The Old Folks Home

[Highcotton]

Weird stuff.

The US is moving away from coal. Coal plants have been and are being decommissioned at a high rate now because of the lower cost of natural gas.

The biggest thing that makes hybrids bad for the environment is the making and recycling of the battery.

Yes Ron, the batteries have all sorts of nasty crap in them. Especially the Lithium batteries.

 

[getaclue]

http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local/2014/09/09/florida-law-doesnt-mean-you-cant-go-green/15368741/

Essentially, you can go green, but you still have to be connected to the grid, and pay the minimum fee. Another tactic that is currently being used is that they are denying the installers the permits to put the panels on the roofs, stating they are unsightly in a suburban setting, however, if you want to rent the exact same equipment from the electric company, and have the same installers put it in, then you can easily get approval.

I had a similar run in with the county several years ago. We had a legal well, with potable water for a house we built, and rented. During a drought year, it developed a little iron in it, and the renter switched to county water instead of notifying us. A couple years later, we moved back into the home. Water got expensive, so we hooked back up to the well, and put a filter on it. I called to have our home removed from the county system. I was informed that it was not legal to remove it from their billing system. It took me several months, but finally they had to remove us from their billing. Without using their water, the base fee was $25.00 a month. Doesn't seem like much, but we saved on that monthly fee for the next 15 years, and had better water. BTW, that base fee kept increasing throughout the years too. We had a septic system, because they didn't have county sewage in our area at the time, so they couldn't get us for that, but during the dispute with the water company they tried that tactic too.

Yes, there are a few nut cases that have made the news, which make it seem like the only ones wanting to live off grid are unsafe, and undesirable, but in the majority of the cases, it's simply not true. While I do not claim it is the same in all counties here, I am only saying what is true in the county I live in.

 

[Highcotton]

Seed saving is becoming increasingly difficult thanks to patented seeds owned by big ag.

The heritage seed aren't patented and some of the best produce comes from the heritage varieties. GMO had not been invented when those varieties were established. Seed saving is the way to go it seems.

 

[hennible]

That's what I save.

 

[perchie.girl]

Look, a cute chicken picture ... too subtle??

Hey guys n' gals still lurking, still having trouble keeping up but still reading every post!

I know way more about horses than I did a week ago!

OK, the truth? I am like a proud grandma popping up everywhere with pictures of my bubbies!

Ooooh bubbies..... soooo cute.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
This is pretty much happening in the cities. Here in San Diego we are allowed to grow crops have chickens (space and roo limitations) in the city. There are areas that have rules and covenants... like condo complexes planned communities with Home owners associations. Some of those are very dense. So nothing in the front.... but container gardening in the back or on a balcony would be possible.

Its up to the grass roots to change existing laws and regulations... that happened here with the chicken laws.

deb

 

[Alaskan]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's not true that it's illegal to be off the grid.
It is illegal to use the city sewer system without paying to. It is illegal to not have running water in a home. It is illegal to hook up any electric system in any way you want to.
All of those things are illegal for yours and your neighbors safety.
Anyone that wants to live off-grid can, but they're required to follow basic safety laws.

I understand living off the grid for sewer and water is a problem in the city.

A friend of mine in a rural area about 50 miles to the southwest had a huge windmill on his large property that was visible from the road. One of his neighbors complained and he was forced to remove it (actually the sheriff's office came out and took it down), He believes Ameren/UE was behind it. He was surprised when he found out that I was the lead tech setting up an off the grid home about 20 miles from his. It was quite a place complete with windmill, solar voltaic, solar thermal, solar hot water, wood furnace and backup diesel generator.

That sort of stuff makes me want to

If people want to kill themselves by drinking poop water, you should let them drink poop water. The government should NOT be our parents! We should be treated as rational intelligent ADULTS capable of making whatever stupid and insane choices we want, with the only limit being that we don't get to mess up anyone except ourselves.

I don't understand why the windmill was taken away? What did I miss?

And what are these "basic safety laws"??? As long as my neighbors poop isn't ending up in my yard, I don't care if they are sleeping in a tent, or an un-inspected and unsafe house, and using an outhouse and drinking well water, rainwater, or even their own pee.

The entire "can't live in the house unless it has been certified habitable" I think is stupid too.

I am so happy that none of that craziness has made it up here. Here you get to live in a pile of tires, a bus, a car, a tent, or whatever mountain of junk you want to toss together.

We even have people living in the middle of town with no running water. RAH! I love the craziness of people getting to do their own thing. Like planting whatever kind and size of tree they want to plant in their very own front yard.

 

[hennible]

That sort of stuff makes me want to

If people want to kill themselves by drinking poop water, you should let them drink poop water.  The government should NOT be our parents!  We should be treated as rational intelligent ADULTS capable of making whatever stupid and insane choices we want, with the only limit being that we don't get to mess up anyone except ourselves.

I don't understand why the windmill was taken away?  What did I miss?

And what are these "basic safety laws"???  As long as my neighbors poop isn't ending up in my yard, I don't care if they are sleeping in a tent, or an un-inspected and unsafe house, and using an outhouse and drinking well water, rainwater, or even their own pee. 

The entire "can't live in the house unless it has been certified habitable" I think is stupid too.

I am so happy that none of that craziness has made it up here.  Here you get to live in a pile of tires, a bus, a car, a tent, or whatever mountain of junk you want to toss together.

We even have people living in the middle of town with no running water.  RAH!  I love the craziness of people getting to do their own thing.  Like planting whatever kind and size of tree they want to plant in their very own front yard. 

I'm with you I love my little anything goes town, well village. Lol actually I would not even live in town, out skirts only, even less rules!

 

[Bunnylady]

That sort of stuff makes me want to

If people want to kill themselves by drinking poop water, you should let them drink poop water. The government should NOT be our parents! We should be treated as rational intelligent ADULTS capable of making whatever stupid and insane choices we want, with the only limit being that we don't get to mess up anyone except ourselves.

I don't understand why the windmill was taken away? What did I miss?

And what are these "basic safety laws"??? As long as my neighbors poop isn't ending up in my yard, I don't care if they are sleeping in a tent, or an un-inspected and unsafe house, and using an outhouse and drinking well water, rainwater, or even their own pee.

"My 'freedom' ends at the tip of your nose?"

I agree, a lot of it is way overboard, but some stuff is a necessity of community living. An outhouse may be a perfectly viable option out in the middle of nowhere, but when you have neighbors only a few feet away in every direction, there can be an awful lot of "sharing" going on. Even if you don't happen to live in a place where rainfall may wash the contents into a neighbor's yard (or throughout the local watershed), there are still vectors like flies and rats that can carry potential pathogens well beyond your own property lines.

Some, admittedly, is the "community" protecting what are pretty much its own interests. Most people don't want to live beside a dump; by insisting that all housing meets a certain minimum standard, the community protects property values and its tax base. A landlord can be held accountable for the condition of the house he rents.. And while I may be perfectly happy depending on a rain barrel for my water supply, does it follow that I should also be content if the fire department limits themselves to the contents of my rain barrel if my house catches fire?

 

[bamadude]

I know people who make homemade septic tanks and field lines...a shovel, 55 gallon drums, a cutting torch, pvc pipes, rocks, and sand.