Interview with Steve of UVPaqlite
Equip To Endure‘s Adam Francis interviewed the creator of the UVPaqlite at Mesquite’s Self-Reliance Expo last weekend. This product is truly amazing! Enjoy the video:
Self-Reliance Expo: FalloutX
FalloutX provides products designed to handle minor, moderate, and acute fallout associated with radioactive events. Their website has many articles to support the education of their product’s use. They offer solutions beyond the traditional potassium iodate/iodide that most Americans only learned about as a result of Daichi’s disaster last spring.
On their site, they also offer valuable maps that provide real-time information on conditions, weather patterns, and detected radiation. Access their maps by clicking HERE.
From their website:
- If you are in the northern hemisphere, what level of Fukushima fallout are you breathing, eating, and drinking?
- Do you live near a nuclear power plant where an earthquake, flood, or similar event could cause fallout?
The U.S. Government, in 1963, sanctioned the addition of pectin in the Alaskan Brooks Range Native diet. Average total body load of radio-nuclides (radioactive fallout) was 100 times above normal. Decades later, LM pectin and kelp were administered to the children of Belarus, dramatically reducing their high body-load of 137Cs and 90Sr particles. *
Please visit their website and also be sure to visit them at the Self-Reliance Expo, booth 312.
Self-Reliance Expo: Fort Worth Coin Company
The Fort Worth Coin Company will be attending Mesquite’s Self-Reliance Expo this weekend. They will be in booth 708.
Fort Worth Coin Company deals in Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium and Rare Coins. They specialize in buying and selling rare coins and precious metals. Fort Worth Coin Company has been in the coin business for over 3 decades and is dedicated to their customers. Our store front is a land mark in the Fort Worth Texas area.
The owner, Michael Launi, is a well known numismatist and is a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA), Texas Numismatic Association (TNA), Oklahoma Numismatic Association (ONA) and Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).
Fort Worth Coin Company strives to offer the best prices in the industry. They are committed to High Volume purchases carefully timed to market conditions to get you, the buyer, the best Gold, Silver Platinum and Palladium products at the lowest price. Their services have provide value to many regular customers.
Self-Reliance Expo: Dallas Chicken Coops
We are pleased to announce that DallasChickenCoops.com will be attending the Self-Reliance Expo this weekend in Mesquite, Texas! They will be in booths 510-512 and will be glad to answer your questions regarding building your own chicken coops, chicken coop plans & blueprints, valuable resources available to raising poultry, and many more topics related to the subject.
From their website:
Our main focus is chicken coops. There are several challenges when trying to find the right chicken coop. There are usually not that many designs available locally. So, many chicken owners are faced with building a chicken house themselves or paying to have one shipped to them. Shipping these chicken coops is not cheap!
We offer a different solution! We will bring the chicken coop to you in the Dallas area. We can build the coop on site. You can choose from any of the designs we have available or we can do custom work to suit your needs. We can build custom chickens coops in your backyard. Tell us what you want and we will get you a free quote.
Please be sure to pay them a visit and get their advice on chicken coops.
Homestead Gadgets & Technology: The Fencerunner
January/February 2012
This article was featured recently by our friends at BackWoodsHome.com. This is just one of the reasons I enjoy their magazine. It provides insight into Self-Reliant living, educational articles, along with humor & classifieds too!
Author: Dietmar Berg
Here’s a gadget I developed to run barb or barbless wire. You mount it on the back of a pickup truck using the ball hitch (see drawing) so the wire can spin off the roll. I call the device the Fencerunner and am currently trying to market it. It works like a charm and saved me hours of work, enabling my sons and I to do a quarter mile fence in 45 minutes.
The unit uses the ball hitch or tunnel hitch attachment found on some cars and most trucks. It can be adjusted to use one or two rolls of wire. It consists of two units, the fork unit and the bar unit. The fork is installed as shown in the figure. The ball itself is used to secure the fork unit to the hitch. The bar unit consists of a shaft assembly to hold the wire rolls. The shaft of the bar unit is inserted through the wire rolls. The disc is next and then the spacer. The bar unit has three spacers for different width wire rolls. The next step is to lift the bar unit and insert the two slots on the fork unit.
Two views of the Fencerunner, one showing a tunnel hitch installation and the other a ball hitch installation.
