Off-the-grid living is revolutionary in the best sense of the word. To successfully break free from the chains of a society gone amiss, off-the-gridders must learn to step outside the box in their thinking and never miss a chance to live more independently, self-sufficiently, and according to their own standards of what is right and in harmony with God and nature. But surprisingly, many who choose to embrace this lifestyle never take the time to fully investigate alternative styles of home construction, preferring instead to stay safely ensconced in their own version of the timber-framed
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In our last episode, we sung the praises of the old-fashioned wood-heating stove. But this was not because of its ability to keep a home comfy and warm, but rather because of how easily it can be adapted for use as a cooking stove. Cooking with wood really is good, and a regulation wood stove can help keep an off-the-grid family’s stomachs full and satisfied throughout the course of a long cold winter. However, while it certainly is possible to do some serious cooking on a wood-burning heat stove, there is actually a much better
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Way back in 1951, country music legend Hank Williams released the classic song “Hey Good Lookin’,”which asked the following important musical questions: “Hey good lookin’, what ya got cookin’?” and “How ‘bout cookin’ something up with me?” We don’t know how the object of Hank’s romantic affections responded to these queries, but here’s what we can say for sure – if Hank Williams had owned his own wood-cooking stove, or even just a plain old wood stove for heating, he could have prepared a full-course home-cooked meal that would have impressed her to no end.
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It is no secret that increasing exercise and restricting caloric intake are the key elements in any sensible weight-loss strategy. But there is more to the anti-obesity equation than just these basics. Weight is lost when the body is able to burn calories faster than they are taken in, but its capacity to do this is always contingent on the quality of the nutrients it is supplied with on a daily basis. The human organism needs a high-quality supply of fuel to function at peak efficiency, and this is why shortages of crucial vitamins, minerals,
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An energy production system that relies almost completely on the incineration of fossil fuels is wasteful, inefficient, unreliable, and unclean. Burning coal to make electricity is a crude and outdated approach, but alternative energies have still not advanced far enough to allow the old nineteenth century methods of producing power to be fully phased out.
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The burning of fossil fuels for energy is primitive, cheap, and easy, which has given it the comparative advantage over other sources of energy for a very long time. But too much of a good thing inevitably creates dependency and addiction, and as the world continues to extract more and more oil, coal, and natural
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There are of course many different brands of solar energy panels out there on the market. But there are actually only three different types of solar panels, classified by the materials used to make the solar cells they contain and the manufacturing processes involved in making those cells – monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, and thin-film (the latter category features three subtypes that are currently available: amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride, and copper indium gallium selenide). Naturally, each type has its strengths and weaknesses, and the potential solar panel consumer will want to do some careful research
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The short-term cost of petroleum-based fuel is erratic and unpredictable, but over the long-term, it has been on a steady upward trend that has been slowly eating away at the pocket books and bank accounts of every American. As the reality of peak oil hits and perpetual war in the Middle East turns from worst-case
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For all the intrepid pioneers who have left the grid behind and are making a go of it on their own, wood stoves are one of the best options available anywhere on the home heating scene. While dependence on the grid leaves us at the mercy of others, wood burning represents the ultimate example of self-sufficiency in action: if you are willing to get out there into the forest with your pickup, your chainsaw, your maul, a couple of wedges, and your trusty ax, laziness and a poor work ethic are the only things that
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We have all heard the one about how if you dig a hole straight down into the earth, eventually you come out the other side of the planet in China. While theoretically this might be true, in the real world it would not be possible. If the tremendous pressures you would encounter didn’t do you in, the intense heat ultimately would, and at a certain depth all of your excavation and drilling equipment would melt (and you would too). As we travel downward it gets hotter and hotter, and this precludes digging all the way
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