Off The Grid – We move into survivalist land

Like I said in the beginning there are many types of people that want to be off the grid. The rich do it because they can. Many people do it to save money. Some people, like Thoreau, like the solitude or are paranoid. Then there are the survivalists. I do not agree with their theories or their ideology, but they are a part of the mix and this site is pretty explicit.

http://offgridsurvival.com/preppingfriendsandfamil/

Talking to Friends and Family about Prepping

A number of readers have emailed me lately asking how they can convince their friends and family to start prepping.

To be honest this is a touchy subject, one that can often make even hardcore preppers feel a bit uncomfortable.

For some, the thought of talking to anyone about prepping fills them with feelings of anxiety. Just the thought of others knowing what preps you have is enough to fill anyone with a sense of paranoia . And who can blame them, lately it seems like every time we turn on the news another government agency is warning people about those dangerous preppers.

For those that do try to talk about the subject, trying to get their family and friends on board can be a headache to say the least.

From friends and family members that truly believe the government will save them in a time of crisis, to those that have been brainwashed by the media to believe that preppers are all  tinfoil hat wearing nutjobs, prepping can often be a touchy or even taboo subject to talk about. While we have touched on the subject in the past, I thought it was important to take another look at how we can help those we care about prepare for an uncertain future.

Dealing with those who believe the Government will help them in a time of crisis.

As a reader who recently wrote to me pointed out, 50 years of being programmed to believe that the government can help is hard to undo. We live in a society that is becoming increasingly reliant on the government to help them in every aspect of their lives. In fact over 67 million Americans now rely on government aid to pay for either housing, food, health care or education. That’s 1 in 5 Americans!

Most people simply don’t realize or believe that they are in any kind of danger. Most Americans live under the belief that the government will be there to help them in a time of crisis. So what can you do to change this mindset and protect those that you care about?

Use the Governments own advice.

Even the government advises people to be prepared. They will be the first to admit that during a time of crisis it’s highly unlikely that they’ll be able to respond in under 72 hours.

At the very least your friends and family should be prepared to survive at home without power, water and utilities for a minimum of 72 hours. While most of the governments advice is rather simplistic,  it may help you introduce the subject to those who depend on the government for everything.

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It is a huge site. Go there and read. More Tomorrow.

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Couple Tries Life Of Sustainability – In response to Peak Oil

I am not sure that I believe in Peak Oil. At one level it is actually a distribution problem and the chaos that results when that distribution systems capacity is exceeded. Not an issue of how much oil is left. I think that global warming will get us much more quickly than Peak “any resource”. I also have my doubts about the sustainability of global capitalism and the devastation that may occur when it falls apart. But seriously, whatever the reason, living an uncomplicated, simple and frugal life is such a good thing. If we all did that the world of consumerism would go BOOM overnight. As always I have issues with videos. So:

http://peakoil.com/consumption/a-young-couple-find-freedom-in-simple-living/

A Young Couple Find Freedom in Simple Living

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn3AX540j20

Rather than follow the customary American dream, Tammy and Logan sold their home and car, and moved to a bikeable/walkable neighborhood in Sacramento, California. After reading Derrick Jensen’s writings, this couple used Your Money or Your Lifeas a means to get out of debt and, they feel, regain their lives and their future. While they recount the psychological challenges of facing a future of declining resources, the catalyst that continues to move them forward is a dream of living in an affordable tiny house within a supportive community. (rowdykittens.com).

Listen to audio. Read in Janaia’s Journal about our visit to tape them.

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I found the video on Youtube and put the link in the story where it would be in the brief piece. But the video was posted 2 years ago and that means that it is probably older than that. Why is Peak Oil going with old content. Go there and read. Peak Oil is an interesting site. More tomorrow.

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Dual Air Conditioning – What an energy saver

Not much to say about this. Just a pretty nifty idea. I am going to put up a couple of the central paragraphs.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100621071943.htm

New Air Conditioning System Has Potential to Slash Energy Usage by Up to 90 Percent

ScienceDaily (June 21, 2010) — Ah, the cool, refreshing feel of air conditioning on a sweltering summer day.

dot dot dot (as they say)

DEVap: Liquid Desiccants, Permeable Membranes

The DEVap solves that problem. It relies on the desiccants’ capacity to create dry air using heat and evaporative coolers’ capacity to take dry air and make cold air.

“By no means is the concept novel, the idea of combining the two,” Kozubal said. “But no one has been able to come up with a practical and cost-effective way to do it.”

