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Arrests Celebrate 800 Years of Freedom

Police moved in on Runnymede Eco-village friday night to prevent a 3 day “Alternative Magna Carta Festival.”

The Historic site, where the Magna Carta was signed 800 years ago, has become a symbol of the fight for real environmentalism and democracy.

The events were covered by our documentary crew which will be releasing a film after the event. Call or text with news to +44 7768 507693.

Citing Section 63 Anti-Rave laws, cops from 4 forces barricaded the three remaining entrances to the 40-strong eco-community.

But the Rave, in a separate field to the rival Magna Carta festival was set up by another group which invaded the site earlier this week.

“We think they might even be police, acting as agent provocateurs” said Vinnie, one of the longest standing residents and main organisers of the Eco-camp.

Vinnie is one of the lead characters in our documentary – you can see the trailer here

The National Trust, acting on police advice, had already financed a 6 foot security fence around the entire site prior to the festival launch tonight (friday).

The fence, built by private contractors to ensure HM the Queen (and possibly President Obama) can freely celebrate our freedom under the law (yeah right), was erected in the runup to the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta this Monday 15th June.

HM The Queen and 5000 dignitaries will be there on Monday – although Queen Elisabeth has to leave early as it is the monthly lunch for members of the Order of the Garter – which apparently comes slightly above the Magna Carta in the hierarchy (geddit?).

Please send your info to nick@off-grid.net

Get involved – help us spread the word…

June 12, 2015 No Comments

Community

Canadian container home goes viral

OTTAWA–When Joseph Dupuis decided to spend the summer of 2012 building a cabin in the woods out of three shipping containers, he never realized his project would go viral.

That’s exactly what happened to him when his photographer friend, Japhet Alvarez, posted photos of Dupuis’ home on the popular web-site Reddit around midnight May 31.

By 10 a.m. the next morning, the photos had gone viral.

“I was in meetings all morning and (Alvarez) was like, ‘Joe, you need to do something about it, this thing’s got 750,000 views!’ It went viral really fast,” Dupuis, 28, told Postmedia Network.

The turn of events was unexpected for Dupuis, who says he isn’t a Reddit user himself.

“I don’t have Netflix, I don’t have a flat-screen television, I don’t have a microwave, I don’t have a kettle,” he said.

Dupuis has chosen to live a holistic lifestyle in the woods in the Ottawa Valley.

The idea came up in 2010 while he was a student in the mechanical engineering technology program at Algonquin College.

“I dropped out after two years because, to be honest, I was frustrated with being a broke student and living the college lifestyle,” Dupuis said.

“My dad had just bought a piece of property in the Carp area and I pitched him the idea of building my dream cabin and he said OK and we started that day.”

Dupuis said the land his 365-square-foot cabin sits on is considered farmland, but because there are no crops or farm animals on site, property taxes are very low.

He spent $20,000 building the house, and $30,000 designing and building a solar-powered system for his six lights and heating.

He said his cost of maintaining the home in an average year is about $300.

A lot of heat in the winter comes from firewood, which he also trades with his neighbour Tim, in exchange for water running through his cabin.

The idea to use shipping containers, he said, was inspired by a style of log cabin built by lumberjacks in the 1940s.

Dupuis, who had been studying the containers for three years, decided they would fit the model well.

Dupuis lived in his house, secluded in the valley, for two years before taking an apartment in the city.

He plans to move back this August.

While he never expected his home to become so popular, he hopes to use the exposure to help others wanting to live a minimalist lifestyle.

“I’m about living holistically with nature and building a community of people who think the same way,” Dupuis said.

He hopes an upcoming Kickstarter campaign will allow him to help others get started living the same way.

“It’s a very humbling lifestyle,” Dupuis said.

As for the whereabouts of his cabin, Dupuis says while he is not a recluse, he enjoys his privacy and would rather keep the location secret.

“You …

June 11, 2015 No Comments

Community

Shade in the desert, priceless

Our rainy season is about to start, but before it does, it gets warm, some might call it hot, I call it mildly uncomfortable. It only lasts a month or less, and it’s not terrible, not compared to when I lived in the DFW area in Texas, where it was hot and humid, a nasty combination.

One of the ways we live on the cheap, with a small solar system, is by living in the high desert, I’m sure you have heard the phrase “dry heat”, well that sums it up quite nicely. And if you can drum up some shade, especially in a breezy locale, then even those mildly uncomfortable days are quite bearable.

