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The Off Grid Home.com — Everyone Should Be Off-Grid

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To Build A House For $8000? – It Is Easy!

June 10, 2008 – 5:33 am

By : Sam Brown

How much would you spend to build your own new home? It is difficult to say when you start to calculate the cost of your dream house. There is a firm answer - as little as £4,000.
That was the price tag estimated to a cottages project which has been edited in southern Scotland over the past four years.

The walls are made of straw, the roof out of turf and much of the rest of the building from items other people threw away.

They had a warm and watertight Scottish cottages as the end product with its water supplies by gathering rainfall and its electricity from just a car battery(!!!).
The plan was activated for a water wheel to provide power for the property later this year.
The “Grand Design” belongs to 52-years old software engineer Steve James who built Galloway home.
The idea of building a home with own hands has always sounded inspiring and enjoyable to him as he has always prefer manual labour: “I have never built a house before but I have done a bit of joinery and have done a lot of practical work,” he said. Most of my life I have been a hands-on worker. So, first of all there is the personal satisfaction of putting my skills to making a house.”

However, the project may also help to highlight wider issues of housing space and land availability.
He really believed that 3-bedroom house he was going to build will cost no more than £10.000
“It is something that anybody could easily learn to do most of, with help,” he said. “The real cost of a house is fairly small. It is always the land that makes about 85% of the cost. “Adding the compound interest to the final cost of a mortgage reduces the actual house price component of the total to as little as 2%.”

It took about 10 months of actual building to finish the Galloway project. But finally it was completed. The foundations were put down and a first set of walls put up 4 years ago so that was date when they started. A second set were put up in 2005, when the roof was also added. A year later it was time to render, floor, plumb and wire the building.
They put stove and decorations there in 2007. Local forestry like larch, spruce and elm were used to construct much of the property.

According to Mr James’s favorite style his projects inludes the Tudor-style panelled timber ceiling.
It was made from pine changing cubicle doors found in old Victorian public baths in Govan and traditional Belfast sink was created from the items found in a decommissioned primary school.
The storm in Glasgow felled a Cedar of Lebanon in Pollok park, so it gave Mt James material for luxury worktops and windowsills.
They stood together to create a home which would mix the both of good qualities: economically and ecologically friendly.

We have to note: the price of cottages in Scotland stands at about £158,000.
Steve James proved 40 home owners could build their homes for that amount of money! And those home would look not worse as your neighbors’ ones and maybe even more creative than hi-tech luxury projects :))

Author Resource:- Scottish cottages
Submitted By ArticleUnited.com
admin | green building | Comments (0)

3rd Annual Bike for Peace and New Energies

June 6, 2008 – 6:03 am

From June 12 through August 16, 2008 bike riders will be going from Paris to Moscow and then on to Peking. All in an effort to raise awareness that peace and facing the looming energy crisis is not just a local but international issue.
In 2006 and 2007 this ride was only from Paris to Moscow, this year it has been expanded to Peking after their success. This ride is also open to any solar electric rides as this is also a way to promote the use of alternative and renewable energies. Another of the unique aspects of this ride is that everyone is expected to pitch in and help one another. That means helping with meals, cleaning up th dishes, putting tents up, giving a helping hand to your fellow riders, etc. This event hope to pull riders from all nationalities and walks of life who all wish to promote peace and the use of renewable energies instead of the standard oil.

The stated goals of the organization are :

  • Renewable energies instead of wars for oil
  • Disarmament and social reconciliation
  • Peace policy instead of Milty violence
  • War must not be any more a means of policy
  • Create sustainable and peaceful Europe
  • Abashment of all nuclear weapons until 2020
  • Sporty meetings in the Olympic Spirit

They go in depth for each goal on the site, you can click here to take a look. This event is just an example of how the energy crisis that is looming, if not actually here, is being felt not just here in the USA but as the world as a whole. That being said the solutions we are more concerned with are those that touch us close4r to home. That is likely the case with most people, and luckily for us using alternative energy is not something only for certain demographics or locations.

What should be realized by those of us going to alternative and renewable energy, especially used on a personal scale, is that a hundred years ago that was the norm. Even in many countries around the world it still is the norm for the average person. Yes, we love our technology but technology does not mean we have to be plugged into the grid to enjoy it. Those living off the grid who love technology still can play with the same toys, though they are more responsible in making sure that phantom power is not being drained when not in use.

Looking around you right now what is plugged in but not on, what is on but not being actively used, what can be turned of because their is a free source for the same resource (lights on during the day)? These are questions you should ask yourself everytime you enter a room or walk through your home/office. You will be amazed at what you find. Habits are hard to break (like my husband still likes the lights on during the day) but they can be broken (sometimes with a frying pan). Sometimes outside reminders help, sometimes realizing the cost of the habit helps more, and sometimes you just need to have someone else to help. The real magic is being able to realize which is right for you.

Most of us adults were brought up in a consumer lifestyle from diapers on up. That is something that needs to be retrained in us. Not saying that you don’t need to buy things new or replace old things, just saying that we need to look at all stuff a valuable even if it’s first use is no longer valid to us. Always remember the saying “One Man’s Junk is Another Man’s Treasure”. That is as true today in the age of disposable everything as it was for my grandparents growing up in the Great Depression. You see all types of ideas when surfing the net of people finding interesting things to do with what most of us view as trash. RecyleCindy has a blog about bags that she has crocheted from those plastic grocery bags most people throw away or just use for holding their recyclables. She not only shows the pictures of these wonderful creations but gives the directions so others can do it themselves.

