It would never occur to most people to look for construction materials in a farmer’s field. But when wheat, oats, barley, rye, or rice are harvested, the fibrous plant husks left behind are not just a useless waste product. When these leftovers, known as straw, are tightly bundled up into bales, these plant remnants can
continue reading…

Enjoying fresh food from a healthy source is one of the most enjoyable, and important, aspects of living off the grid. Unfortunately, not every food is in season throughout the year. Of course, there are a variety of solutions for this. Canned foods provide great opportunities, but oftentimes, commercial preparations are filled with too many preservatives to be considered fresh. In addition, certain foods do not lend themselves to being canned easily. However, food dehydration is a way you can enjoy your produce in a variety of ways, while knowing the food you are eating
continue reading…

In areas where there are no ride-sharing programs or where the programs don’t meet your needs, you will need to take the reins and start your own ride-sharing system. You can partner with a neighbor for certain outings or you can set up a carpool system through your job – or both. The idea behind ride sharing is simply to cut everyone’s costs and maximize efficiency in transport, so there are many different ways to put a ride-share program together. However, regardless of the destination, there are certain issues you will need to deal with
continue reading…

Gas prices are up, up, up. It’s a big energy mess globally, but the impact on your wallet is the real disaster. To find relief from high gas prices, it pays to take a second look at how you’re getting around. Driving yourself is the default system for most Americans, but ride sharing can be a significant cost savings. A car with basic fuel efficiency driven just twenty-five miles a day costs you nearly $100 per month in gas. Cut that number in half – or more – by sharing your commute, car pooling the
continue reading…

It is becoming increasingly clear that rapid technological innovation will be the defining characteristic of the twenty-first century. In most ways, new technologies are improving our lives, and they are also creating brand new growing industries that could be our best hope for rejuvenating the world economy. But there is one disturbing aspect to all of this. The proliferation of digital and electronic technologies is making it more difficult to protect our privacy, as the surveillance society imagined by George Orwell in his classic dystopian novel 1984 is now becoming a reality.  Internet spyware, hidden
continue reading…

Popular literature frequently skirts the boundaries between truth and fiction. Many classic literary works have actually been thinly veiled allegories of contemporary or historical events, and many of the world’s most famous writers of fiction such as George Orwell, Mark Twain, Upton Sinclair, and Aldous Huxley are perhaps remembered even more for the depth and quality of their social and political commentary than they are for the overall quality of their writing. It will certainly be no surprise to anyone to hear that famous classic books such as 1984, The Jungle, or Brave New World
continue reading…

The search for home energy alternatives has been heating up in recent years, thanks to high utility costs, undependable service, and a general desire to return to a more authentic and sustainable style of living. This has helped stimulate mini-booms in small-scale wind and solar, and it has even helped rejuvenate wood burning, the oldest
continue reading…

Stories of conspiracies to suppress new technological breakthroughs that threaten the status quo are almost innumerable. While most of these tales seem to be a bit on the tall side, in some instances there really does appear to be some fire behind the smoke. Scam artists and hucksters may outnumber the true unappreciated or unacknowledged geniuses by 10 to 1 (or maybe it is more like 100 to 1), but that does not mean that every single new discovery that gets rejected by the scientific and media establishment is automatically unworthy of consideration. And make
continue reading…

When it comes to boondoggles, many of the largest have involved the energy industry. Executives who work in oil, gas, coal, and green energy, along with the lobbyists they hire to do their bidding, are the true master manipulators of governments everywhere, and they have been controlling the system for their own benefit every since the days of John D. Rockefeller. Presidents, governors, legislators, and even judges have been like putty in the hands of the energy industry, and the handouts, tax breaks, legal exemptions, and no-bid contracts this powerful special interest has received over
continue reading…

Do you want real financial security? Would you like to go to bed at night knowing that when you wake up in the morning, your job hasn’t been packed up and shipped overseas to some call center in India or to some factory floor in China? While there is a place for a saving program and retirement fund for your old age, real wealth isn’t found in commodities that the stock market, the financial system, or the government controls. Real wealth is what you have between your two ears. There are three million jobs …
continue reading…