What Does Living Off The Grid Mean to You? - Living Off The Grid One thing I’ve noticed since starting this website is that there’s living off the grid and there’s Living Off The Grid. What do I mean by that? To me, at least when I first started writing about off grid topics, to “live off the grid” simply meant to have a home that wasn’t connected to the electricity grid. But there is yet another definition to living off the grid: Being a ghost to the government. While this lifestyle is a bit too hardcore for me at this point in my life, I admit that I’m fascinated with the idea, and respectful of the people who choose to do so. With so many people going to Google and finding our website by typing “Living Off the Grid” or “How to Live Off The Grid” and even “How to Live Off The Land” – it makes me wonder what the intent was behind each search. Category: Uncategorized About Everett: Everett writes about voluntary simplicity.
Composting toilet Public composting toilet facility on E6 highway in Sweden A composting toilet is a dry toilet that uses a predominantly aerobic processing system that treats excreta, typically with no water or small volumes of flush water, via composting or managed aerobic decomposition.[1] Composting toilets may be used as an alternative to flush toilets in situations where there is no suitable water supply or waste treatment facility available or to capture nutrients in human excreta as humanure. They are in use in many of the roadside facilities in Sweden and in national parks in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The human excrement is normally mixed with sawdust, coconut coir or peat moss to support aerobic processing, absorb liquids, and to reduce the odor. Operating process[edit] A urine-diverting-dehydration toilet. 1:Humus compartment, 2:Ventilation pipe, 3:Toilet seat, 4:Urinal, 5:Urine collection and dehydration, A:Second floor, B:First floor, C:Ground floor Types[edit] Gallery[edit]
BMW Guggenheim Lab | log The BMW Guggenheim Lab shares insights on architecture, urbanism, design, technology, and more. Lab | Log Photo: Paul Warchol © 2011 Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York BMW Guggenheim Lab curator Maria Nicanor shares concluding thoughts on the Lab project, its achievements, and how its experience will affect the Guggenheim's architecture and urbanism programming in the future. More Berlin Lab Photo: Maria Nicanor Over the years, the Lab was many things—a lecture hall, a classroom, a theater, a playground—but above all, it was a platform for city dwellers to collectively explore the challenges of the coming urban century. Photo: Christine McLaren The BMW Guggenheim Lab’s resident writer takes a look back at two and a half years of Lab | Log. Photo: courtesy Dhodges, used by permission under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license A new initiative to generate civic engagement and collaboration has blossomed in Toronto. Photo: Uncommon Sense © 2012 Solomon R.
Recycled Building Material Stronger than Concrete A new building material has the potential to divert large quantities of waste from landfills. UK company Affresol offers a truly novel building material called Thermo Poly Rock (TPR), which is made from select waste products. The resulting material is stronger than concrete, is waterproof, fire retardant, and can be used to build low-cost modular housing. "Every country in the world has issues with waste and we now have an opportunity to turn waste into an enduring housing resource that is 100% recyclable." - Ian McPherson, Affresol TPR is cold-produced from waste products mixed with resin and polymers which can then be poured into molds like concrete.. The TPR panels can be used to frame houses, saving large amounts of lumber in the building process, and because the material is waterproof, houses can be put up year-round.
Eco Friendly Living Tips from Green House Wind turbines sit atop new houses that utilize 20% renewable energy on Nov. 25, 2009, in Croydon, England. The United Kingdom ranked first among 12 large economies for energy efficiency, according to a scorecard released Thursday by the private American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The United States ranked ninth, right behind China. By Peter Macdiarmid, Getty Images Americans have long been known as the world's energy guzzlers for their supersized lifestyles. Their energy use per capita, however, has fallen in recent years as homes, appliances and cars become more efficient. The United States placed ninth out of 12 large economies, outranked by the top-scoring United Kingdom and also by Germany, Italy, Japan, France, Australia, the European Union and China, according to the report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficiency Economy, a Washington-based research group. FOLLOW: Green House on Twitter "Even though the U.K. won, nobody did that great," Hayes says. Read more »
Living Off the Grid: How to Generate Your Own Electricity Our off the grid house near Anaconda, Montana Taking the Alternative Energy Plunge When my wife and I moved to Montana last year, we found a comfortable home on several acres with a view of the mountains. That doesn’t mean it was primitive. Solar panel with tracker Life Off the Grid The previous owner showed me the critical facilities and told me how to operate them. On our third night in the house, we went to bed as usual to the faint sound of wind outside, a sound we were already beginning to enjoy because it generated most of our power. Wind turbine I got up and went outside to check the power equipment. I had just learned the first lesson of wind and solar power: they can’t always be counted on when you need them. Battery bank Alternative Energy Cost Since then, I’ve learned the second lesson of renewable energy: while the energy may be free, it still costs more than electricity from a utility company. Electrical inverter/charger Backup Generator Backup generator Lessons Learned
Building Overview | Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability CIRS is a space for multidisciplinary education and research, and though it’s one of the greenest buildings on earth, living within the resources and energy flow available on the site and surroundings, its goal is to become the baseline which future buildings will surpass. Rather than simply reducing its environmental impact, CIRS enriches its environment by making use of resources that would otherwise go unused. CIRS sources energy from the ground and scavenges heat from neighbouring buildings, generates electricity from the sun, obtains ventilation from the wind and harvests its water from the rain. With its sustainable wood structure, large glass windows and living green walls and roof, the stunning four-story CIRS exterior blends harmoniously with the west coast beauty of the UBC campus. It is a short walk from trails that meander down forested cliffs to the ocean and beaches. To see construction photos, visit the CIRS photo gallery .
Architecture for Humanity Amazing Meera House | Architecture Design Modern Art and more Meera house is definitely an architectural wonder with rich green roof gardens on every level created by the Guz Architects. It’s situated on Sentosa Island, often known as Palau Blakang Mati. A little fishing village made by the Government of Singapore like a hotel island and a vacationer spot. Sentosa signifies tranquility and peace, however it’s buzzing with leisure events throughout every season. Sentosa Island is between the coolest, sunny beaches in Singapore. Sky Garden house that has a magnificently curved roof is snuggled up in a tiny parcel of land surrounded by the nearby buildings. The front and rear portions are utilized to design beautiful roof gardens and terrace gardens. Guz architects have done amazing job by designing a house that gives the tranquility of nature and fully laced with modern amenities. Their philosophy is to create a seamless transition from man made structure to the nature; harmony and balance between indoor and outdoor.