to explore the great outdoors. From eco glamping to living like a laird and lady, here’s a pick of where to stay.

Try the island of Tiree

Were it not for the charming croft cottages, the disarming Hebridean accents and the inimitable grass coverage of Scottish dunes, anyone on Tiree might easily imagine themselves on Hawaii. This is in fact Scotland – the most westerly of the Inner Hebrides has long, white-sand beaches, plentiful hours of sunshine and excellent surfing and windsurfing. Being within tickle’s reach of the Gulf Stream means the waters are startling not for their cold but their warmth.

Accommodation is mainly B&B or self-catering.

Traditional Yurts

The Three Trossachs Yurts offer cosy glamping in a picturesque setting.

Each circular dwelling sleeps up to four adults or a family of five and are decorated with thick rugs and soft furnishings.

This experience is all about being off-grid, so it’s self-catering only, but there are plenty of options for cooking your own meals.

www.trossachsyurts.com

Caravan Cavalcade

The six French roulottes that make up Roulotte Retreat can be found in the idyllic surroundings of a wildflower meadow in the Borders.

The roulottes – hand-crafted, Romany-style, wooden caravans – are colourful, stylish and quirky, and come equipped with modern comforts.

The setting is just as impressive, offering easy access to the towns of Melrose, Selkirk, Jedburgh and Galashiels, with the River Tweed flowing nearby.

www.roulotteretreat.com

Life in a lighthouse

Sumburgh Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse on Shetland and featured in the Shetland TV drama.

The self-catering accommodation is sited within the complex of lighthouse buildings on the majestic cliffs and is finished to a high standard.

It’s particularly popular with holidaymakers during the summer months. www.shetlandlighthouse.com ECO PODS

In the shadow of a castle

The two wooden eco pods at Craskie Estate are perfectly placed for stunning loch views and soaking up the beauty of the Highlands.

Efficient insulation and low wattage electrics mean a minimal carbon footprint but there is no shortage of luxury touches.

Sleeping up to four people, each pod has its own decked terrace – ideal for al fresco dining.

www.craskieestate.com

Off-Grid jobs

And while you are in Scotland, consider a visit to the remote community of Scoraig, which is currently looking for a teacher for its primary school.

The locals say it’s the least stressful job in teaching but the post has fallen vacant three times in the past five years. The school’s head teacher is …

Read More »
Communities

Off-Grid woman storms Minister’s speech

One of the Greenpeace protesters who forced their way into the UK Chancellor’s Mansion House speech last night lives on an off-grid rabbit farm in rural Wales.

The activist – Janet Barker  –  was pushed against a column and held around the neck by Tory junior minster Mark Field before he marched her out of the room last night.

Barker was at the forefront of an attempt in 2017 to immobilise thousands of VW diesel cars by climbing aboard the ship they were imported on in the Thames, with the intention of stealing all the keys.

Mrs Barker, originally from Wigan, lives in a 12.5 acre farm in rural Wales with her husband Peter, and they run a business knitting items from the wool of the Angora rabbit.

The firm’s website says that the couple moved to the farm as part of a ‘long term plan to live on a low impact, sustainable smallholding,’ and stay in a small, zero carbon house, powered entirely by renewable energy.’…

Read More »
Communities

Customise your favourite outdoor gear

A kayaker and his brother painted shark jaws on the front of their kayak. A long-distance cyclist attached mirrors and lights to his handlebars and frame. RV campers often customise by adding portable solar panels to recharge their camper batteries.

No matter what sets you free in the outdoors, you can make the outdoors your own by customizing your gear. With summer here, now is the time.

Across the spectrum, here are some ideas how to make your outdoor gear your own, plus somesecrets that can help every trip. I have employed many of these.

Vehicles

The fastest way to make your vehicle your own is to add a rack or two — that is, racks for bicycles, kayaks or camping supplies. If you have a pickup truck, you can build a bike rack out of PVC pipe or buy a kit with a steel rack to fit in the back. Add a rubber nonskid bed liner, and you’re ready to head out. Racks are made to fit on top of SUVs, cars and pickups with camper shells, and also in hitch mounts designed for the front or back of rigs.

or long miles, you can add seat support for perfect posture and lumbar reinforcement. You can upgrade your tires for off-pavement use, add a loud horn to ward off wildlife along the road ahead (they don’t know you’re coming, of course), and strap an altimeter watch to the rearview mirror.

