I guess it started a few years back when I learned of biodiesel and the benefits of using a locally grown renewable fuel source (basically sticking it to the "oil man" and giving more business to the local farmers plus less pollution, win-win-win).
My goal:
To unplug, reinvent myself, and change the way I think about "LIVING" (or "TAKING" might be more appropriate).
I want to become as self sufficient as possible. I want to produce my own electricity, my own automobile fuel, food and water; and do it in the most "earth friendly" ways possible.
I don't want to "bite off more than I can chew" so to speak, so I plan to start out slow.
My current outline consists of:
1. Getting some generators for my house/work shop electricity.
2. Produce my own automotive fuel (biodiesel, hho, something else - whatever it ends up being)
3. Plant a garden in which I can grow my own food (of course I'll still need to get meets and such so not 100% self sufficient, but better than my current situation of 100% coming from the market).
4. Produce my own drinking water (water well).
My current prediction is that it will take me a lifetime to compile all of the components and systems to be come 100% self sustaining, but if next year I'm .05% and two years later I'm at 2% and 10 years down the road I'm 15%, etc. then I'm helping out the earth more and each year compared to the way I'm living now ;)
Well that's my crazy half baked idea anyway :D
WELL
there are some plants that grow seeds wich have a verry high protine content ...... wich can replace meat from out diet almost altogather ....
hummmm......
water how about water on demand .....
electricty well thousands of ways.....
i do what i do for our children .......
ist
dont give me no hand me down world!!!!!! i got 1 already ....... :o
To become self sufficient now you can.......
install solar cells for your home with a small wind turbine @$20000
convert your car to electric with cap. system @$10000...$2 to charge
catch rainwater in two large above ground tanks (if rainfall is good)@$5000
plant a garden
Divert some waste water for irrigation for garden
The problem with biofuels is that it takes food producing land out and the result will be huge food price increases to compete.The best biofuel feedstock is algae and this produces biodeisel which is the best fuel.....
Also of interest is the compressed air car which is supposed to be available next year.......
Oxidizing carbon has got to go. Look at the frigging mess we've made of the planet doing it. We need a process to reduce carbon and put it back in the ground where it belongs and get it out of the atmosphere. The plants can't keep ahead of our exploitation of them.
I like to see people doing this.
I am fixing to plant my 200 square foot garden. I grow lots of tomatoes, chiles, beans, spices, onions, garlic and okra. I'm definitely not self sufficient yet, but getting there. Beans are a great source of protein and if you combine them with either rice or corn they have all 8 essential amino acids necessary to form human proteins, which mean they substitute for meat. There are a lot of vegetables that have all eight essential amino acids, the crux is you have to eat a lot larger volume. Meat has a higher protein density. I'm working on a soft particle reactor to produce all the electric power I need. As soon as I can I'll be going all electric on the cars. Also would like to build a cistern for both cooling and drinking water, it gets hot in Texas...
Godspeed!
Livestock, forgot to mention livestock, uh, that's meat...