HVAC engineers have known for decades the value of desiccants to air conditioning. In fact, one of the pioneers of early A/C, Willis Haviland Carrier, knew of its potential, but opted to go the refrigeration route.

Most people know of desiccants as the pebble-sized handfuls that come with new shoes to keep them dry.

The kind NREL uses are syrupy liquids — highly concentrated aqueous salt solutions of lithium chloride or calcium chloride. They have a high affinity for water vapor, and can thus create very dry air.

Because of the complexity of desiccant cooling systems, they have traditionally only been used in industrial drying processes. Inventing a device simple enough for easy installation and maintenance is what has impaired desiccant cooling from entering into commercial and residential cooling markets.

To solve that problem, the NREL device uses thin membranes that simplify the process of integrating air flow, desiccants, and evaporative cooling. These result in an air conditioning system that provides superior comfort and humidity control.

The membranes in the DEVap A/C are hydrophobic, which means water tends to bead up rather than soak through the membranes. Imagine rain falling on a freshly waxed car. That property allows the membranes to control the liquid flows within the cooling core. “It’s that property that keeps the water and the desiccant separated from the air stream,” Kozubal said.

“We bring the water and liquid desiccant into DEVap’s heat-mass exchanger core,” Kozubal said. “The desiccant and evaporative cooling effect work together to create cold-dry air.”

The air is cooled and dried from a hot-humid condition to a cold and dry condition all in one step. This all happens in a fraction of a second as air flows through the DEVap air conditioner. The result is an air conditioner that controls both thermal and humidity loads.

DEVap helps the environment in many ways. DEVap uses 50 percent to 90 percent less energy than top-of-the-line refrigeration-based air conditioning.

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Go there and read. More tomorrow.

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New Roofs Are Getting Greener Too – Here is a place you can learn about that

I know, this is my alma mater. I also know that it may be a teensy weensy bit expensive. But this looks like a real good educational opportunity and today I had to write about roofs anyway so:

http://epdweb.engr.wisc.edu/Courses/Course.lasso?myCourseChoice=M987

Course Summary:

Latest Roofing Technologies and Their Applications

Course #M987
April 30-May 1, 2012
Pyle Center*,  702 Langdon Street, Madison, Wisconsin
Course Fee: $995
Enroll Now

Benefits

Attend and benefit as you:

  • Learn how “green” roof systems work
  • Find out how much they cost
  • Understand the intricacies associated with their design, installation, and maintenance
  • Evaluate the benefits, but also the potential for failure
  • Determine when these systems are right for your facilities

This course has been approved by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) for 13 GBCI CE hours for LEED® AP maintenance. See additional EPD courses approved for GBCI CE hours.

Topics

  • Advantages and disadvantages of “green” roofing technologies
  • Special design requirements—new construction and existing buildings
  • Codes governing design and installation
  • Special installation requirements
  • How to resolve potential conflict between different trades involved in the project
  • Dealing with warranty issues
  • Maintenance you will need to provide to ensure continuous, effective operations
  • Steps you should take to estimate your project’s first and life-cycle costs
  • LEED, Green Globe, other recognition programs

Audience

  • Owners
  • Architects
  • Engineers
  • Designers
  • Contractors

Earn PDH, LU, CEU

By participating in this course, you will earn 13 Professional Development Hours (PDH), 13 AIA Learning Units (LU) and 1.3 Continuing Education Units (CEU). Learn more about PDH, LU, CEU and state licensing boards.

General Information

Fee Covers Notebook and other course materials, break refreshments, and certificate.

Cancellation Policy If you cannot attend, please notify us by April 23, and we will refund your fee. Cancellations received after this date and no-shows are subject to a $150 administrative fee. You may enroll a substitute at any time before the course starts.

Accommodations We have reserved a block of guest rooms (rates starting at $89, including continental breakfast, parking and private airport taxi (a $30 value)) at Campus Inn, 601 Langdon Street, Madison, WI. Reserve a room online at Campus Inn or call 800-589-6285 or 608-257-4391. Room requests after April 9 will be subject to availability. Other fees and restrictions may apply.

Course Location This course will be held at Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street, Madison, WI. 608-262-1122


More Lodging in Madison

Parking Transportation Weather

Visitors’ Bureau*

Course information is subject to change.

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Go there and read. More next week.

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Energy Improvements To Your Home – The conventional approach

Not much to say about this today. In most of the country it is too cold to do anything about it anyway.

