Solar Panels for Palestine – Donate Now
Whatever your views on the Arab-Israel conflicts, and on the Hamas atrocities of October 9th, nobody can no doubt that the humanitarian crisis demands immediate
Memo To Rayner & Milliband – You Should Talk About Energy for Housing
The UK Government last week laid out the domestic plan for its first year in office -prioritise housing and clean energy, in order to kickstart
The End We Start From – New Movie Starring Jodie Comer
A new movie starring Jodie Comer explores what could happen if a flood takes the UK off-grid. Directed by rising star Mahalia Bello the film
Gridless in Gaza
The tragic war in Gaza has left hundreds of thousands off the grid – with no water or power and very little food. Off-grid has
DIY Christmas Gifts for Off-Grid Living: Thoughtful and Sustainable Presents
The holiday season is upon us, and it’s time to spread some joy with heartfelt gifts. If you have friends or loved ones who embrace
Unlocking Off-Grid Paradise: Mastering the Art of Location Selection
Embarking on an off-grid journey? Buckle up, because the location you choose might just be the pivot between thriving and barely surviving in your sustainable
Choosing Off-Grid Companions: The Best Pets for Your Sustainable Lifestyle
Hey there, off-grid enthusiasts! If you’re contemplating which furry (or feathery) friend to bring into your self-sufficient haven, you’re in the right spot. Picking the
Campaigning For UK Solar Owners Underpaid By Utility Companies
The London Times has exposed shockingly low rates paid by some Utility companies for surplus PV power generated by their customers. And Solar panel owners
What is Climate Justice?
People are talking about and demanding “Climate Justice.” But what does the term actually mean, and how do we get it? Inequalities of energy consumption,
Small World Kicks Off UK Festival Season
The Small World festival in Headcorn, Kent, is the UK’s only totally solar-powered festival, with no generators at all. The Spring Gathering is the traditional
Small Growers Deserve Same Green Subsidies As Farmers
ALL over the world, governments are handing farmers green subsidies in the form of carbon credits for certain types of planting and land management that
Decarbonising the grid derailed by “thick, white, male plumbers”
Over 95% of plumbers are males in the USA and the UK; more than two-thirds are over 45 years old; two in five want to
Porn-Induced Impotence
Having Porn-Induced Impotence is not just awkward for the person that has it, however, for their partner as well. When an individual has this problem,
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
Go Your Own Way
Many of us have bellowed ‘Go your own way!’ at the top of our lungs when listening to Fleetwood Mac, but it’s in that pause
It doesn’t feel like a sacrifice
After finishing school, Jocelyn and Jarvis had $96,000 of debt from student loans, credit cards, and buying a small rural property. This is the story
Elk encounter 3 years later
Those who have followed me for a few years should remember my elk encounter from about three years ago, it did quite a bit
10 years later…
It was 10 years ago on December 22 when PB and I (and our little chihuahua Pekoe) pulled up on our property, it was 3:30
East Jesus
I think most everyone is familiar with “Slab City”, an abandoned military base in the Sonoran desert in California. This desolate place is a favored
A day in the emergency room
I spent today in the emergency room, not for me, but for a friend. I had gone to church and found out my friend had
Privacy? They are listening
I grew up in the time when cable TV boxes were supposed to have a camera or at the very least a microphone inside so
Fantasy cottage by the sea
Do you remember the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel? Well, if they had a house today, this would be it! Located next to the ocean
Are you nuts? When can we come visit?
Friends, family, most of us have them, and for most of us they play an integral part of our lives and decisions we make. Making
Essential Crafter
There was a time when if you wanted to learn how to do something, especially a trade, you found the person with the most knowledge
Confessions of a off-grid granny
I cannot believe it’s October already, the days are still warm but the evenings and nights are getting cooler, it’s almost sweater weather! I am
Aircrete!
I’m certain that most everyone reading this is familiar with using concrete for building material, there are various ways to go about using concrete, from
Never buy grain for your chickens again!
When I picture raising chickens, it’s always free range (of course!), I see a farmer walking through a flock of hungry chooks tossing handfuls of
30 days and it’s ready
I had so much fun watching this couple condense a 30 day conversion into a short video, as I saw each part, I thought that’s
Internet gone!
With all of the hurricanes and wildfires going on here in the USA, we haven’t been plagued by any of those tragedies, but we have
Karen and her Casita
I spent some time today listening to Karen describe her life and how she ended up living in a small Casita travel trailer. I am
Eclipse Monday
I suspect that unless you are living under a really big rock, you know about the solar eclipse that will be happening on Monday. It’s
Living here vs there
When we left the big city, well more like the outskirts of the big city, we lived in a trailer park on the edge of
Hitting the wall
PB and I have lived off-grid for nearly 10 years now, by Christmas this year it will be 10 years. Have you ever done something
Prosnowboarder’s golden ratio
It took a little over 5 years for pro snowboarder Mike Basich to build his 225 square foot off-grid cabin, the work during the winter
Strictly for the Birds (book review)
Birds are the constant companions to an off-grid life. Alone, in pairs, or most mesmerizingly in flocks, birds are a distraction for the eye, they
Huge tiny home!
This has to be the biggest tiny home I’ve seen to date, it’s 37 feet long and 8.5 feet wide, 13.5 feet tall, it weighs
Showering felt so good today!
When one lives off-grid, you are generally your own fix it person, not always, but often. That is certainly true for us, we designed, built
Missing my dad on Father’s Day
Today is Father’s Day, a bittersweet day for me. My Dad was instrumental in my interest in living off-grid, as well as actually getting to
Modern vs retro tiny home
From ultra modern to a retro 50s look, you can have just about any look and style you wish in a tiny house. My first
What is? What if?
