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Art in the desert
You can see many things in the desert, some see desolation, others see stark beauty, yet others take what they see and transform it into…
13 year old kid invents free energy device for under $15
You think of 13 year old kids as playing with their game machines or their iPods, but this kid has invented a real free energy…
Late summer 2016 SkyCastle update
Things are happening at the SkyCastle, as you may or may not know, late last winter I spilled a very large, very sweet cup of…
Woodland community receives notice to quit
https://www.off-grid
Hugelkultur
Hugelkultur, pronounced hugle (like bugle but with a “h”) culture, it’s really simple, combining raised beds with lots of organic material under and on top…
Off-Grid tent living
This is interesting and unexpected, it’s a 4 season tent, the video shows it in winter with a blanket of snow. Unlike a yurt, this…
129 square foot apartment
Here is another take on a tiny NY apartment, this time in Paris. When architect Julie Nabucet was asked to fit the rooms of a…
130 square foot apartment
I like writing about tiny homes and alternative housing, this is an interesting look at how some people live in South Korea, coming in at…
Hard core van living
In this episode of our Van Life adventure we find a very rare VW mechanic and get to work putting right what “The Mother of…
Woman living full time in an RV…
Jo has realized that the traveling lifestyle can be had for much less cost than most realize. With even a modest budget and plenty of…
Kids and off-grid can work
Got kids and want to live off-grid? Think it’s not possible? Maybe you should check out this family in Canada, they are doing it very…
Floating tiny home
This is one of of the most interesting tiny home / floating homes I’ve ever seen! I love the look of this, I could totally…
Superglue for scalp wounds
I will give you a warning here, the following is going to show injuries and wounds, if you are weak of stomach or vomit easily…
Can you still get free land in the USA?
Much of the expense of living off-grid is the property, that is the thing that usually stops people from being able to live their dreams.…
- Energy ·
You may never need to charge your mobile again
Wireless charging is moving forward by integrating inductive charging into smartphones and wearables
- Events ·
New TV series off-grid in Scotland
The series due to launch tonight on BBC Channel 4, will chronicle the successes and failures of a new social experiment in Ardnamurchan, near Lochaber,…
UK Off-Grid Festival
August 11th – 14th Britain’s emerging community will open the doors of perception and glimpse Another World. The annual Off-Grid Festival in Exeter, Devon is…
Tiny home tour
Julie Olson needed a traveling home for her mobile dog training business. With no architecture training, she drew up plans for exactly what she needed…
Handy hacks
Modern technology is an amazing thing, once open a time, if you wanted to read about something, to learn about something, you had to go…
- Energy ·
Forget peak oil – now its peak energy
United States is leading a decline in energy use amongst advanced economies – with use down 2% last year despite GDP growth. The previous year…
- Spirit ·
9 great places for a UK break
Bring your Yurt or Camper Van or rent one from these sites below – to learn how you will cope with a longer, or total,…
Misconceptions about off-grid living
Yesterday, while surfing Facebook, one of my friends liked and shared a photo link, I’ll not say what the page was, I don’t want to…
What are we going to do?
We live off-grid, on a mountain side in the high desert of far west Texas, since December 2007, we have embedded ourselves quite deeply in…
Off-Grid 4th of July
This year, we had the best 4th of July celebration, the SkyCastle has become quite the destination spot for our friends, so PB (Primitive Bob)…
3 Taster Locations To Try Unplugging
Curious about what living off-grid would be like but not quite ready to give up the mortgage? Thinking where to live out the rest of…
SkyCastle upgrade
The SkyCastle is getting a facelift, or an upgrade, however you wish to look at it. This all started out from PB needing to…
The truth about solar
A current and interesting look at solar power today,we have truly come a long way. Of course battery technology is still pretty far behind, prices…
- Food ·
Por Qué No Comprar Grano para Gallinas
Cuando me imagino criando pollos, siempre es de campo libre (¡por supuesto!), Veo a un granjero caminando por una bandada de hackeadores hambrientos arrojando puñados…
- Energy ·
Cobertizos Solares en Venta
UNITY, Maine – 11 de abril – Para Joas Hochstetler, gerente de Backyard Buildings , propiedad de los Amish , la idea de fabricar un…
- Land ·
Encuentro con un Siervo Canadiense
Aquellos que me han seguido durante algunos años deberían recordar mi encuentro con los alces hace unos tres años, causaron bastante daño, pero PB pudo…
- Hispanic ·
Cuidados Sencillos para Gallinas Sanas
Es genial criar pollos: huevos, un tipo de compañerismo áspero y, finalmente, un ave asada. ¿Pero debería cada casa fuera de la red tener algunas…
- People ·
Abuso fuera de la red
La historia impactante de Tara Westover, que cuenta en su libro de memorias recientemente publicado ‘Educated’ arroja una sombra inmerecida sobre las familias fuera de…
Lidiar con la Burocracia
<a href=”https://off-grid.net/dealing-with-bureaucracy/feds-attack-rancher/” rel=”attachment wp-att-59153″><img class=”size-full wp-image-59153″ src=”https://off-grid.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/feds-attack-rancher.jpg” alt=”Feds attack Rancher” width=”444″ height=”274″ /></a> Not only in Nevada La vida fuera de la red y la…
Barn shaped blueberry
Laura and Rory’s barn shaped blueberry tiny home, they designed it themselves, I love the little touches that makes it theirs. With clever ideas, they…
Uninvited guests
They are back, the uninvited guests who arrive as soon as the weather turns warm enough. I’m talking about bugs, insects and arachnids. In the…
Keeping your cool
It’s hot here in the desert, but it’s dry heat (as they like to say), this is the time of the year when it gets…
Stealth camper van
Living out of a van, for some that would sound like a nightmare, for others, a dream come true. To happily live in a van,…
Go away mosquito!