Over the years, we have put up tarp shade in the front and back yard, mainly when our friends and family come to visit in the summer. It works great, but it only lasts one season, our sun and wind really destroy the tarps. So this year, PB decided to use up some scrap aluminum sheeting we scavenged from an old mobile home being torn down, it’s the same mobile home where we got the frame that PB turned into a bridge.

I have a little spot under a patch of oak trees that keeps me cool as well, it’s my art nook and nap place. Here are some pictures of the metal covering, oh I should tell you about what these are mounted on. A few years back, a friend from across the neighborhood gave us a bunch of sucker rod from a well, it’s made of fiberglass and can be bent pretty far, just don’t slide your hands across it unless you want itchy hands. I believe they are about 30 feet long each. Since putting them up, we have not had a major wind storm, but we have had some weather, it is holding up quite nicely, barely moving in the light gusty winds we have had so far.

There is one more picture, it’s the semi-enclosed deck area between the bedroom and the laundryroom/closet/junkroom… we still don’t know exactly what to do with that space, turn it into another bedroom, or make it an outdoor kitchen, or even just a place to sit outside but be protected from most of the elements…

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June 7, 2015 No Comments

Community

Filing cabinet smoker

I’ve seen some ingenious peeps on FaceBook and YouTube, this has to be in the top 10 of cool DIY, have you seen the filing cabinet smoker? This is a first for me, not sure if it’s something I would tackle, I would just have PB make me a smoker (the wheels are turning now), but this is still a great idea.

Of course it would take some work to get the cabinet ready, but once everything is together and you have burned off the paint a couple of times, then you would be good to go. Let me know if you have tried this or seen it done….

I grew up in a BBQ shop in north central Texas, my dad and uncle owned it and I did my tour at working there, I admit to being a bit of a BBQ snob, especially when it comes to smoked meat, after watching this, the wheels really are turning, I’m going to have to hit PB up for a DIY smoker, or find one around here somewhere, I love smoked meat, beef, chicken, pork, veggies, I love it all!

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June 5, 2015 No Comments

Community

Living in small camper vans

I am learning more and more about people who live nomadic lives, driving and living in smaller camper vans rather than buying into the larger campers and such. The nice thing about these smaller camper vans is they can park in more places, they have less problems with stealth camping in town, they are unobtrusive, low profile and fit in just about anywhere.

I think the hardest thing (for me at least) would be not having so much stuff, though honestly that would probably be a good thing. These 2 videos show a couple and a single guy, it probably wouldn’t work so well with kids, but for the singles or couples, younger and empty nesters, it would be a doable thing.

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5u3thpouPM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRX9kRQy2P0

Could you live this way? Do you live this way? What do you think? Be sure to comment below :)

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May 30, 2015 No Comments

Community

Why be debt free?

Why is it so important to be debt free when you go off-grid? I can answer that because I’m living it and reaping the benefits of being debt free, it means that you can live on so much less, when you are in debt, you are a slave to whoever you owe money. Often debt is a big hole that is nearly impossible to dig yourself out of, especially if you are living paycheck to paycheck and paying the minimums on your debt.

Before moving off-grid, my hubby and I worked our behinds off to earn and save money, we lived on the cheap even then, preferring to live in an old single wide mobile home (paid for), we only had the lot rent, we didn’t do credit cards, we didn’t spend excessively, we ate at home most of the time, we didn’t have cable or satellite TV, we chose to live a simple life so it was all the easier to transfer our lives and lifestyle when we did move off-grid.

We looked for and found cheap land in an area that has few rules and building codes so we could do more ourselves like build the house (sky castle), cheap land meant we didn’t have to go into debt to buy it, nor did we have to go into debt to build on it. We started out small, a 16×16 room was our whole house, little by little we added on, building the rooms we needed and wanted as we could.

We got to know our neighbors, letting them know we would take most anything they were throwing away that could be reused, materials from buildings being remodeled or torn down, left over building materials from new projects, over the years we have ended up with quite a few old metal water tanks, they make great storage, think a big closet if they don’t hold water anymore.

I can’t impress upon you enough, get out of debt, don’t go further into debt, do what it takes to get yourself free from credit cards, car notes and the such, do this even if you don’t plan on living off-grid, do it for your own security. I am speaking from experience here, I’ve been in debt, I’ve had mega credit card debt, I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck, it’s not a good place to be, I am much happier living like I do now.

Here is a video I found this evening, it is about how this family went off-grid while being debt free, it is from a Christian point of view (I’m a Christian so that doesn’t bother me), just letting you know before you click play. :) There is a lot of good info here.

https://youtu.be/AQeo5mcWelQ
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May 24, 2015 No Comments

Community

BBC series has a laugh at self-sufficient lifestyle

Former member of 1990s boy band 5ive, Abz Love, has swapped a life of singing for a farm in Wales in a new BBC2 series “Country Strife: Abz on the Farm”.

