Dishwashers make eco-sense
Precise details of how much you save from having a dishwasher, and why.
All I need is the air that I drink
In the current US drought, atmospheric water generators which extract water from thin air make financial sense.
Alive and well-updates
Alive and wellHere is an update on what has been going on in our off-grid life. I know I haven’t written in a while, I
Roll out the rain barrel
Rainwater harvesting is legal in Colorado – but still hedged about with too many rules – most people ignore the law and just gather the water they need
How to harvest rainwater
All the details on harvesting rainwater – why, how, when — and one town doing it to the max
Water shortage and climate change – full details
All the answers you have wanted about the coming age of water shortage, and the questions you never dared to ask.
Micro-nuclear plants for local power
A large off-grid community can be established anywhere with full power supply, now company launches mini-nuclear-power plant
Don’t drink the water
More evidence emerges that tap water contains pharmaceuticals. So maybe bottled water is better after all?
How Old Is Your Bleach?
Wow, my eyes have been opened, about bleach that is! One of the things I stocked up on before my move was Clorox bleach, mainly
Free Water
Tara gives lessons on free water Bill Gates Foundation has just budgeted $4m to investigate the potential of rainwater harvesting in the third world. But
Updates on the Rabbit Water Filter
I found more information on the Rabbit Water Filter, here are the links, I might go back in and copy some of the information from
Calculating Possible Energy From A Stream
A Typical MH set-up on a river. If you have a stream, you have a renewable, natural source of energy that, if done right, can
Make Sense of Water
Managing water has become a growing concern. Though the Earth has abundant water only about 1% is actually available for human use. So taking into
Cheap Water Filter for Everyone
The Australian National University (ANU) scientist Tony Flynn has developed a process to create water filters from commonly available materials. The materials need to also
Be Tankless
Being tankless in heating your water is an easy, if somewhat costly, upgrade that you can see immediate benefits from. Costs can vary from about
DIY Water Filter / Purifier
Well, a very nice reader left a comment on my blog, he gave me a website that has a water filter/purifier that can be made
Got the Berkey!
I got the Berkey water purifier in today, it got delivered to the country store, so that was a good excuse to go to the
Windows, Wind and Water
Well, things have been pretty quiet around here, Bob is still working on the bedroom, it has a roof now, and he is installing windows,
Questions from a reader
One of the very nice ladies who reads my blog, asked me several very good questions, I thought I would copy the message here and
Change Your Toilet Change the World
A simple and effective way to conserve water and save money on water bills is to change your toilet to a dual flush one. This
The One Stop Septic System
There are a number of options for your waste water, the water that has been used in your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry. Some options would
Working, Gardening and Well Update
03-22-08 Yesterday was fun, I started at the country store, I shared my training day with another lady, I guess the store owner wants double
Well update
Andy Prude came over and pulled up the pump head, we didn’t find a hole in the pipe, but we did find the check valve
Well water problems…
Our neighbor still has no water as of today, he can reset the pump and make it work for a short period of time, enough
Solar Water Heating Not Just For Us Campers
Campers have known the benefit of solar water heating, but homeowners are just starting to see the benefits of letting the sun heat their water
Dogsitting and water…
Well, today is a beautiful (but windy) day, I spend the day at my neighbor’s house dogsitting, so today was a TV and internet day,
Danger from the water grid
Drinking mains water means ingesting small but significant amounts of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — according to a new study. Moral of the story: Don’t drink water from the grid.
Keep it Pur
A new water treatment product guarantees cheap, clean drinking water wherever you are in the world
02-21-08 It’s been several days since I wrote anything, that is because not much has been happening, Bob has been gone during the daytime, I
Home Depot Teaches Green
Home Depot has not only caught onto the green movement but is offering “how to” clinics to show us how to. Their clinics are not
Cate Blanchett – off the grid down under
Off-Grid goddess Cate Blanchett’s hot off the set of “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”, but she won’t be indulging in any wasteful showering. Dailysnack.com reported that
Surviving drought the Ozzie way
Kim -living on world’s driest continent Australia is in the grip of its worst drought on record — the victim of changing weather patterns attributed
Flushed with pride
Canada is taking to the composting toilet with a speed umatched in any other advanced industrial nation.
Wild swimming in the UK
Ten beautiful lakes and ponds where you can swim without fear, and go nudie without shame.
Why no bottled water from Africa?