One cool customization is to mount as-bright-as-possible fog lights out front, rigged with a set-aside interior switch. On two-laners, when oncoming traffic is approaching in your lane or it looks like someone on a side road could pull out in front of you, flip on those lights to get their attention.

Pro tip: When a vehicle rolls to a stop at a diagonal with the potential to turn in front of you, watch the wheels and not the relative motion of the vehicle. If the wheels are turning, the vehicle has not stopped.

Cycling/mountain biking

On your handlebars, mount a phone holder (you can track your rides), trip computer, strobe light and mirrors. On your seat, mount a flat repair kit, blinking red light and an LED red/orange light and reflector. Brent Jacinto, with more than 40,000 miles and no accidents, taught me this. One of his bikes even has red tires. Keep a CO2-powered inflator in your kit to inflate a repaired tire in the field. Get the ergonomics of your seat and handlebar heights perfect, where bigger people can use spacers to raise the handlebars; it should feel near effortless to pedal and propel forward.

Pro tip: Do not mount a bell or horn on your handlebars with the intent to get walkers out of your way. It is not their responsibility to avoid you. They have the right of way. Slow or stop, call out, “On …

Read More »
Communities

Off-Grid Editor on BBC2 chat show

The editor of Off-Grid.net is appearing on BBC2 Victoria Derbyshire show, shortly, in a piece about a family of 4 who went to live off the grid in Wales.

The slot featured the ways to create energy including biodigester gas, and the difficulty of getting planning permission. Editor Nick Rosen spoke about the need for all new homes in the UK to be built off the grid. He said it was easy and cheap to do, and the other panellists agreed with him that off-grid communities had a better chance of success than single households.

Nick Rosen is currently setting uo an off-grid community in Majorca. you can apply to join him there.

Contact nick at nick@off-grid.net…

Read More »

Bitcoin Mining Off The Grid: Is Solar Power The Answer?

Some of the first big server farms devoted to bitcoin were located in the frozen wastes of Finland.  Why?  Because cooling  costs are minimised when the servers are packed into below ground containers.  But in general, the biggest thing holding back eco-enthusiasts who want to buy BTC, is how much
energy the mining uses. It is very environmentally unfriendly  to get involved with crypto as it relies largely on fossil fuels.
However, that seems poised to change as the price of bitcoin has opened up the possibility to use renewables. With the value of Bitcoin soaring above $20,000 at the moment it means that there can be alternatives to mining. Solar power is not the most consistent in areas where the servers currency operate but that might not be enough to hold it back at this point. Even though we don’t love solar farms, this might provide a solution.

Let’s be honest. The driving force in bitcoin mining is not going to be trying to find a smaller carbon footprint, it will be the cost to mine the coins. Right now, since the computing power required to verify the transactions, also known as mining, is so great it costs a lot to operate.
The only way that switching to solar is going to be viable is if the price is right. There are two things that are working in favor of solar at the moment. One is the value of bitcoin these days. Well above $20,000 in value, it can absorb some higher energy costs and
still be worth mining.

This means that if they had to go somewhere like California to take over the mining energy required then it could still make sense. And farms could be constructed just for the mining operations so it is not going to add to the grid. It would be the same as installing a solar panel on your home to provide you with the energy that you need without needing to be part of the grid.
The other aspect is that solar energy is finally very inexpensive. If you wanted to mine bitcoin and invest in some of the computers you could do so with a good solar power set up if you live in the right part of the world.

Where it makes sense
There are a lot of sunny areas in the world where mining could theoretically take place. However, there are many logistical challenges and this is what is holding back the implementing of solar as the preferred way to power mining. One of which is the infrastructure required to provide the energy is generally lacking in many areas. Many countries in the equatorial region are developing and not ready to
provide a stable energy source.
The other issue is the heat itself. It uses almost as much energy to cool the servers as it does to mine …

Read More »

In Spain – Crackdown or Backdown?