Abz, who to be honest comes across as “a bit of an iriot”, and his partner Vicky leave the music business behind them and head to rural Wales to live off the land as the two novice farmers set about buying and renovating their very own smallholding.

The series is played for laughs and whatever the TV execs told Abz, it is laughs at him rather than with him, although you could say the same thing about the music

With a little help from their new neighbours, they’ll take on a world of mud, rain, livestock and vegetable planting and learn what it takes to survive in the countryside on a shoestring.

Abz and Vicky are determined to realise their dream of self-sufficiency, but with plans bigger than their pockets and very limited farming know-how, will their ambitions and enthusiasm withstand the harsh reality of living off-grid?

Abz says “Moving to Wales was a complete shock to the system – the house, the chickens, the horses, the foxes, the cats, the splinters, the leaks, the grass, the gates, the fence, the rain. This being said, I have met some wonderful people with beautiful insights – I currently love my life.”

Head of Natural History and Specialist Factual Formats Commissioning, Tom McDonald says “Country Strife is a warm, engaging series following a charming, open-hearted couple try to live the good life against all odds.

“With no knowledge of country life, very limited funds and a series of increasingly outlandish ambitions and plans, Abz and Vicky are in for an often hilarious reality check as they touch down in rural Wales.

“Through their eyes, the BBC Two audience will get a real sense of what it really takes to make a go of the countryside dream.”

“Country Strife: Abz on the Farm” will air on BBC Two this summer.…

May 21, 2015 No Comments

Big guy, tiny home

When Joel Fleck moved home to after college, he wanted his own place, but he didn’t want to pay the steep Sonoma County rents, so he decided to build his own tiny home on a trailer. Inspired by wee house pioneer Jay Shafer (also from Sebastopol), Fleck bought an abandoned trailer from a neighbor for $300 and began building without plans.

To make up for his lack of construction experience he “over-engineered” the build, though the entire build cost him just $25,000. He found a lot of salvaged material and this didn’t include the cost of his labor of two years. Many of the details are custom hacks, like the swinging ladder up to his loft crafted from steel cables, chunks of 2 by 4s and “in order to eliminate the swaying I made it so it clips into the floor on these little airline clips”.

Fleck is 6’4” so much of the home was custom-built for him. He gave himself just an inch or so clearance in his kitchen and a few inches while sitting in his lofted bedroom. His bathroom is a tighter fit: the shower is just 6’2” so he had to build a special box above it to fit his head. Fleck doesn’t see his 150-square-foot home as a sacrifice, but a right-sized home and study space.

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May 20, 2015 No Comments

Community

Tiny home, big amenities

This tiny home on wheels packs real stairs, not a ladder, 2 lofts and a tub bath, things you don’t normally find in a tiny home. I am surprised at having a real set of stairs in this small space, I see that they have made them steep to conserve room, I also appreciate the storage under the stairs. I like the opening sky light, it’s situated next to the solar panel on the roof so you can easily access the solar panel to clean it. I wouldn’t want or need the tub, give me a shower that encompasses the entire room (it can still be small) with a drain in the floor and I’m happy. Another thing I’d want different is the fridge, I know that those front opening fridge designs are poorly insulated AND they lose all their cool air every time you open the door, I’d want a top opening fridge, a freezer-fridge conversion would work much better. Other than those 2 things, this is a great design, I would love o see it with furniture, enjoy the video.

link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ7JINuGT2Y

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May 10, 2015 No Comments

Friends in small places

Welcome To “Bestie Row”: Lifelong Friends Build Row Of Tiny Houses In The Middle Of Nowhere.

Some friendships last forever. You hear of lifelong friends often living in the same towns just so they can socialize whenever they wish, be a part of each other’s family lives, and finally grow to be the grey-haired besties who rock on the porch and talk about the “good ol’ days”.

Four couples who had been best friends for 20 years decided they were going to trump living in the same town. No way were they going to let the business of life keep them from enjoying that special connection that they’d grown to love. So they decided to literally create their own “Bestie Row.” They all were fans of the tiny house movement, and decided to build their own little compound based around that idea.

Because when you can say, “We’re going to be grey-haired friends,” you know you’ve found a bond that can only strengthen.

They employed the assistance of architect Matt Garcia to make their dream come true.
They purchased land along the Llano River, just outside of Austin, Texas.

At first they considered one large house. However, they realized that personal space is necessary for even the closest of friends.