Two contrasting stories conterpoint the developing politics of water – an Africna river that needs work to continue to carry life-giving water to the people, and the new debate in the US about the amount of water we consume.
Floods send Brits off-grid ready
Live above water level Up to half a million Brits are poised to go off the grid this morning as floods interrupted water supplies and
Fuel-free fridge
Using a very old idea – the cooling power of the evaporation of water – a small Indian group has released plans for an inexpensive way to keep food cool and fresh, without any power source.
The bamboo iceless refrigerator is a low cost device that can be used to store food items. This not only preserves the food longer but also keep it cool. This bamboo refrigerator can be used to store vegetables, fruits or even keep your beers cold.
Going grey — water that is
This article discusses some basic aspects of a greywater system that could be used off-grid.
Greywater is the used water at a particular site, except for water coming from the toilet, which is known as blackwater. When building a greywater system you first separate the greywater from the blackwater and send the greywater through a separate treatment system. Ideally, after the greywater passes through the purification process it can then be reused. Greywater systems are an appropriate use of technology for many reasons, particularly for off-grid locations. They reduce the use of fresh water, there is less stress on existing more conventional septic tanks, it is a highly effective purification process, and there is less chemical and energy use.
WC=Waterless Closet
On our homestead, we have greatly reduced our water usage by eliminating the flush toilet. The idea of polluting fresh drinking water with humanure is an odd concept, but widely held as the only solution.
A sawdust toilet is ONE of three components. The system will NOT work without all components, which are:
Shine on!
built in Obsolescence, everlasting light bulb, Swan Edison, Livermore Centennial Light Bulb,
Big Water
Water, recycling, harvesting, water harvesting, thames water, wasted water, grey water, Thames Water,
Water Storage for Off-grid Living
Water Storage, Tanks, Cisterns, Aquifers, Ponds, Ferrocement Water Tanks,rainwater harvesting, water harvesting,
Cheap laundry – eco-balls
Eco-balls reduce laundry cost by 75% Eco-balls are a way of doing the washing without using detergent or soap. If you live off-grid that means
Irrigation secrets of the ancients
Irrigation, American Indians, Water Harvesting, conserving water, gardening, mulch,
Save money on a watering system for your garden
If water is scarce…….. In a perfect world, you’d plant your off-grid garden and it would rain the day after and several times during the
Reed Bed water filters
Reedbeds really clean water Richard Furthy and June Evans installed an ornamental water garden rather than a septic tank for their isolated home. Their idea
Solar Heated Water
Solar Water Heater Good ol’ John Canivan – guru of sun heated water systems, related the following to me: In 1970 a friend of mine
Rainwater harvesting once common, needed again to promote conservation
By Mike Mecke For thousands of years, the world has relied upon rainwater harvesting to supply water for household, landscape and agricultural uses. How to
Ecover – the only ethical multinational
On an industrial estate ten miles outside Antwerp, the Ecover detergent factory sticks out like a sore thumb. The other buildings are nondescript sheds with
Solar pools
You could make use of your swimming pool (or small lake) for much longer with a solar pool heating system. Pool solar heaters are just
Micro hydro revolution
Micro hydro is the most cost-effective and efficient source of alternative energy. A micro hydro plant A micro-hydro system will produce 10 to 100 times
Garden Solar water feature
Water fountains and other garden features can be powered by small solar panels. Here’s where to find the cheapest ones.
Rainwater harvesting in India
From India Today – 03/05/2004 Aurangabad is the epicentre of Maharashtra’s torrid zone. Here temperatures soar to a scorching 45 degree Celsius, turning the earth
Camping Water Filters
No matter how beautiful and unspoilt the scenery, how clear and pure it might seem, water taken from streams or springs can contain bacteria our
Plant reed for clean water
If water is scarce, recycling becomes essential. Off-grid water is often sent through Reed bed water treatment systems — a series of artificially created ponds
Recycle rainwater
Collecting rainwater is the simplest, cheapest way of getting a water supply. Rainwater harvesting is practiced all over the world. As water becomes scarcer, it
Solar Water Heaters
You don’t need to live in the tropics to heat your water with solar energy. Any sunlight will do. Different situations and climates need different
7 Steps to The Perfect Off-Grid House
Planning to turn your house into an environment friendly, self-sustainable, off- grid haven? Here’s what to do to a perfect off-grid house: Recycle: renovate an