All the tings that were discussed in today’s post were to give you a sampling of the innovative things people are doing to change the way we see and respond to our world. Some are not as grand as others but with each tiny or large effort they are bringing change. So this article was to inspire all to take those little steps and be proud of what you have accomplished to whatever your bigger goal is. Changing your lifestyle is an extreme change and as such should be taken at the pace you are comfortable with and can handle. You didn’t get to where you are overnight and you won’t accomplish your goals overnight either.

Kelly Mead | Editorial, Websites | Comments (0)

Need Something To Do This Weekend?

June 3, 2008 – 5:35 am

Need something to do in Los Angeles, CA this weekend then we have a deal for you. In our mailbox we found a nice little surprise (unfortunately it’s a few days old) about the third annual Dwell on Design Event. This event is a combination of a conference and exhibition that will run June 5-8, 2008. The conference is scheduled for June 5-6 while the exhibit will follow on June 7-8. This event will be the largest design show in the West.

“With 41,500 subscribers in the Los Angeles area and 10,100 newsstand readers, we knew it was the time to bring a high quality, content-based conference to Los Angeles,” said Michela O’Connor Abrams, Dwell’s Publisher and President.

There will be conference sessions led by industry innovators along with hands-on exhibits for attendees to explore both products and lifestyle demonstrations. A unique part of the exhibition will be a “pop-up” community that is made up of prefab exhibitors that hope to be seen, touched and most of all to inspire. They have partnered with the LA Mayors Office, LA Forum, ASID, ASLA, AIA, LA MOCA, GOOD Magazine and too many others to name in hopes of ensuring a great success. The event is to be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Put on by Dwell Magazine and their editors it hope to provide an in-depth look at modern design, architecture and space. This is to be enhanced by perspectives of design professionals, legislators, international guest and activists. Some of the guest include award winning architect from Environa Studio (Australia), Tone Wheeler; Jenna Didler of Materials and Applications, a research center dedicated to pushing new and underused ideas for art, landscape and architecture into view; Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti will also be offering a keynote address. To keep everyone entertained they will also be offering nightly events downtown at various venues. Attendees are hoped to be 12-15,000 for the exhibition. It will feature over 200 exhibitors, who will be hoping to garner those attendees attention.

“Dwell’s brand has received accolades for the past three years in San Francisco in print, online, with homes, and live with Dwell on Design” said O’Connor Abrams. “We are excited to bring the brand to life in Los Angeles, an undisputed capital of modern design”

You can register for the event by clicking here and for a free ticket to the exhibition use the code : BDODEC; for $50 off the cost of the conference use the code : GRP22SP.

Our readers have also been offered a free month of the digital version of the magazine Dwell. So even if you can’t make the convention you can see what the magazine is all about without killing trees or losing any green.

Since we’re on the East Coast there is no way we can make this exciting event but if any of you do make it drop us a line and let us know how it went. We’ll be happy to even post it if you want.

Kelly Mead | Conference, Events | Comments (0)

An Alliance and A Campaign

June 2, 2008 – 6:39 am

logo for Alliance for climate protection

Since it’s a political year, not that every year isn’t one, we looked around to see who is taking advantage of our politticans being a little more open to listening to going green, being self-sufficient, and/or environmental issues. So of course we checked out the We Can Solve It website.

The We Can Solve It campaign is a project of the Allliance for Climate Protection. The Alliance single purpose is to get the pulic involved and active in solving the climate crisis we are facing. Yes this is the foundation that Former Vice President Al Gore started in 2006. That is not a reason to like or dislike this campaign/organization but it helps to have a big name attached ask any foundation that has celeberties as part of their organization. The idea behind this website looks like a good one. A place to find events, list or (as we did) start groups, blog about your experience or read someone’s blog, and get recent news from the organization.

The organization believes that since public awareness of the climate changes is high then so should the understanding that solutions are needed too. Unfortunately for those of us in the USA climate change (or what ever you wish to call it) has become so entrenched in people political views that getting past the politics and dealing with the reality that our climate is changing, no matter the how or why. Idealogy and sterotypes are rampt in America’s culture and that can be a good thing, who doesn’t love apple pie, but when dealing with reality it doesn’t leave much room for preconcieved ideas. Helping people beak down partisan lines and changing the issue from being politics as usual is a main goal or them.

“What has consistently been missing, however, is a massive and sustained national effort to catalyze a broad culture shift on the issue, raising the climate crisis out of a partisan framework and unlocking the potential for real solutions. Our leaders will take the bold actions needed to solve the climate crisis only when the American people demand that change.” from The Alliance for Climate Protection and the We Campaign: Fact Sheet

If they can accomplish their goals then maybe dealing with the changes in our climate will no longer be a “who/what is at fault” but a “how to deal with it”. So with that thought we added a group to their site called “Off Grid USA” and we are looking into putting together a real world club that can be a place for those of us going off the grid, green or already there to get together to discuss, share, and help one another.

Interestingly enough listening to the congressional committee on Climate Change and Alternate Energy (may not be the official name) on Cspan the other day it was noticed that the most opening statements were not about where to start looking for answers but who’s fault Republicina (Bush) or Democrat (Pelosi). It’s was amazing that with most of the congressmen expressing that they have trouble explaining how gas prices and energy cost have gotten so high to their voters they are still playing the blame game. If all they can see is that they don’t want to be blamed and not that they can actually make a difference then it’s easy to see why us as everyday Americans need to demand that enough politics as usual. If they spent even half the time and energy they have at their disposal to work on the problems we face instead of finding fault and assigning blame who knows how our country and world could be improved.

Kelly Mead | In The News, Websites | Comments (0)