The Spanish authorities are boasting they increased the number of cannabis plants seized in the past year – but that still only amounts to a move from from hardly any to very few indeed given the size of the population.

The Guardian Civil took down 9,200 plants last year from 700 arrests across the entire nation, but the main reason for the 67% rise over the previous year was one bust of 3500 plants in Cantabria this September.

Huge resources are being dedicated to tracking down the illegal growers, thereby forgoing one of the main benefits of cannabis legalisation – freeing up police time for more important things. Like stealing electricity – which is a crime that often goes hand in hand with illegal growing.

Prior to decriminalisation, it was easy for the police to visit a site and take a look. Now, the procedures are complicated and the Guardia Civil officers need to track and collect evidence before the judicial authority will give permission to enter.

Statistics confirms that the profile of the plantation owners, is increasingly from the networks of organized crime. …

Read More »

Talk is Cheep

[before_listing images= youtube=null] Could-a, should-a, would-a.
What’s it gonna take to wake you up?
Unless you get off your butts yesterday, you are toast.
In reality, when the social structure breaks down, there will be nobody to insure justice.
Might makes right.
There will be only two kinds of people.
The Perpetrator and the victim, the hunter and the hunted, The master and the slave.
Pretty much everything I have read on line describes these two elements in one fashion or another.
In my opinion, survival will be a crap shoot.
Whatever you do, whatever your resources are, have a plan.
Remember, before you can solve a problem, you have to recognize that there is a problem.
If you don’t see that not preparing is a problem, then so be it. I wish you all the luck.
In my next message, I will run through a few scenarios. If you have any scenarios, please post them. Any plan is better than no plan, although “No plan” could also be considered a plan. LOL
Love ya all till you try to take my stuff!

[landbuddy_listing youtube=null]…

Read More »
Communities

Nuns growing medical marijuana

Holy Smoke!  From the LA Times to ABC Nightline, everybody loves the Sisters of the Valley, a group of nuns from Northern California who make and sell cannabis-infused medicines.

Nightline tracked them down in their remote off-grid growing location near Merced, CA and screened a short report – here is the transcript:

 

NIGHTLINE ANCHOR:  Religion, something so personal for many of us. But the self-proclaimed weed nuns you’re about to meet put their faith in an all-encompassing, cannabis-based farm where the key to healing is hemp. Here’s my “Nightline” co-anchor Juju Chang.

NUNS (GROUP)

Bless our food and bless our folk, and keep us in your grace.

JUJU CHANG (ABC NEWS)

(VO) Prayer. Ministry.

CHRISTINE MEEUSEN (“SISTER KATE”)

Lead the way over to the abbey.

JUJU CHANG (ABC NEWS)

(VO) Servitude. But these are not your typical nuns.

NUN (FEMALE)

How much have we had today?

JUJU CHANG (ABC NEWS)

(VO) Meet the Sisters of the Valley, the self-styled weed nuns, putting their faith in the healing power of cannabis. And their sermons, so to speak, aren’t just shaped around the sticky icky, they’re political, radical feminists to boot.

CHRISTINE MEEUSEN (“SISTER KATE”)

My big, dirty sin is I voted for Ronald Reagan. But I grew out of it and I think I see more clearly now.

JUJU CHANG (ABC NEWS)

(VO) Their convent is nestled deep in northern California farm country, where I traveled to meet the unorthodox sorority.

NUN (FEMALE)

W for weed nuns.

JUJU CHANG (ABC NEWS)

(VO) But before I could enter the premises, a peculiar request.

CHRISTINE MEEUSEN (“SISTER KATE”)

We’d like to ask you if it’s okay to cleanse you and sage you. We ask anyone who comes, invited to our to house to be cleansed before they enter. Is that okay?

JUJU CHANG (ABC NEWS)

(OC) Of course.

CHRISTINE MEEUSEN (“SISTER KATE”)

Thank you.

JUJU CHANG (ABC NEWS)

(OC) What is this?

CHRISTINE MEEUSEN (“SISTER KATE”)

This is sage, it’s a white sage the natives used to cleanse your aura, to cleanse emotions.