Is Zika a real problem, is it a man made disease, or is it just a smokescreen to deflect our attention somewhere else? I don’t…
It’s not illegal to DIY
When I was a kid, electronics and appliances came ready for the end user to repair when necessary, radios and TVs had vacuum tube that…
A woman living off-grid
As a woman living off-grid, I can speak definitively about this. But apparently I’m not the average woman. Many women I speak to, they tend…
Life updates in west Texas
Things have been going pretty well here in the SkyCastle, summer is definitely knocking, warm to hot days, cool to cold nights… The rainy season…
Solar panels Suspected cause of Fire
A spate of reports across the world pinpoint faulty solar installations as the cause of serious house fires. Badly installed isolators are just one of…
Root cellars
With spring in the air, summer right around the corner, many of our gardens are booming with lots of produce, much of it we eat…
Cheap wood burning stove kit
I know it’s spring going into summer for most of us, but winter is coming, I am always on the lookout for other ways to…
Modern old school wind power
Wind power, here in the US and other countries, we use wind power on small and large scale, mostly to generate electricity, but the…
Motivation
There are many things that motivate us, motivation is neither positive or negative, though many think of it as a positive thing, but it isn’t…
- People ·
Off-Grid Congressman
Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie lives off the grid with his family, on a cattle farm in a solar-powered home he built himself. He commutes to…
Strawbale gardening dangerous?
I have always loved the idea of using straw or hay, lots of it in my garden as a thick mulch, I follow the Ruth…
Hunting in the evening
I went hunting tonight, my quarry is small and hard to find, unless you have the right equipment. I only bagged one this evening, it…
Updates on the SkyCastle
Building up and across is what PB (Primitive Bob) likes to do, here is an update on 2 of his projects, works in progress, or…
Montana retreat near Canadian border
If you want to unplug and enjoy the breathtaking scenery that Montana has to offer, head to The North Fork. Located only a mile from…
She built this
It’s said that necessity is the mother of invention, well this mom and her three young kids were very much in need of a place…
Will it become illegal to live in a tiny home?
There has been a lot of chatter on the internet about upcoming (potential) changes in HUD regulations about tiny homes and RVs in the USA.…
Living underground? It’s complicated
Going underground using 2 shipping containers, sure you could just dig a hole, plop them in and backfill, but that isn’t going to last very…
What are you waiting for?
I hear so many folk saying what they’d like to be doing, they want to go off-grid, they want to be more self sustainable, they…
Beth’s van conversion
Vandwelling is an interesting way to live, having your home and your vehicle all in one, this lady converted her van into a home herself,…
Making a tree sanctuary
Shelli Stanback didn’t just want to write checks to worthy causes that help preserve our natural world or promote a healthier future. “It’s a different…
Mobile homeless
I write quite a bit about tiny homes, both on and off wheels, many choose to live this lifestyle in tiny accommodations, some of the…
Off-Grid Festival 2016
A unique festival that teaches us How to live “Off-Grid” and in “harmony with our environment” Off-Grid festival is an green gem of a family…
- Water ·
Taxing rainwater in the dry west US
What will they think of next? Western water law means collecting rainwater was legal only a few years ago in some states. Now Colorado is…
Going Off-Grid – Jump, Run or Walk
By Dovely from cherrylovefarmm.com Figuring out how to get from where you are to that sustainable garden of Eden can be daunting. We would all…
What is it? Look to find out…
Kind of cabin, kind of small house, kind of cave-underground home, this house has it all. I love the color concepts and the design of…
- Energy ·
German Energy Industry in Painful Transition
Handelsblatt Global Edition Germany’s massive push into renewable energy has a dark side. As green policies drive up the cost of power, entire industries are…
- Land ·
Buy a town in Southern Nevada
There’s an entire town on the market in rural Southern Nevada; Before the economy crashed there was a queue of buyers. Senate Minority Leader Harry…
Hobbit house vs high tech underground homes
These two videos demonstrate the vast differences you can get in an underground home, personally I prefer the more rustic home, I don’t think I…
Small is the new large
Since moving off-grid, many of my day to day things have had to be downsized, my fridge for one, I went from having a full…
Veg-oil powered bus
“Buses convert really well to motor homes…” says Jade, a builder who transformed a school bus into his beautiful home on wheels. The first thing…
Welcome
Looking for ways to get involved? or Looking to start your own off-grid community? Check out some of our features to get you started… Post…
Tiny home for less than $500
