Going Green

[Brian D. Bray]

How green are you?

Currently I am doing the following things to be friendlier to the world in which we live.
1. Compost kitchen scraps.  Even hair clippings goes to the compost pile.
2. Feed law and tree clippings to the goats and sheep and compost what they don't eat.
3. Garden waste is either feed to the animals or composted.
4. I've begun installing solar panels for power (chicken house).
5. Rain water is channeled into barrels and then used to water the animals and garden.
6. I'm designing a small/low profile wind farm (think fluted pipes).
7. I'm planning on installing a waterwheel as a power/grinding mill source using the creek.
8. I recycle wood, cement blocks, windows, doors, etc when building other projects.  For instance I built the chicken house out of most of those type items, and just built my new rabbit hutches using lumber and wire from the chicken house/pen. 
9. I same working serviceable parts to use on other green projects later on, like severel old washing machine motors will be reversed and used as electric generators for the wind farm/waterwheel.
10.  I'm looking into converting used wood products into a gasoline/fuel substitute.
11.  If a tree is or must be removed it is replaced by a fruit bearing one.  Just replaced 2 Spruce trees removed as a result of a car accident with 2 cherry trees. 
12.  Growing as much of what we eat as possible.  Currently raising lamb (& goat), turkeys, chickens, eggs, honey, fruit and vegitables that we eat.
13.  Have plans to construct a large rootcellar in which to store harvested fruits and vegetables as well as canned and dried goods.
14.  Have designed a hot/cool air smoke house for the pupose of curing meats, fish, game, and other foods.
15.  Using cured fruit woods to create a large Mushrooom habitat.
16.  Green house for starting/growing vegetables and out of zone foods.
17.  Create yarn and clothing from wool, hair, and hides, or slaughtered animals.

All that on 1 1/2 acres.  My goal is to achieve complete indepence from commercial enterprize, being able to survive with the fruits of my own labors, using barter to obtain those things I might otherwise find I'm in need of.

[Robo]

Good for you Brian......


Perhaps a better title would be "How to prepare for the VAT tax"

[Robo]

Good for you Brian...... I think there will be more and more folks trying to be more self sufficient with the way our country is heading.....


Perhaps a better title would be "How to prepare for the VAT tax"

[Scadsobees]

We were raised "green" and still consider myself "green", but in the olden days we would have just called ourselves "responsible" or "tightwads"  .

I'd be self-sufficient if I could, but for now it is just bees, a garden, leaves to the garden, no bagging lawn clippings (or fertilizing) no pesticides, when we drive it is usually 7 to the vehicle, wood and pellet heat, use clothes till they are rags, re-use containers and whatever possible etc etc.

I don't have the time, money, or resources to do what you do, Brian!   You go!

[VolunteerK9]

If you havent already, look up Polyface Farms. Joel Salatin has written several books that I have. Good stuff.

[ayyon2157]

Hello Brian:

     On #10, substitute for gasoline,  during the last energy crisis one of the "fringe" environmental magazines had an article on converting a Chevy truck to burn wood chips.  Highly illegal, I am sure, but it worked as long as you had plenty of wood and kept feeding it.  During the depression, southern farmers converted 1930 vintage farm tractors to burn pecan shells.  Some of the most practical autos seemed to follow an Australian design which carried a "balloon" probably 16" deep and going from the rear bumper to the windshield for the smoke.

     Have fun!

ayyon

[luvin honey]

You have us beat

We have chickens and turkeys for meat and eggs.
Make my own soap.
Have bees and use wax for soap and lip/body balm.
Have enormous garden and can/dry/freeze a lot of our food for the year.
Husband hunts for a lot of our meat. We trade eggs for some of the rest.
Lawn waste mulches the garden.
Newspapers mulch the garden.
Forage for wild greens, asparagus, berries and mushrooms.
Drive a very old, very fuel-efficient car (40 mpg).
Buy mostly used clothing.
Bike or walk to places nearby (walk to farm 0.75 mile away for eggs/ bike within 6 miles, sometimes more).
Get milk as benefit from helping on local dairy farm (husband works), so no milk cartons.
Reuse plastic and paper grocery sacks. If we have enough, use cloth sacks.
Burn wood for all home heat.
Try not to use much "stuff" but find fun and pleasure in the freebies in life.
Use fruit trees, bushes and vines for much of our landscaping.
Plan to chicken tractor the chickens on lawn and for garden clean-up in fall.
Push mow lawn, using a lot less less gas.

volunteerk9--Salatin is a bit of a hero to me

scadsobees--yep, much of this is for sheer tightwaddery and fun

[Superdog]

Good for you Brian......


Perhaps a better title would be "How to prepare for the VAT tax"

I second that!!

[Brian D. Bray]

Good for you Brian......