I watched a man die at one of the stores where I work doing merchandising. He just fell over and died right there about 15
What are your super skills?
How do you get what you need and want if you have little or no money to buy? I assume you have some sort of
Truck garden
Growing up I had heard of truck farms, usually small family farms, when the produce is ready, the farmer takes the produce to a farmer’s
Bug season!
Duck season! Wabbit season! Does that bring back memories of the old Bugs Bunny and Daffy (along with Elmer Fudd)? I grew up watching that,
Another brick in the wall
It’s been a while since I’ve posted an update on the SkyCastle. This is going on our 9th summer out here, we started out with
Build your tiny home like a boat
It’s a funny thing, I had always thought people who built tiny homes, especially the portable ones did build their homes like a boat, water
Frugal noodle
Let’s use our frugal noodle to come up with some frugal ideas. For me personally, I’ve grown up frugally, I didn’t know or even understand
Planting by the moon, hype or help?
I was born in 1965 so I grew up less than one generation removed from those in my family who really farmed and those who
Is it healthier to live off-grid?
Are there health benefits to living off-grid? I’d say yes, for me there definitely are. First, I find living in a more simple manner is
Bonita domes
I think I have always been attracted to unconventional homes (I live in a small castle after all…), when perusing my YouTube page with all
Digital Detox: let your mind off-grid
Rising heart rate, a sense of panic, breathing becoming shallow and inconsistent. It is highly likely that you have experienced these very symptoms at some
Travel trailer living with 3 boys?
…and 2 dogs… what would you think about living with 3 boys and 2 dogs on the road?
Not in my face!
No one thinks much about flashlight etiquette but there are unwritten rules about how to use a flashlight, where to point it, when to turn it on, how to turn it on… now I have written a list of rules to help people properly use flashlights, especially in group situations.
Please don’t eat the bunnies
I’m really concerned about how people, especially young people will fare if/when TSHTF, I am right now, as I type, having a conversation with a
Reality of living in a tiny home
By now you’ve seen many tiny house videos. Many of them are showing the building in progress, even more show the tiny house before anyone
Bed shed in the bush
Given a handful of primitive hand tools, I mean a sharpened rock, a few sticks of wood and not much more, what could you build?
Women off-grid
When you think of someone living off-grid, chances are you either think of a man or perhaps a couple (or even a family), but it’s
Not getting sick
With winter in full blast mode, people are sniffling, sneezing and coughing all around me, I work in the public, not necessarily with the public,
How to “go” when you are on the go
Food goes in and it must come out, that goes for you, me and even folk who live on the road. It’s one of the
Twenty seventeen
I am not believing it’s 2017 already, in just 3 short years, it’s going to be the year 2020, now that will take some getting
Preppers can relax now that Trump is in
I typically steer clear of politics and religion as topics for me personally to discuss here, not that I’m anti religious or not political, quite
Christmas! And off-grid vlog 05
This Christmas, we celebrated our 9th year living off-grid (actually the 22nd), I thought it was our 10th year and was so excited, then I
Best Beats Unplugged
It is not often that large events can call themselves self sustaining. But two upcoming music festivals on two entirely different continents are bucking the
Positively negative
I’m amazed at how the people in your life can become your biggest and loudest critics when you decide you are going to do something,
Barn living, level-expert!
I’ve seen many barn conversions but this is the best one I’ve seen to date! I LOVE the sliding barn doors that completely cover the
The egg
What does it take to be a good neighbor… One thing is being willing to help when help is needed. I don’t have really close
Composting toilet – one year later
Everyone poo’s, everyone. It’s just a fact of life, even if you life in an RV. These folk have a nice rig and use an
Thanksgiving! And off-grid vlog 04
Another Thanksgiving has passed for us, as we wind down another year living off-grid, I have much to be thankful for. Good health, great friends,
6 Months Living in beauty
We’ve been full-timing in our Airstream since April. That’s 6 months of LIB (Living in Beauty). So far, we’ve been visitors of 23 communities in
Two years in a tiny home
Two years after moving into his tiny home, Bryce Langston came back for a return visit to see how Brett Sutherland is getting along, what
WrethaOffGrid vlog 02
This is a semi-quick video where I’m chatting about what’s been going on this week. The main things are that my daughter and my 2
Now’s the time
It’s nearly Halloween here in the USA, which means the Christmas merchandise has been in the stores for at least a few weeks now… I
Heard of a Walker stove?
Me neither, but once I discovered it, I am definitely intrigued, it takes the best of rocket stove, thermal mass heaters, masonry heaters and the
WrethaOffGrid vlog 01
I have been doing more and more reviews online, including video reviews so I have been getting more comfortable with being in front of the
Tiny turf houses in Iceland
I love seeing how people used to live, “back in the day” as we like to say. It’s interesting and educational to see how people
Knowledge and experience
Since we aren’t naturally born with all the knowledge (and experience) we’ll ever need, we have to learn. Hopefully we are learning something new everyday,
First fire of the season
We had our first wood fire this evening, it’s not really cold, not as cold as it will get, but it was one of those
Hobbiton
I love looking at alternative type housing, even if it’s a bit of a fantasy, I do live in a SkyCastle after all :) I
SkyCastle photos
Sometimes, you just have to shut up and let the photos do the talking :) This is how the SkyCastle looks currently. \ The
Overcoming your fear
Fear (from Google) noun: fear; plural noun: fears 1. an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause
Floating paradise
If I weren’t living where I do now and loving it, this is how I would want to live, on a homemade island home. These
Handmade home off the grid
Meet Jesse, he lives in a tiny house in Maine, he built this himself and is quite ambitious – to live simply. I can appreciate
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
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
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,
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
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
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
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
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
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
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