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/pf/20010223b.asp

The top energy-saving home improvements
By Laura A. Bruce • Bankrate.com

These are the top single-family home energy-efficiency improvements that reduce energy bills. The return on investment (ROI) is annual, based on 7 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Example: A homeowner spends $500 to insulate an attic that has no insulation, and saves $25 per month on energy bills. $500 divided by $25 per month equals 20 months. This means the investment paid for itself in 20 months and, for the next 30 years, gives monthly dividends of $25 per month in lower energy bills. The $25 grows each time there is a rate increase.

Return on investment estimates for household energy efficiency improvements
Months Modification ROI Kwh savings/unit Cost per kwh Annual savings Cost per unit
3 High efficiency showerhead 400% 400 $0.08 $32 $8
13 Fireplace pillow-stops air leakage up chimney 91% 400 $0.08 $32 $35
14 Bathroom faucet aerator 84% 21 $0.08 $1.68 $2
17 Attic insulation
(R-0 to R-38)
69% 5.6 $0.08 $0.45 $0.65
23 Compact fluorescent bulb 53% 60 $0.08 $4.80 $9
23 Kitchen faucet aerator 51% 32 $0.08 $2.56 $5
25 Wrap 15′ hot and cold water heater pipes 48% 60 $0.08 $4.80 $10
38 Replace incandescent porch light fixture with CFL bulb 32% 160 $0.08 $12.80 $40
43 Attic insulation (average) 28% 2 $0.08 $0.16 $0.57
44 Duct insulation and sealing 27% 12 $0.08 $0.96 $3.50
68 Wall insulation
(R-0 to R-25)
18% 2.2 $0.08 $0.18 $1
88 Floor insulation
(R-0 to R-13)
14% 1.7 $0.08 $0.14 $1
Source: Portland General Electric

— Updated: April 17, 2003

 

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Go there and read. More tomorrow.

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Aral Sea Shrinks To A River – More damage from the Soviet Union

You can read either article below. The facts stay pretty much the same but  each has one of my favorite pictures of the horrible damage. The overhead shot is the most compelling:

http://www.global-adventures.us/2010/04/05/aral-sea-shocking-disaster/

Then there is the “boats and camels” shot:

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/07/16/the_world_s_worst_ongoing_disasters?page=0,3

The World’s Ongoing Ecological Disasters

While it’s probably still too soon to celebrate, BP appears to finally be getting the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico under control. But many of the world’s greatest environmental catastrophes continue, with no end in sight.

BY JOSHUA E. KEATING | JULY 16, 2010

UZBEKISTAN/KAZAKHSTAN

Disaster: The shrinking of the Aral Sea

Going since: The 1960s

Damage done: Straddling the border of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the Aral Sea was once the world’s fourth-largest inland water body and home to at least 20 species of fish and a thriving coastal economy in the surrounding towns. In the early 1960s, the Soviet government built more than 45 dams and 20,000 miles of canals in an effort to create a cotton industry on the desert plains of Uzbekistan, depriving the sea of its main sources.

Over the next three decades, the sea shrank to two-fifths its original size, turning fishing villages into barren desert outposts. Thanks to the high salt content in the remaining water, all 20 fish species are now extinct. Drinking water supplies in the area are dangerously low and the ground contains dangerous pesticides from the cotton farms. When the wind sweeps across the now-dry sea bed, it spreads up to 75 million tons of toxic dust and salt across Central Asia every year.

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Go there and read. More tomorrow.

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Humans Are Literally Space Hogs – Living little is a valuable lesson

When I first started talking about living in small spaces, the idea was for the space to be portable. Some houses were built on truck beds, some were built on trailers and some were easily dismantled. The idea at the time was to live where you wanted to live but not be tied down. Some of the attraction was that you could have the amenities of home without the RV costs. The craze caught on and people began to build them into a fixed space in a conventional setting. Now they have moved into the wild. Very cool idea.

http://www.mnn.com/your-home/remodeling-design/blogs/tiny-give-big-to-a-short-film-about-small-houses

NN.COM

MNN BLOGGERS

Matt Hickman

‘TINY’: Give big to a short film about small houses

Now that the season of giving is officially upon us, find out how you can chip in to help make the short documentary, ‘TINY: A Story About Living Small,’ a well-polished reality.

A very happy [insert non-shopping-related descriptor here] Tuesday! Hopefully you aren’t too entirely burnt-out or broke as a result of yesterday’s responsible gift-buying bonanza because a great new Kickstarter fundraising campaign worth showing a little financial love to has recently come to my attention. And the topic of this creative project is a great one: dramatically downsized living.

