I currently don’t live in a rural area and for various reasons, I won’t be moving to a rural area anytime soon. So the question is, how to manage off-grid in an urban setting. You can, in fact live off-grid and urban at the same time. Here’s one awesome example:

If you haven’t considered off-grid living, you should know that there are plenty of benefits, such as…

It’s green. Of course being a tree hugger makes off-gird living seem fairly seductive. Off-grid life employs many of the green tactics most green heads like anyway; recycling, composting, conserving natural resources, organic gardening, living smaller and on less, re-purposing, and so on. Green living is like the gateway drug to off-grid

Fewer bills in my email inbox! If you could score zero (or much lower) electricity, water, or gas bills why not?

Self-sufficiency in hard times. If power costs more, if there’s a storm and power goes out, if tomato or egg prices rise, if we run smack out of resources, it matters less if you’re off-grid. Off-grid folks are in a better place to handle the impact of hard eco and economic times.

If you’re into simple living and less materialism, off-grid living is a way of life that allows you to hold these goals or ideals close.

If you do want to live in a rural area, one that’s naturally off the grid, this is a way to do it.

Obviously there are off-grid cons too.

• It’s more work, especially at the onset. If you have to install solar panels, start a garden, build a home, dig a well, etc, that’s a lot of time commitment and some upfront costs.
• Off-grid living requires a certain amount of ongoing upkeep.
• There’s a learning curve. I don’t think off-grid topics are that complicated, but there is a large amount of info out there to digest.

All of the above is just the tip of a much larger off-grid iceberg. If you’re interested in off-grid living here are some resources:

• Off-grid net
• Off the Grid – a super keen book I love.
• Off the Grid
• Is Living Off the Grid Right For You?
• Brilliant and Bizarre Off-the-Grid Green Designs and Technologies – such a good post!

Maybe soon I’ll post some cool off-grid magazines (there are lots of good ones). For now, tell me about your goals… Is off-grid something you’re already doing or interested in doing?

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

So, I decided that in honor of Blog Action Day the only place a normal green living blog could go is up. That means to the next shade of green — extreme.

I’m not so extreme here at Tree Hugging Family.

That’s because I’m afraid too many families and individuals underestimate how important just one small earth-saving contribution can be. I do believe that all the many small steps we do will add up to a whole lot of green-minded living. In addition I know families are busy and that going green can be hard to plain overwhelming. Here at Tree Hugging Family I’m trying to make that easier for families. It would go against the cause to post extreme green tactics.

However, today of all days is the day to blog about the environment so today for one day only extreme green will be taking center stage.

And now… How to be extreme green or in other terms leave a net zero impact upon the earth. I’ll also chart which things I myself do and don’t do (hint: I’m green but not extreme).

Just being born leaves an impact so you can’t get that back but here’s what you can do if you’re into extreme green.

1. Have no children

Why: Children, simply by being born use resources and leave a huge environmental impact on the planet. Not to mention that the world is overcrowded and not sharing the resources we already have all that well.

Do I do this?: Obviously no. I have a child and even maybe want more. To me this is more an emotional issue rather than an environmental issue. But at the core one baby is a problem as far as the environment goes.

2. Live off grid in a perfectly green home

How: This means you’d find land that won’t be harmed for your home. You’d need to build with all green and or recycled and renewable resources — this means you’d end up building the home mostly yourself as well because contractors and others create a bigger energy drain. You cannot hurt vegetation to build your home or you should at least move the vegetation to a new spot. Off grid means you only use power you can create yourself from natural renewable resources — solar, wind, water, etc.

Do I do this?: No; although I did build a passive solar home with the help of only maybe three-four others. It was hard. I do want to live off grid though. This is extreme to a point but not that extreme because it’s attainable for most people they just don’t realize it. I will live off grid one day.

3. Get rid of your car and only use transportation you power yourself

Why: We all know cars create massive issues with the environment — some of which we will never be able to repair. Cars are bad and public transportation creates energy waste and produces horrid toxins so that’s out. Get a bike or scooter or even skates!

Do I do this?: No, I have a car. Right now I don’t think I could manage without one either. I don’t live within walking distance of grocery stores and my life is too busy for public transportation which is sort of sketchy where I live.

4. Eat only organic and locally grown foods and drinks

Why : The why is simple enough; it takes energy to transport food and not just a little. If you consider a pineapple from an island we’re talking massive amounts of energy just to get it over the ocean. Not to mention all the ground transport. Organic is the way to go because our bodies don’t need harmful toxins and pesticides in them. This means most specialty and out of season foods are out.

Do I do this?: No, not to the extreme. In a word ‘coffee’. As far as I know they don’t grow coffee where I live so if I were extreme green coffee would be out. We do eat a lot of organic because it is better for you and I try to buy local when possible. But we aren’t perfect (extreme) and sometimes buy stuff like fruit snacks (bad) and non-organic dairy, not soy cheese (super, super, triple bad).

So. let these settle in your gut and I’ll be back later with more extreme green living tips. Believe me there’s harder than what’s above.

Don’t forget to visit the other Blog Action Day b5 bloggers!

Post from: Tree Hugging Family