Articles tagged “Off The Grid”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Make Your Own Solar Box Cooker By Elizabeth Seward IN Travel & Outdoors Apr 14 2009 The easiest, most sensible, and most affordable solar powered oven I have ever heard of was recently a winner of the FT Climate Change Challenge. Jon Bohmer sat down to work on a project with his daughters. All it required was two cardboard boxes (one inside of the other), an acrylic cover, black paint, and silver foil. + READ MORE

Green Your Music Performances by Playing Unplugged in the Street By Elizabeth Seward IN Travel & Outdoors Apr 9 2009 Performing on the street can be hit or miss... The weather is warming up and acoustic guitars are coming out of their closets. If you'd like to make some new fans the green way, by performing out in the open completely unplugged, just make sure you're doing it easy way. + READ MORE

Live in a Green, Sustainable...Hobbit Hole? By Brian Merchant IN Home & Garden Mar 17 2009 I'm talking about a real life hobbit hole built by Simon Dale in Wales. That's right—working with his father and his bare hands, over the course of 4 months, he built his home right into a hillside, a la Bilbo Baggins. + READ MORE

Can't Afford to Live Off-Grid? Reduce Your Energy Consumption: 6 Ways By Collin Dunn IN Home & Garden Mar 13 2009 Living off-grid is a green dream for many of us. Liberation from the power grid, freedom from utility bills, and self-sufficient satisfaction that comes from generating all you need sure sounds great, but if going completely off the grid isn't in the cards for you just yet, you can still reduce your environmental impact in a big way by emulating the off-grid lifestyle. + READ MORE

Build a Solar Power Generator for Under $300 By Brian Merchant IN Tech & Transport Feb 18 2009 To most of us, solar power still seems like a thing of the future. Yeah, we know some people live off the grid with them, and some folks can afford to line their roofs and heat their pools with them. Not most of us. + READ MORE

Make Your Own Solar Cell Phone Charger By Jaymi Heimbuch IN Features Feb 17 2009 Solar cell phone chargers are getting more popular but many are still often a little pricey. You can shave a few dollars off the price tag and create your very own solar gadget charger in just a few easy steps. + READ MORE

Make Hot Water With Solar Power and Recycled Bottles By Jaymi Heimbuch IN Travel & Outdoors Feb 9 2009 If you think hot water via the sun is impossible in the winter, think again. You just might want to consider whipping up a solar heated water kettle from recycled plastic bottles. It's a great way to use the sun in your favor, especially when camping, since it works even when temperatures are really cold. + READ MORE

Living Off-Grid: Without a Trash Pickup Day By Trevor Reichman IN Home & Garden Nov 25 2008 Living off-grid usually means that there is no trash pickup day. No Problem. Here is what I do in order to limit my trash to one small carryout bag per month. + READ MORE

Alter Eco Episode: Hollywood Green By Team Planet Green IN Alter Eco Nov 24 2008 The alter eco HQ is a flurry of activity as Rick Byrd's construction crew rushes against the clock to finish the house in time for an off-the-grid dinner party. Darren lends a hand greening over an eco friendly night... + READ MORE

Push for Greener Vending Machines at Work By Josh Peterson IN Work & Connect Nov 19 2008 You might not have many snacking options at your place of work. You might be working late and find your stomach grumbling for some grub. You head on over to the break room and find two shimmering, low-humming vending machines near the back. One for food and one for drink. You will stand in front of these vending machines, coins jangling in pockets, ready to make a decision. + READ MORE

Living Off Grid: Cook Pasta without Pre-Heating or Pre-Boiling By Trevor Reichman IN Travel & Outdoors Nov 18 2008 Since I live more than 100 miles from a gas line, I have to use a propane stove for my cooking. The gas comes from a tank on-site, instead of a pipe underground. Whenever it runs out, I have to make a trip into town to refill it. Even though I only have to refill it once every two months, it is still an incentive to conserve my propane as much as possible. + READ MORE

Turn a Broken Refrigerator Into an Ice-Box By Trevor Reichman IN Home & Garden Nov 13 2008 There are many clean, rust-free relics that were once functional appliances out there. Their only problem is that they no longer work. Not as they were originally intended anyhow. Broken refrigerators are easy to find for free. Turning a broken refrigerator into and ice-box is a good solution for getting started off-grid. + READ MORE

Charge Your Gadgets with Small-Scale Renewable Energy By Jaymi Heimbuch IN Tech & Transport Nov 10 2008 Many utility companies are starting to use renewable energy such as wind, solar and geothermal. That means that for some of us, the energy coming from our walls is renewable. But these option are not yet available for everyone. Luckily, there is a growing number of ways we can charge our gadgets without plugging in to the wall at all. Here are a few ideas. + READ MORE

How to Build an Eco-Friendly Ice House By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Nov 10 2008 People have been storing ice well before the advent of the home freezer. You can still store it without electricity, and you can store it in your own back yard with an eco-friendly ice house. An ice house can be used as a non-electric deep freeze. If you can't resist the Schwan man's wares, an ice house might be for you. + READ MORE

World's Greenest Homes Episode: Bear Creek By Team Planet Green IN Worlds Greenest Homes Episodes Nov 6 2008 Using local materials, a couple in Southern Ontario built their off-grid home on 65 acres of rolling hills without sacrificing any creature comforts. Beyond the exposed beams and country-chic interiors, the sprawling home features solar thermal tubes, a wind... + READ MORE

5 Eco Friendly Hunting Tips By Josh Peterson IN Travel & Outdoors Nov 6 2008 I am not going to write a philosophical treatise on hunting, but I will say that I disagree with the Cartesian view of animals as machines sent by God for humans to do with as they please. Anyways, here are some hunting tips. + READ MORE

Renovation Nation Episode: Medford, MA, Expanded Basement By Team Planet Green IN Renovation Nation Nov 4 2008 Today, instead of off-grid power, how about off-grid olive oil? Steve will show us a couple who's doing just that. And later, Steve cleans up his act by hosing down and restoring recycled brick. Checkout the Planet Green Schedule... + READ MORE

World's Greenest Homes Episode: Taprobane By Team Planet Green IN Worlds Greenest Homes Oct 28 2008 Located just beneath the 'H' in the Hollywood sign, Manny visits a glamorous L.A. home that is as healthy as it is sustainable. Then, romance novelist Stephanie Laurens creates her own off-grid Aussie hideaway 40 minutes north of Melbourne.... + READ MORE

What are Evacuated Tubes? By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Oct 15 2008 There is a new way to collect solar energy, and you don't have to build and maintain your own type-G star to do it. It's probably impossible to build a star of that quality anyways. Traditionally, solar energy has been gathered in panels, but it seems the solar people have taken a nod from the tennis ball people and have decided to gather their energy in tubes. + READ MORE

Living Off-Grid: How to Make a Simple Solar Car Shade Oven By Trevor Reichman IN Travel & Outdoors Sep 8 2008 Some friends of mine recently showed me how to make a simple solar oven from a car shade and the Sun. I was hopeful and skeptical at the same time, until I cooked a frozen pizza an about 20 minutes. + READ MORE