SkyShades' Greg Norman

THE BEST GREEN BUILDING MATERIALS  FOR UK 2010 – LISTED BELOW

Not being an especially practical person, the prospect of spending the day at a building materials exhibition normally holds all the allure of, well, watching paint dry.

But far from being a dreary convention for construction workers’ accessories, the UK Ecobuild exhibition at London’s Earls Court was more like a gathering of impassioned revolutionaries conspiring to aid and abet off-grid living.

The environmental message has finally got through to the UK building industry -with a vengeance. “I’m here because Ecobuild is now easily the most important trade forum for the UK building industry,” said one senior local authority architect.

Powell: Hypemaster-General

More details of the Bloom Box have been revealed at a carefully managed press conference in California.  The much-hyped off-grid source of cheap electricity  will not lead us all to disconnect from the grid tomorrow, but it is undoubtedly disruptive technology, and very exciting for the off-grid community.

Skorpios: snap it up...or squat it

The Greek government is being urged to sell its uninhabited islands to bail itself out of bankruptcy, and the UK is likely to find itself in the same position in the near future.  What better time to explore the possibility of buying an island together with a group of friends, and setting up an off-grid community there with your own laws, government and even currency?

Interested parties should advertise themselves on LandBuddy, indicating roughly where they want to go on the Google Map app that is part of the free service.

Island buying is sensitive to world events. After 9/11, reports TheTimes of London, there was a rush of Hollywood A-listers snapping up remote islands globally as bug-out locations. Johnny Depp bought the 45-acre Little Hall’s Pond Cay in the Bahamas, Leonardo DiCaprio became owner of a 104-acre island with an airstrip in Belize and Mel Gibson took over Mago in the Fijis.

I live in Seattle, WA, am close to the green cultural heartbeat, and am looking for other folks, close by, who are interested in meeting to talk about how to go off-grid in Seattle.

Annie get your stuff

I received a mail from Annie Leonard, author of  The Story of Stuff, requesting help in getting the word out. I am happy to do so, because one of the key themes of the Off-Grid web site is that we are all sick of over-consumption. So Annie is One of Us.

Here is her letter:

“My new book, The Story of Stuff, goes on sale today in bookstores all around the country.

In fact, I’m in New York as I write this preparing for my appearance tonight on The Colbert Report! I hope you tune in.
Before I make a pitch to buy, full title The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health-and a Vision for Change,  I want to tell you a bit about what inspired it.

Norfolk / East Anglia, UK.

Have lived on a boat on the Broads, in a caravan in the woods, returning from overseas and looking for somewhere lovely to live for a while. If you have a space on land where we could quietly tuck ourselves away, we’d like to hear from you. We’ll probably be in a truck or caravan of some sort, regards, phil

Time is slipping away...

So, just what does that mean? I can tell you from personal experience and from the responses I have received from people over the years that it definitely has different meanings to different people. From living completely without any utilities, no electricity, water or gas (think hunter’s cabin, wood stove, candles or kerosene lamps, no running water…), to generating one or more of these items on site yourself (think solar panels, wind power, methane digester…), I even had one person say that for him, living “off the grid” meant living so remotely that the government couldn’t find you, essentially hiding from the world. For some people it brings up a picture of a hermit living in a shack on a remote location, others envision a state of the art home that independently takes care of the needs of all occupants from food and water to electricity.

Young archtitect planning his own bugout and looking for buddies to cooperate with and possibly share the bugout.

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This 3112 square foot home on 4.72 private acres is a rare opportunity to enjoy a sustainable off grid lifestyle for a fraction of it’s cost. Located in the desirable Williamson Valley/Morgan Ranch area.Inside-3 Bedrooms, plus potential for a 2nd Master Suite , a large office and hobby/studio area,huge custom Arizona room with radiant in floor heating in the natural flagstone floors. Outdoors you will find a lighted Sports Court ( which could be coverted to a Barn,Garage or Workshop) Home could also be used as an in-law set up in South Wing. Tastefully remodeled with custom tile,wood, stone accents ,hardwood floors. Home has two Kiva fireplaces, a wood-burning stove. Outdoor covered and uncovered decks. Solar set up,includes dry cell maintanence free batteries,inverters,and Kohler propane fired back up generator.

George Monbiot - a green turn-off

Everybody in UK eco-circles is talking about George Monbiot this week, which is just the way he likes it.

George Monbiot is an unashamed cheerleader for big power – his column in the Guardian has previously come out in favor of large nuclear power stations, and this week he spoke out against micro-generation.  George Monbiot is also in favor of large, centralised wind farms and other forms of renewable energy, and sets himself firmly against micro-generation –which he caricatures as a middle class subsidy.

The occasion for his latest outburst was the introduction of the UK government-backed Feed-in tariff (FiT), which will reward householders and others who generate renewable energy back into the grid.  Ignoring the fact that the FiT was enormously successful in Germany, which has become a European leader in micro-generation,  “the only renewables policy that makes sense,” says George, “ is to build big installations where the energy is – which means high ground, estuaries or the open sea – and deliver it by wire to where people live.”

Se vende. Terreno rustico de aprox 28.000 m2 con dos casitas y deposito de agua. Zona muy tranquila con vistas a la montana y uvas, almendros y olivos.

For sale. Mountain land of approx. 28,000 m2 with two small houses to be refurbished and a water cistern. Very quiet area with mountain views and vines, almonds and olive trees.

Contact: Nicola (+34) 96 648 2449 or nicola@cloves.com