JUJU CHANG (ABC NEWS)

(VO) On this sun-drenched property tucked among vineyards and apple orchards, the women grow cannabis, using a strain of marijuana that eliminates THC but still contains CBD, touted for its healing properties.

CHRISTINE MEEUSEN (“SISTER KATE”)

It’s medical marijuana. So, just like over the years they’ve been able to develop strains that get you super high, we’ve also developed strains that don’t get you high at all.

JUJU CHANG (ABC NEWS)

(VO) Which is the variety they grow in their “Garden of Weeden.” Sister Kate says their top seller, a topical salve to soothe achy joints, which rakes in $3,000 a day. A few of the ladies live in the compound, and a total of six sisters work in the business alongside two brothers.

CHRISTINE MEEUSEN (“SISTER KATE”)

We do …

Read More »

Monetize your off-grid home with a reverse mortgage application

In these difficult times, it is reassuring to know that if you are a homeowner yo may be able to raise cash that only needs to be repaid after your death.

As long as you have no intention whatsoever of selling your off-grid residence, a reverse home loan
could be of great value as another way to keep control of your finances. Here are some pointers to help you find your way around the retirement home loan, more commonly known as a reverse mortgage.
How does the payback work?
The payback terms on a reverse mortgage are very different to those of a normal loan. The first
significant difference is that you have a lot more time in which to pay the amount back, than you
would have otherwise. The payment terms are very flexible, and you will only have to pay back the
total if you ever choose to sell or leave the house. A reverse home loan is a great way to free up
some extra money during retirement. Its flexibility gives you more control over how you choose to
handle the repayment of the amount you borrowed.
Keep within your means
Especially for those who are well-versed in the workings of traditional loans, the relaxed conditions
of a reverse home loan can seem idyllic. In spite of the very definite benefits this kind of loan, it is
crucial that you don’t lose sight of the fact that it is still a loan like any other. This means that you
would still have to consider the impact of interest, which will still accrue during the loan term, and
for which you will be responsible at the end of the loan term. If you reach the end of the loan period
and are unable to pay back the amount owing, the house will have to be sold in order to recoup the
costs. For this reason, the value of your house is a large consideration in the application process, as
the overall value has to be great enough to cover whatever is left outstanding.
When you approach a lender, they will assess your financial situation using a tool known as a reverse home loan calculator.

Using this points system, factors such as the age of your house, its location and its general condition will be used to rate your application. Due to the intervention of federal laws, you will be blocked from
borrowing the full value of your home. This is where the reverse mortgage calculator come in handy
– it simplifies and regulates the application process without bias.
How do you get your money?
Upon approval of your loan application, you can pick one of several ways in which you can take
receipt of your money, from regular payments that occur monthly, almost like a salary, to taking it as
a line of credit, so you can spend …

Read More »
A Tyalgum resident poses with his electric bike
Communities

Australia Decentralises

When folks first hear about Tyalgum, in East Australia they picture Mad Max.

Steampunk locals power this dieselpunk outpost with renewable, ethanol-based Guzzolene. Tyalgum has free Wi-Fi and a day spa.

Tyalgum is also going off the grid.

And for the people in this bohemian town in Australia’s east coast hinterland, the stakes are high.

A tourist may be forgiven for ignoring the harsh realities of climate change in such a picturesque spot, but the locals are serious. They’re concerned about carbon emissions and rising temperatures. They’re sick of relying on coal-fired power stations for their electricity.

They’re not the only ones. As the existential threat of climate change grows, people and communities across the world are growing frustrated with governments dragging their feet on environmental policy and investment in renewable energy.

Australia is deeply dependent on fossil fuels, with around 90 percent of the country’s energy generation coming from oil, coal and gas. Australia’s federal government is unabashedly pro-coal. While other nations turn to renewables, Australia contemplates building a massive coal mine in the northeast of the country. When debates about volatile power prices hit the news, Australian politicians call for the construction of more coal-burning power plants. In 2017, the deputy prime minister at the time said he would support clean energy targets — if they included coal.

But climate change is real, and Eastern Australia is feeling the effects. With unstable energy prices, statewide blackouts and a fierce debate over fossil fuels, more Australians than ever want to take action on electricity.