Still, they wanted a space to commune together. So they built a 1,500 sq. ft. community building with a kitchen, dining area, and space for guests and activities.

Their individual homes are 400 sq. ft. cabins, running around $40,000 each.

Their community, dubbed “Llano Exit Strategy,” was designed to handle the harsh, arid Texas climate.

These buildings were designed for low environmental impact, and sustainability.

The solar heat is dramatically reduced by galvanized metal siding and spray foam insulation, which also helps keep heat in during the winter.

The roofs are sloped to angle rainwater runoff into water catchment tanks. In this kind of climate, every drop counts!

The “Hill Country” terrain is a beautiful place for raising families.

The interiors of the homes are designed to look like a cross between modern and rustic. The corrugated sheathing gives the modern feel.

The rustic, cozy feeling comes from barely treated wood which shows off all it the grainy details.

The 400 sq. ft. cabins have no trouble containing the needed living space and bathroom. A little creative space management goes a long way in making a tiny home comfortable.

After seeing a “Bestie Row” like this, I won’t be surprised to see more popping up in the near future!

Images Via Alexander Stross

Source https://lightersideofrealestate.com/real-estate-life/cool-stuff/tiny-house-bestie-row

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May 9, 2015 1 Comment

Community

Do what you love, love what you do…

I love my life, it wasn’t always that way though, I used to live like most people in the middle-lower echelons of working and living, I did pretty well, but worked ALL the time for not very good wages, in fact I worked 2 jobs most of the time, and on rare occasions, I worked 3 jobs. I did all of this just to keep myself in a mediocre apartment, driving a mediocre vehicle. I didn’t hate my jobs, I was thankful to have them, but I wasn’t going anywhere and had little prospects.

So what changed? My life, it was time to make a change, to give up everything I had, my home, my jobs, my location, I traded it all in for 5.75 acres of high desert, unimproved, raw property on the side of a mountain. We moved some 500 miles away from everything we knew, including family and friends to make a fresh start. PB built a small box on stilts, it was 16×16, that was our new home, with a few solar panels, no running water, no flush toilet or shower, we did have heat, which was a good thing since it was about 14 degrees F on our first night.

One of the reasons we are able to live like we do is because everything is paid for, we have few bills and those are tiny bills, we live well below the poverty level, but we live very well considering. It’s been 8 years now, we have a bit more of a house around us, the Sky Castle, our bills are still few and small, absolutely no credit cards or loans, no debt.

Last year I started working a job as a merchandiser, I had done it for 10 years at a big box electronics store, but never dreamed I’d be able to do that kind of work again out here in far west Texas. Turns out that there are merchandising companies, some are rather large, servicing many large companies nation wide, I absolutely LOVE doing this work, it’s hard work sometimes, but often it’s pretty easy, I do come home with bruises and exhausted from long days and a LOT of driving around, but it’s the kind of work I love doing and feel so very fortunate to get to do it again.

I wondered how these stores could afford to pay what they must pay to have us come in and work, especially when their own employees often make minimum wage or just a bit more, I finally came to the conclusion that even though they pay US more, they don’t have to pay the other expenses involved in having employees, from insurance, to liability, unemployment and such, it’s really a bargain for them, they pay us to come in and do specific jobs, we are able to do the work with little …

May 3, 2015 No Comments

Community

Manual washing machines – pre-electricity

When going off-grid, things can tend to get a bit primitive, but you still need to get your laundry clean, there are many ways to do it, from washing by hand, to buying high tech off-grid washing machines. I have used a few different methods of washing my laundry. I often just toss what I need in the sink, wash it by hand and hang it out to dry, if I have a large load of laundry, I can use my neighbor’s washer and dryer (we trade out keeping his place up for such luxuries)… I have used a 5 gallon bucket with a long handled plunger.

This video shows some of the old washing machines before electricity, all are hand powered, well one of them is apparently goat of dog powered. I like the ones with fly wheels or rack and pinion gears. Most of them are simple machines, using gears to turn what looks like a model of a cow’s udders to agitate the laundry. At least one of them had a set of wringers, also known as a mangle on the top to get out more of the moisture.

I hope you enjoy this video, I know I did, and be sure to check out the rest of the videos on this YouTube channel.

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May 2, 2015 No Comments

All you need to go off-grid

Community

Arrests Celebrate 800 Years of Freedom

Canadian container home goes viral

Shade in the desert, priceless

Filing cabinet smoker

Living in small camper vans

Why be debt free?

BBC series has a laugh at self-sufficient lifestyle

Big guy, tiny home

Tiny home, big amenities

Friends in small places

Do what you love, love what you do…

Manual washing machines – pre-electricity

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