Bcc: contributors
From: Bill EllisDate: 21 February 2010 13:05:16 GMTTo: Richard Moore <•••@••.•••>Subject: Re: Lincoln Justice: A vision of a new world
A Vison of the World
- 1a.
Living off-grid is not hard!
Posted by: “Donanne Dean” •••@••.••• donannedean
Sat Feb 20, 2010 10:16 am (PST)
I grew up off grid with no power, cooking on a wood stove and using kerocene
lanterns. I had three siblings. We went to a free school and enjoyed a free
range childhood on 75 acres of woods with a beaver pond. I am working to
move back there as my Dad still lives there in the stone house he and my mom
built with their own two hands. He has beautiful gardens growing all around.
I want to buy up all the acreage around his property and start an eco
village where all the neighbors can be living off grid creating permaculture
gardens. Each family will own a hectare so they may have enough land to have
a small family farm homestead and be stewards of some of the woods.
I am very inspired to hear your story and how inexpensivly you have created
your dream. I am told you can build an Earth burm home for $7000 not
including labor. Here in Maine I will also choos to have a solaruim so that
I may live in my green house in the winter.
Donanne- 1b.
Re: Living off-grid is not hard!
Posted by: “morganawyze” •••@••.••• morganawyze
Sat Feb 20, 2010 10:18 am (PST)
Okay, Okay, it’s not even as grim as Solarman paints it.
Sorry, Solarman, but you’re just not appealing to most of the girl group out here. I know that you mean well, but forgive me if I modify your message a bit.
We’ve lived off-grid for years…and generate about 1200 watts a day with our solar array. My family lives a regular life in 1700 s.f.; we have a regular fridge, D/W, washer and dryer. We don’t have to run a generator in winter because we have a large battery system.
There are a few small differences in our lifestyle. We limit TV time, and have a LCD instead of plasma TV…we use laptop computers because they draw less energy. We don’t use the “dry” cycle on our dishwasher or run the clothes washer at the same time as we wash dishes. We wait to wash laundry if the weather is stormy, which is never more than 3-4 days. Our range is all propane, as is the dryer and water heater. We heat with wood heat. These are pretty simple choices.
We have no power bill, and a tiny mortgage. My house is very pretty, with granite counter tops and stained concrete floors. We do grow all of our own food, but that’s our lifestyle choice and not essential to most people. It’s simply something we enjoy; a hobby.Bottom line..it’s a few small adjustments. There are loan packages available for going solar and anyone can go off-grid now.
Okay Solarman…I didn’t intend to dilute your message. it’s just that those of us who like china and linens would find 400 s.f. more of a linen closet than a lifestyle.
Morgana
— In •••@••.•••, “solarman” <lamar5292@…> wrote:
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> I have been off-grid over 15 years and I get a lot of questions from people that think living off-grid means going without common comforts and would be too hard of a life for them.
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> I would like to dispel the myth that living off-grid requires giving up all the stuff you have on grid- it just ain’t so!
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> I live in a house- not an rv, van, hut, or tree. I designed and built my cabin and it is very comfortable at about 400 sqft. It has all the rooms most homes have. I have a living area, dining area, kitchen and bathroom downstairs and a large bedroom and office upstairs.
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