For the people of Tyalgum, solar is the future.

That’s where the Tyalgum Energy Project comes in. The ambitious project wants to power the entire town with 100 percent renewable energy and, one day, begin selling excess power to the wider local area, turning Tyalgum into a community-owned energy retailer in its own right.

Tyalgum isn’t alone. Far from it. Just down the road, the town of Lismore switched on Australia’s first community-owned solar project back in January. The 99kW solar farm floats on the overflow pond at the town’s sewage treatment plant.

From homeowners installing a few solar panels on the roof to entire community-owned solar projects, Australians are starting to take back their power.

There’s a reason Australia is called the “sunburnt country.” The continent has the highest solar radiation per square meter in the world, according to Geoscience Australia. Despite its sunny disposition, the country is 15th on the World Bank’s ranking for sustainable energy use.

Australian communities and businesses are beginning to switch to renewables, though. Elon Musk’s Tesla, best known for electric cars, just installed the “world’s biggest” lithium-ion battery farm in South Australia. AGL, one of the country’s biggest energy providers, has plans to convert one of its ageing coal-fired power stations into a clean energy hub. And the country’s biggest beer maker, Carlton United Breweries, is moving toward …

Read More »
hemp encompasses the globe
Work

Hemp – key off-grid industry, USA & global events 2018

Hemp is Hot! It is going to be a busy 2018 for Cannabis expos and conferences domestically and internationally. Below is a running list of some of the events taking place in 2018. At Off-Grid HQ, we have also been invited to a few below-the-radar events and will be reporting from them in due course.
Off-Grid.net recognises that the hemp industry was the catalyst for the solar industry and the off-grid movement, and we will continue to cover the industry in great detail. Please send any info to nick@off-grid.net

UPCOMING USA HEMP EVENTS

March 7 — 11, 2018 — Expo West – The CBD Summit — Anaheim, CA

The CBD Summit is your chance to better understand the opportunities and challenges that exist for the hemp-derived cannabidiol market in the United States. With a better understanding of the regulatory, supply, scientific, labeling, retail and standards issues surrounding the hemp-derived CBD market, you will leave the CBD Summit with new intelligence to help inform your next steps as a supplier, manufacturer or retailer of CBD products.

April 6, 2018 — NoCo 3rd Annual Hemp Summit — Loveland, CO

The NoCo Hemp Expo is proud to host the 3rd Annual Hemp Summit, an important gathering of hemp-focused executives, founders and investors. Receive an intimate, insider’s view of the hemp industry during this VIP-level networking and special programming featuring business-focused information, market intelligence and analysis from leaders and influencers in the hemp industry.

April 6-7, 2018 – NoCo 5th Annual Hemp Expo — Loveland, Colorado

An important gathering of hemp-focused executives, founders, and investors. Receive an intimate, insider’s view of the hemp industry during this VIP-level networking and special programming featuring business-focused information, market intelligence and analysis from leaders and influencers in the hemp industry.

April 14, 2018 – PDX Hempfest Expo — Portland, Oregon

A full day of educational sessions with professional Cannabis speakers to bring you up to speed on rapidly changing developments in the Cannabis industry. A high concentration of Cannabis industry technology buyers will be present.

April 14, 2018 — Oregon Hemp Convention — Portland, Oregon

A full day of educational sessions with professional Cannabis speakers to bring you up to speed on rapidly changing developments in the Cannabis industry. A high concentration of Cannabis industry technology buyers will be present.

May 9 — 11, 2018 – MJBizCon 2018 — New Orleans, LA

MJBizConNEXT focuses on the near future of the expanding Cannabis industry. For executives growing their companies and emerging industry professionals looking at cutting-edge innovations, new technologies and how cannabis businesses grow in a rapidly advancing market, NEXT is your show!

March 2 – July, 2018 – First Friday Tour — Spring Hope, North Carolina

These exclusive bonus tours will take shareholders behind-the-scenes of North Carolina’s burgeoning industrial hemp epicenter to see Hemp, Inc.’s processing equipment in full operation and producing product… from the cultivation of its …

Read More »