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Welcome to Life Unplugged, your guide to living off grid with alternative energy
on the modern homestead. It is not necessary to give up all modern conveniences
to reduce your carbon footprint when you utilize alternative energy and green building
techniques. Passive solar design coupled with straw bale, cob, cordwood, or earthbag
construction can yield an efficient, comfortable, and green built structure for
your homestead. Solar panels and wind turbines are tried and true forms of alternative
energy, but new technologies such as geothermal, micro hydro, and bio-diesel offer
additional flexibility to power your off grid homestead. Explore our collection
of articles covering new and old technologies that are sure to be of use in your
modern homesteading adventure. |
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Learn How to Brew Beer
Before mega-breweries began plastering their logos at every sporting event, beer
was handcrafted in small batches. Forget
the commercial, watered-down beer you're accustomed to and discover what has
been lost by brewing your own beer at home. |
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Building a Cordwood Home
Building with cordwood is a great way to construct a unique and energy efficient
green home from locally grown wood and scrap wood found on your property.
Cordwood homes are pleasing to the eye and require very little maintenance. |
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Gathering Wild Nuts
Wild nuts are most abundant in the eastern and central portions of the
United States, but almost every region has one variety or another. |
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Benefits of an Earth Sheltered Home
Some people assume that an earth
berm home is dark, cave-like, and buried in the ground, but it is in fact quite
the opposite. Instead of the builder placing the home under the ground, he or
she brings the earth up, so to speak, to cover the outside walls of the
dwelling. Earth berm homes (and earth sheltered homes) have many benefits to
both the homeowner and the planet. |
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Homesteading is hard work whether you are collecting eggs from the chickens,
feeding the livestock, or tending the garden. Growing organic produce
can be an adjustment for those used to using chemical pesticides, herbicides, and
fertilizer but I wouldn’t say that organic gardening is more difficult. Composting
your kitchen scraps, livestock manure, leaves, and lawn clippings takes time but
not labor to produce free nutrient rich compost for your homestead’s garden. Mulching
with your compost fertilizes the soil and aids in water retention which reduces
labor requirements and conserves water. Who knows what hormones are injected into
the animals that provide our eggs, beef, chicken, and pork. Save money and enjoy
fresh nutritious meat and eggs by raising your own livestock and poultry on your
homestead. Learn more about raising livestock and organic gardening on Life Unplugged,
your source for all things on the environmentally responsible modern homestead. |
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Benefits of Solar Water Heaters
Utilizing solar energy to meet your water heating needs is one of the most
economical ways to implement alternative energy on your homestead. Solar water
heaters are can function in nearly any climate and are a great solution for
people living off grid. |
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Want to be on Television?
Are you trading in your cul-de-sac for a cabin? Tossing the kids' toys as you
plan to downsize from a McMansion to a city-based rowhome? A prominent
television production company is developing a series profiling families opting
to trade in status quo lifestyles for something more intentional and meaningful. |
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Basics of an Off Grid Micro Hydro Installation
 Only a small percentage of parcels are suitable for a
micro hydro installation. But if you have an adequate change of elevation and
sufficient water flow, micro hydro may be the most efficient and cost effective
way to power your homestead. Discover how to evaluate your site and what
components are a part of every installation
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Harvesting Rainwater with Rain Barrels
Few measures so simple can make such a dramatic contribution towards a
sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle as collecting rainwater in rain barrels.
While you should not drink the water without filtering it, it can be used for
almost anything else. Go buy a rain barrel today, or better yet, learn how to
build your own. |
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Benefits of an Earth Sheltered Home
Some people assume that an earth
berm home is dark, cave-like, and buried in the ground, but it is in fact quite
the opposite. Instead of the builder placing the home under the ground, he or
she brings the earth up, so to speak, to cover the outside walls of the
dwelling. Earth berm homes (and earth sheltered homes) have many benefits to
both the homeowner and the planet. |
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How to Build a Wood-Fired Cob Oven
 A growing number of people are realizing the fun
and functionality of building cob ovens. Wood-fired cob ovens can be built to
whatever size best suits the user. Some restaurants have earthen ovens
that are six feet across! No matter the size of the oven you wish to build, the
techniques used are very similar. |
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