Perhaps a better title would be "How to prepare for the VAT tax"

I second that!!

You're probably right, I'm trying to become so self sufficient that I won't have to depend on anyone for food, clothing, and other necessities.  With the sheep and goats I have wool and hair for braiding and weaving, leather for moccasins, coats, etc. 

I'm currently working on getting my chickens and turkeys to nest naturally.  I have 11 chicks and 1 turkey poult all naturally hatched so far.  My biggest problem is that I don't have sufficient facilities for more than 2 broody females at the same time.  I'm fixing that situation and with 4 breeds of chicken (including Dark Cornish) I'll have plenty of eggs for the broody hens.  I currently have 1 turkey hen on eggs. but my incubator needs a new temp regulator and the previous turkey hens to go broody only hatched 1 chick between them.  I've found the turkeys to be very heavy breasted when sitting eggs and they have a tendency to squish the hatching eggs or break the shell prior to that.

I have also stocked up on plenty ammunition to keep what's mine from those who covet what I have when the time comes.  My goal is a minnimum of 500 rounds for each weapon I own.


I'm trying to collect the necessary pieces to build so wind and water power generators to go with the solar panels I currently have.

[Bee Happy]

doing about half that as I come to it, some is already done (there's ton of you tube videos about using veggie oil in diesel engines, so if you've got the means to store or press oils you can run a diesel tractor.) for 'gasoline' I'd make a big ole still and use sugar cane or sugar beet to make potent alcohol (has to be 200 proof to go in an engine).  I agree with scads too about green vs. practical.
Hippies running around acting like they just invented recycling and local produce (how did we ever get along without them?). 
As to meat, so far it looks like I'll be stabbing bambi to death with a used corncob. (guns get you food, but they attract attention too).  Of course (assuming some total collapse of society) the products from a still can be used to barter some meat.

[asprince]

I run my two trucks and a car on used waste vegetable oil. I collect it from local suppliers, filter it, and pour it into my tanks. I have been doing this for about 5 years. I would like to heat my home with it or run a generator.

Steve

[AllenF]

I would love to run oil in my trucks, but I can not run over 5% bio.   Can you believe that crap with the 6.4L Ford Diesel.   I blame the government, they killed the 7.3.

[asprince]

I love my 7.3 powerstroke. It burns 25 - 50 gallons of WVO per week and will pull anything. I just wish it was 4wd.

Steve

[skflyfish]

We were raised "green" and still consider myself "green", but in the olden days we would have just called ourselves "responsible" or "tightwads"  .

I can hear the klomp of your wooden shoes all the way to Hesperia. 

Jay

[skflyfish]

Good for you Brian.

I have been trying to become more energy and food soverign for about 8 years.

1.25 KW solar capacity in 3 arrays including one for the hen house.
wood heat.
telecommute (not driving saves a lot of time and fuel).
garden 1.25 acres of 2.5 acres. I have very little yard anymore.  Trips to the Amish store are for wheat, butter and spices.
laying hens plus a rooster.
meat chickens every couple of years.
make cheese (reusable bottles).
water well is artesian.
bake all bread needs.
make beer and wine. re-using bottles is very green.
on demand hot water. only use 200 gallons of propane a year for water and cooking.
NO DRYER! that is a huge energy hole.
maple syrup in the spring time.
adding more fruit trees every year.
tried a small air-x wind turbine, but wind is really overrated and anything made in China doesn't last.
can lotsa salmon.
only use a 11 cu ft freezerless fridge (400 watt-hours/day) and small 7.2 cu ft freezer is in the garage on it's own solar array.
compost everything.
seed save heirloom varieties.
small green house to start plants in spring plus a few tomatoes in summer.
musrhroom logs for shitake, oyster and miatake mushrooms. (still waiting for first harvest)
wild forage other mushrooms, ramps, wild blueberries, blackberries, black raspberries and sugar plums.
can finished goods like corn soup (hominy made from wood ashes) and maple baked beans.
tractor is diesel. I bet I use only 5 gallons a year for tilling.


oh ya .... bees.

My fossil fuel inputs are down and getting lower. 800 kwh from the grid last year. 200 gallons of propane and only drove 6,000 miles @ 35 mpg.

I will say it is a lot of work, but I feel good about it all.

Jay

p.s. two thumbs up on Salatin

[Scadsobees]

I can hear the klomp of your wooden shoes all the way to Hesperia. 

Jay

Ha! You got me pegged on that one!!  100%....

[skflyfish]

My Scotch blood and upbringing pretty much mirrors the Dutch, though I think y'all may win this one. 

Oh the stories of trying to make a living in da U.P. in the early 1900s. That will teach you green. 

I can hear the klomp of your wooden shoes all the way to Hesperia. 

Jay

Ha! You got me pegged on that one!!  100%....