Filmmaking team Merete Mueller and Christopher Smith have taken to Kickstarter to raise post-production funds for their short documentary: “TINY: A Film About Living Small.” The film (watch a teaser clip below) follows Smith as he attempts, with no previous building experience, to erect a 130-square-foot cabin in the Colorado mountains while also profiling similarly small-minded Americans. Explains Mueller on the project’s Kickstarter page: “Rather than an informational documentary about tiny houses, the film will explore the idea of ‘home’ and what makes us feel comfortable in a particular landscape or building. The film will be a meditation on the relationship of home to environment, of quality and simplicity to a life well lived.”

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Go there and read. More tomorrow.

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Canadian Park’s Service Celibrates 100 Years – Way to go gang

Not much to say here except HOORAY.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/progs/celebrations/index.aspx

Come Celebrate!

Come Celebrate! Come Celebrate!
© Parks Canada

Experience the unforgettable as you join in the celebrations of the centennial of Parks Canada, the world’s first national parks service! Throughout the country and throughout the year, Canada’s historic and natural treasures are hosting special programs and activities put on to celebrate this special anniversary.


Theme Months
November 2011
Partners and supporters

Centennial Events

Centennial Events

Centennial Booklet

Centennial Booklet – Our Story

To keep up with all that’s going on and to not miss anything, follow us on Twitter, “Like” us on Facebook and come back to this site frequently!

Date Modified 2011-11-03

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More tomorrow.

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Fracking – This needs to be regulated hard

This just the beginning. The drillers have no idea what they are doing down below. They have very little idea of all the formations they are drilling through. They absolutely have no control over the venting of the gas. And yes, they need to disclose, recover and retain all of the high pressure fluids that they use.

http://coloradoenergynews.com/2011/10/breaking-news-epa-to-regulate-fracking-wastewater-disposal/

Breaking News — EPA to Regulate Fracking Wastewater Disposal

October 20th, 2011

Federal environmental regulators say they will develop national standards for the disposal of polluted wastewaters generated by hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. The agency said it will draft standards for fracking wastewater that drillers would have to meet before sending it to treatment plants.

Staff-Updated

“Fracking” as it is commonly referred to is used extensively in natural gas extraction throughout the United States, including Colorado and neighboring Wyoming. It has been the main technique for freeing up large pockets of shale gas deep underground, and involves injecting sand and chemical additives mixed with millions of gallons of water. The potential impact on water quality in the areas where fracking is practiced is the main concern, although the industry points out there have not been any documented cases of water supplies being contaminated, and hydraulic fracturing operations take place far below water tables.

The EPA’s announcement said the agency will draft standards for fracking wastewater that drillers would have to meet before sending it to treatment plants

Major natural gas companies like Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., which has a major presence in Colorado, and Chesapeake Energy recycle a large percentage of fracking wastewater, other operators inject it underground. However, a certain amount is sent to treatment plants that are not equipped to handle it.

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More tomorrow.

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Here I Was Set To Post A Nasty Description Of The Fukushima Site

 

But then I got this nice request from Alison Richard to post a website I like called SolarPages, so without further ado I give you:

http://www.solarpages.co.uk/

SolarPages UK – Information about Solar PV Installation and Solar Panels Cost

Here at Solar Pages you will find the answers to all your Solar PV and renewable energy needs. Find local Solar Panel Installers, information about photovoltaics, Solar Power news and much more.

Free Home Survey Request

Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Panels – Generating Electricity from sunlight.

With ever increasing energy costs Renewable Energy is becoming a very popular and practical option for homeowners in the UK. Solar Power from Photovoltaic Solar Panels are the most popular choice.

More Solar PV Information

Thermal Solar Panels – Collecting heat from sunlight to power your hot water system.

Either installed on it’s own or as put of a complete solar power system Thermal Solar Panels are a great way to reduce energy bills and with the introduction of the Renewable Heat Incentive are becoming very popular.

More Solar Thermal Information

UK Solar Feed in Tariff Scheme – Part of the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme.

They say money doesn’t grow on trees but with the introduction of the Feed in Tariff in the UK money can grow on your roof. PV Solar Panel Installations carried out by MCS accredited installers are entitled to cash for the solar power generated.

More Feed in Tariff Information

Tab 1 SolarPages.co.uk
For all things Solar PV

Tab 2 PV Solar Panels
Part of the Eco puzzle

Tab 3 Solar Thermal
Solar Water Heating Panels

Tab 4 Feed in Tariff
Money doesn’t grow on trees

Solar PV Cost

 

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Go there and have fun. More tomorrow.

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