Could you live off grid? Hippy style
Discussion
Spotted this on the BBC News site, a local community off grid project, no fossil fuels or mod cons, though they do have 12v, solar & internet. Slightly odd as I've actually met Jake the musician guy as I gave him a lift back from Cornwall in the summer (he's rather good too having seem some of his stuff online) Looks cold wet & miderable but I'm sure it has its plus sides if you wanted to get away from the world outside.
I'll stick to a nice heated campervan but the idea is appealing in some way.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-37561938
I'll stick to a nice heated campervan but the idea is appealing in some way.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-37561938
hahah fuk no...however would I like to live somewhere in woods where I have built a proper house and have free solar energy and no bills to pay whatsoever? hell yes... However I doubt i can just go to the local park and build my house there...so that's the problem really.
If I had the land I would do it however.
If I had the land I would do it however.
vx220 said:
At this exact moment in time, I really fancy this idea. Just p'd off with almost everything and everyone! It'll need to be a touch more "Center Parcs" for me, and allow dogs (he's pretty much the only thing stopping me running away screaming hysterically) but I'm 99% there!
Best thing is to go to an eco yoga lodge in Costa Rica for a few weeks/months when you feel like that.cptsideways said:
Spotted this on the BBC News site, a local community off grid project, no fossil fuels or mod cons, though they do have 12v, solar & internet. Slightly odd as I've actually met Jake the musician guy as I gave him a lift back from Cornwall in the summer (he's rather good too having seem some of his stuff online) Looks cold wet & miderable but I'm sure it has its plus sides if you wanted to get away from the world outside.
I'll stick to a nice heated campervan but the idea is appealing in some way.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-37561938
The trouble is that they aren't really 'off grid'. Go and shoot one of them in the foot and they won't be asking Giles to make them a herbal, tie died poultice they'll be begging for an ambulance and the full rewards of the taxpayer's NHS service along with the taxpayer funded police and courts services tout suite. I'll stick to a nice heated campervan but the idea is appealing in some way.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-37561938
They only exist because 99.99% of all other countrymen pay taxes and consume goods in the real world. Actually remove all of society's mod cons and it would be a wholly different group of people able to comfortably function in a genuinely off grid environment. People who just never knew it was in their nature to not just cope but thrive.
These punters are just glamping and twiddling each other's bungholes on the taxpayer's generosity.
r-kid said:
hornetrider said:
cptsideways said:
community off grid ... internet.
This sums these people up nicely!
"I've been here 22 years so I've been saving the government a lot of money on housing benefit.
No you f
king hyppie if you had worked hard for those 22 years like the rest of us and contributed to society you wouldn't have to justify yourself when the time comes for society to support you in old age!
Taking the piss this lot. Live here for as long as you can pay no tax still earn some money then when your too old pop over to the local council for a free house, benefits and NHS.
How many of these go to Glastonbury every year?
"I've been here 22 years so I've been saving the government a lot of money on housing benefit.
No you fking hyppie if you had worked hard for those 22 years like the rest of us and contributed to society you wouldn't have to justify yourself when the time comes for society to support you in old age! Taking the piss this lot. Live here for as long as you can pay no tax still earn some money then when your too old pop over to the local council for a free house, benefits and NHS.
How many of these go to Glastonbury every year?
Nah, it's not for me.
Sometimes I think I would be happier less on-grid, if that's the phrase. It's the bloody mobile phone mostly. I ate my breakfast this morning at 7am reading an e-mail that beeped into my life when I should have been enjoying spending time with my family, from a client who was moaning that a message he left for me the evening before hadn't been replied to because I'd let the battery go flat.
I'm starting to wonder if my decision 7 years ago to downsize my career has worked out, or whether I just took a decent sized pay-cut to work about the same.
Anyway, Washing Machine, Mains Power, TV, Bike, 'Power' Shower - yes to all those things, 24/7 unlimited connectivity and no clear line between work and home life - less of that, but then the off-griders want the Web, funny old world.
Sometimes I think I would be happier less on-grid, if that's the phrase. It's the bloody mobile phone mostly. I ate my breakfast this morning at 7am reading an e-mail that beeped into my life when I should have been enjoying spending time with my family, from a client who was moaning that a message he left for me the evening before hadn't been replied to because I'd let the battery go flat.
I'm starting to wonder if my decision 7 years ago to downsize my career has worked out, or whether I just took a decent sized pay-cut to work about the same.
Anyway, Washing Machine, Mains Power, TV, Bike, 'Power' Shower - yes to all those things, 24/7 unlimited connectivity and no clear line between work and home life - less of that, but then the off-griders want the Web, funny old world.
I'm not sure exactly what they mean by "off-grid". Is it simply a case of not being connected to the electricity, water, sewage and telecommunications "grid"? In which case, why does it have to be so basic and joyless? My house has it's own spring for water and septic tanks, so not on the water mains. It has an oil tank for the boiler but there is plenty of wood so I guess I could convert to a wood burning boiler or even an Aga. Slap some solar panels on the roof and unplug the phone, am I now "living off grid"?
I guess the problem is that they are also tryint to eschew modernity, like some woodland Amish. Which makes getting paid work very difficult. Also, growing your own food is incredibly labour intensive, so leaves little time for more constructive activities. Which is why we invented the plough and the seed drill, as well as tractors and other farming machinery. That freed us up to go and do other stuff (like invent solar panels...)
From what I saw on the BBC, they had plenty of modern "on grid" equipment - solar panels, electric drills, huge assortment of metal items (pans, stoves, other cooking equipment and tools) which seemed very contradictory.
I guess the problem is that they are also tryint to eschew modernity, like some woodland Amish. Which makes getting paid work very difficult. Also, growing your own food is incredibly labour intensive, so leaves little time for more constructive activities. Which is why we invented the plough and the seed drill, as well as tractors and other farming machinery. That freed us up to go and do other stuff (like invent solar panels...)
From what I saw on the BBC, they had plenty of modern "on grid" equipment - solar panels, electric drills, huge assortment of metal items (pans, stoves, other cooking equipment and tools) which seemed very contradictory.
Foliage said:
id like to (apart from internet) but it wouldn't be like this. Brick house, solar panels, wind, own well and natural waste treatment, growing my own food and keeping animals, think more 'the good life', but it would be near impossible to do.
If you had enough cash and land then I would imagine it would be very easy. Gassing Station | TV, Film, Video Streaming & Radio | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff