tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24093811.post9118954659030693419..comments2023-10-29T09:44:37.834-05:00Comments on Touch the Earth Farm: Reflections on Sustainability: ElectricityDaniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24093811.post-67612378032462037282008-01-01T10:15:00.000-05:002008-01-01T10:15:00.000-05:00Hey Ren!That's the beauty of living more sustainab...Hey Ren!<BR/><BR/>That's the beauty of living more sustainably—so many of the choices along the way have the added benefit of saving money. We've cut our electric bill nearly in half, which helps a lot. <BR/><BR/>There are so many possibilities even where you are, though. You guys could definitely have chickens, as long as you don't have any covenants or ordinances preventing it. Of course, reluctant spouses is a whole 'nother can 'o worms.Daniellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24093811.post-91213037764055258512007-12-31T23:48:00.000-05:002007-12-31T23:48:00.000-05:00I love this post. I kept feeling that sense of hop...I love this post. I kept feeling that sense of hopelessness in the last few year, because I didn't have money to do the big sweeping changes.<BR/>Then it hit me like a ton of bricks "what can I do right NOW?" and suddenly the responsibility was on me and not on my limited budget.:)<BR/><BR/>We are planning to hang one clothesline in the garage and one outside. I have a small collapsible rack right now that helps a little bit.<BR/><BR/>I have a huge garden planned for spring (a bit nervous about that actually...but super excited too) and plans for at least two beehives.<BR/><BR/>No chickens or goats for this suburban dweller. I'm actually having night-time dreams about my farm now. It's getting harder and harder to not have the land. My heart yearns for it.<BR/><BR/>First step...pay off debt.;)Ren Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12017460071971677808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24093811.post-82038909179150108632007-12-30T21:19:00.000-05:002007-12-30T21:19:00.000-05:00I'm leaning towards the Nurtimill myself, I just d...I'm leaning towards the Nurtimill myself, I just don't know that I can get a fine enough mill with a hand mill. We are going to be building a better, more efficient solar oven soon. I've been talking to Mark about the recommendation to have 90 days worth of supplies in case of a flu pandemic and although he made fun of the idea at first, he has kind of gotten into it lately. It was he that suggested we need a more efficient solar oven to use when we are sheltering in place and all basic systems have gone out because everyone else is sheltering in place too.Christyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14920326845870515381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24093811.post-81155599167453283542007-12-29T15:57:00.000-05:002007-12-29T15:57:00.000-05:00Thanks everyone for the great comments and ideas! ...Thanks everyone for the great comments and ideas! Jenny, you're certainly way beyond where we could hope to be, and I always love hearing your input. I know I'll be consulting you lots if/ when I ever get to that long term dream house!<BR/><BR/>I've looked a bit into solar on a small scale because Jim's just so opposed to it on a large scale, but he's still not buying it. His big hang up is efficiency. *sigh* <BR/><BR/>I'm going to keep looking into it though and looking for cracks in his armor, as I work to do the smaller stuff around the house. <BR/><BR/>Christy, I totally agree about some appliances, and I'd be lost without my Kitchen Aid and bread machine. I think there are ways to offset the use of those, particularly when we can save energy in bigger ways. For myself, I know I only have so much time in a day, and some of these labor-saving devices enable us to have fresh home-baked goods rather than store-bought, and I figure that's a net gain right there. <BR/><BR/>Madeline's pretty much got me convinced that I need to get a <A HREF="http://www.ultimate-weight-products.com/page/UN/PROD/mill/H-nutrimill&QTS=froogle" REL="nofollow"> Nutrimill </A>. Maybe in the next couple of months. <BR/><BR/>On another note, the kids and I are planning to build a solar oven this summer, which should be fun. Christy and Logan inspired us!Daniellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07687340159825245112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24093811.post-69834735356740354032007-12-28T23:15:00.000-05:002007-12-28T23:15:00.000-05:00Electricity. Oooh, that's a tough one. We are of...Electricity. Oooh, that's a tough one. We are off grid but we cheat. I've said so before. When we have to run a second freezer because we have just butchered a thousand pound cow we run an extension cord from my FIL's next door. But there is a solution to that as well, and it comes in the form of our shift from large beef cattle to miniature breeds. (Oh, and I've just fallen in love with guinea hogs--anyone know much about them?) That combined with better timing of the butchering and faster moving of meat and we will be able to minimize our use of the second freezer. <BR/><BR/>We don't own a clothes dryer, and I guarantee that's the fastest way to get used to not having one! I haven't used one for 6 years now. <BR/><BR/>If you are starting fresh, build a passive solar house. Or install a sunspace on your existing house and beef up the insulation.<BR/><BR/>In the meantime, I still maintain that the best way to offset your fossil fuel use with solar is to install solar hot water heating. Solar air heating is a close second. Right now this is pretty lame for me to say because we haven't installed our solar hot water yet (we don't need the heating because of our passive solar house) but it's high on our list of priorities.<BR/><BR/>All that said, I have to agree with Christy that some electric appliances are a godsend. I still don't have my Kitchen Aid mixer but it's on my wish list. I got my Vitamix and I love my toaster. We are now looking for a commercial grade meat slicer. I want a grain mill. But I am hoping to find a belt driven slicer and grain mill that we could hook up to the 5 dollar exercise bike that Chris just picked up at the flea market if necessary. Oh, and the vacuum cleaner! It will be a sad day when I can't use that anymore. But again, here in New Mexico it is fine to use these appliances for short periods on a sunny day. <BR/><BR/>I need to think more about the consumerism side of this. Because you are right--it's not just what we can buy to substitute for what we are used to. It really does take a shift in expectations. Just now, for example, I realized that I don't need the room light on to use the computer and that if I turn it off I'll be forced to dim the computer screen as well to save my eyes. Two places to save right there. <BR/><BR/>Keep up the great posts!Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07940297773367322768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24093811.post-56649485920631039412007-12-28T15:51:00.000-05:002007-12-28T15:51:00.000-05:00Inspiring, as usual. I will come back to read this...Inspiring, as usual. I will come back to read this series on sustainability when i am feeling too cold to go hang my clothes outside. It is truly such a small sacrifice. Especially in GA. And I love the more simple Christmas. We are slowly going that way as well; wish it were faster. <BR/><BR/>We are going to be staying at a solar powered house in the mountains while we are here in AUS. I am excited to see the set up.Madeline Rainshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05075400838213199585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24093811.post-51993986585068224152007-12-28T11:49:00.000-05:002007-12-28T11:49:00.000-05:00I'm enjoying your series here. I was much better ...I'm enjoying your series here. I was much better at drying clothes without the dryer in the summer. I need to set up an inside drying system though. We've set the heat back a lot for us, we are at 67 during the day and 55 at night. We can go back more during the day so I will start pushing it back more. We are at 80 during the summer which I found quite pleasant but Mark found hot. We have a ways to go on the electricity front. I recently got a few electric tools (like a Kitchenaid) to make things I do by hand easier (like kneading bread). I'm still trying to decide what grain mill to get and I'm leaning towards electric because of the ease and speed, but I may reconsider that.Christyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14920326845870515381noreply@blogger.com