Here is one of the tiniest tiny homes I’ve seen to date, coming in at 83 square feet, it’s 8X12 feet, but the high ceiling…
Blog update and family visit
This week has been a really good one, work is picking up after our slow down that happens during the holidays, I got my original…
Solar thermal pool heater
Imagine stepping out of your tiny off-grid home and diving into a large, warm swimming pool. Yes, the millionaire lifestyle but for only a few…
To upgrade, or not to upgrade, that is the Windows question
Privacy, it’s something we all appreciate, those of us who live on the edge of society, ie living off-grid, we really look for ways to…
Gravel vac Bobbage
I seriously considered using a title that said something like “my hubby sucks”, but honestly I don’t need to hype what he does, he is…
- Urban ·
off-grid living is good for your skin
Pollution is waging war on your complexion, new research shows. While our bodies are getting younger from careful eating and better exercise, our skin is…
Humor, off-grid
Living off-grid, much of our entertainment is self generated, in other words, we crack ourselves up :) A couple of days ago, this conversation could…
Solar Power Co Scoops $1.5M Zayed Future Energy Prize
A solar company has won the prestigious Zayed Future Energy Prize for its work in bringing electricity to power-starved areas of Tanzania which currently rely…
Spring is near
Spring is just around the corner, I am noticing the oak trees, which keep their leaves all winter long, are beginning to turn, they fall…
Is it too late?
What are your skills? Everyone has something they can do and do well, something that you enjoy doing, hopefully you are making your living doing…
Half track, full genius
The last couple of weeks, PB has been watching lots of track wheel vehicle videos on YouTube, I just thought he was on another rabbit…
High end tiny house
Most of the tiny homes I have seen are built on a tight budget, this one was built with more high end features in mind,…
Nassau plans energy independence
Microgrids to make small town self sufficient
- People ·
Floating fortress suffers solar burnout
This huge floating fortress of sustainable living, off the coast of Vancouver Island British Columbia has inspired many to follow a sustainable life. Wayne Adams,…
Would you live in a yurt?
In the next town over from where I live, quite close, nearly in town, there is a yurt on a hillside, I don’t know who…
- People ·
Jean’s Yurt
Another in our series of photos by Beth Bicknell. Jean’s yurt was possible one of the most cosy, exquisite structures Beth visited. A yurt she’s…
Three things this week
First thing, as I sit here tonight, sipping herbal tea that tastes like a sugar cookie, it’s quite a different night from last night, for…
Off-Grid crock pot
I love the idea of cooking low and slow, but being off-grid means I don’t have the electricity to spare to run an electric crock…
- People ·
Bob’s Van
Bob is a blacksmith living in a van within wooded area owned by friends, just outside of a small village in Mid Wales. He’s lived…
What does your wood stove say?
If your wood burning stove could talk, what would it say to you? Is it happy with the way you load it? Is it happy…
What’s your backup plan?
It used to be that big storms caught us by surprise, now it seems that more and more we have several days up to a…
Living in a greenhouse
I’m sure I’m not the only person who ever wondered how it would be to build a greenhouse around your house, these folk in Stockholm…
Airbnb’s hottest properties – yes, they are off-grid
Airbnb has just released it’s 10 most wished-for properties on the vacation web site. Quirky, unique properties are most in demand. Four out of the…
He was my inspiration
I grew up in a family that did things together, we didn’t have the money to spend on vacations or trips, but we always ate…
- People ·
Pro-Snowboarder builds Tiny Home
Mike Basich was earning $170,000 a year, travelling the world to compete in international snowboarding championships and living in a 4,000 square foot home. Ten…
- Events ·
WIN A COPY OF “OFF THE GRID”
Do you have great pictures of your Off-Grid cabin, shack, trailer…. or somebody else’s that you happened to be visiting? Now is your opportunity to…
Iron age reality show
The original reality show, filmed in 1978, 12 adults and 3 children were chosen from around 1000 volunteers to live in the “iron age”, they…
No debt
As I watched this video, listening to Karen and Bob describing their life in the home they built themselves, the one phrase that really jumped…
Off-grid community in Leipzig
Sustainability and pursuing the eco dream is no easy feat when living in the heart of a major European city. High rents, cramped living, pollution,…
- Events ·
Off-Grid girl on American Idol
All the way from a remote mountaintop 6 miles from Crawford CO, Jeneve Rose Mitchell didn’t think she was ready to take her small-town voice…
Loneliness and the Off-Grid Dream
In 2011, Sylvain Tesson left his home in Paris for a 6 month stay, on his own, on the edge of Lake Baikal. He stayed…
- Energy ·
Harness your own kinetic energy
Ampy’s Move harnesses your own body energy and pumps it back into your cellphone or any other device. Checking the expected battery life of any…