With my first prototype, I had to lift an 80-pound roll and drop it over a vertical shaft. I found this difficult, so with my second prototype I made the fork unit with more of a horizontal angle.
You need to park the vehicle as close to the fence posts as possible, securing the end of the wire from the roll to the first post to start the run. The vehicle is then driven slowly along the fence line as the wire spools off the roll. When the vehicle reaches the end of the run or when the wire roll has about three turns of wire left, insert the wire into one of the slots in the fork unit. This will kink the wire and keep the bar unit from turning. Then drive the vehicle forward just enough to stretch the wire. Another person can signal the driver when the wire is taut. At this point the wire is simply lifted up to each post and secured. I didn’t need a wire stretcher when I did my fence.
The crank handle on the unit allows you to reel in the old barbwire instead of just leaving it on the ground.
This article was originally published in Issue #68 March/April 2001. CLICK HERE to begin your subscription to Backwoods Home Magazine.
Featured Product: The Doom and Bloom™ Survival Medicine Handbook
I, for one, am super-excited to pick up Dr. Bones & Nurse Amy’s new book: 
Check out the trailer for the new book:
We look forward to reviewing this book & posting that review here…Stay Tuned!
-David SafeWater
Dallas, Texas Self-Reliance Expo: WIN FREE Tickets!!!
With the Dallas’ Self-Reliance Expo right around the corner February 10-11, we want to give individuals and families the opportunities to win FREE tickets to the Self-Reliance Expo! (It’s actually gonna happen in Mesquite, just east of Dallas). What we are looking for:
- Entertaining videos which highlight/demonstrate your most innovative Self-Reliance Creations, Contraptions, or Inventions (this can include modifications to products that you use or a tool that you created to fit your needs)
- A brief & entertaining instructional video that teaches a Self-Reliance Skill or Short-Cut
- A 2-3 minute silent video on anything Self-Reliance themed:
- Comedy/Parody
- Educational
- Entertaining/Creative
- Product Review
- A humorous video that features a song you write & perform on:
- Self-Reliance
- the Benefits/Joys of being a Prepper
- Buggin’ Out
- Things Preppers Say
- Life on the Homestead
We have plenty of tickets to give away for the most creative, fun, and entertaining submissions, so have fun & be SAFE! Only selected submissions will win tickets to the event. Winners will be selected by judges from the Self-Reliance Expo, based on creativity & entertainment. We look forward to seeing your content!
It almost goes without saying, but please remember that the content should be appropriate for families to share & we will be featuring the winners on the Self-Reliance Facebook fanpage, an interview, and will likely be featured on other websites online. By submitting the content, you are allowing the Self-Reliance Expo to use that content in a promotional manner, with the opportunity to win a prize of tickets for admission to the Self-Reliance Expo referenced above. You must be the original producer of the content that you submit. Any prizes awarded for selected & featured content do not hold cash value, void where prohibited, winner must confirm contact, blah, blah, blah…
Several Ways to Submit Content:
- Upload your content to your YouTube account & Email the link to david[at]selfrelianceexpo[dot]com, or
- Upload your content to your Facebook account & share it on the Self-Reliance Expo Facebook Fanpage, or
- Send an Email to: david[at]selfrelianceexpo[dot]com with a link to your content outside of Youtube & Facebook
Winning submissions will be notified via email and announced here & on the Self-Reliance Facebook Fanpage. Content will be accepted until February 6, 2012, with the earliest announcement of Ticket winners beginning this Saturday, January 28, 2012. We are accepting submissions from anywhere and everywhere. Remember: be safe, have fun, and be creative!
I’m thinking that if we get enough submissions…we can open it up for a grand prize winner to be announced at the February’s Self-Reliance Expo…the Grand Prize will be awarded to the winner there. The Grand Prize is yet to be determined….but it’s gonna be GOOD!
-David SafeWater
Dallas, Texas Self-Reliance Expo: G & R Foods, Red Feather Butter & Cheese, & Bega Cheddar Cheese
Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with Laurie Gawronski of G & R Foods, Incorporated. Laurie heads the sales of Ballantyne Butter and Bega canned cheddar cheese. Although G & R is based in Wisconsin, they are the largest domestic wholesaler of New Zealand’s Ballantyne butter brand and the nation’s exclusive importer of Australia’s Bega cheddar cheese.
Laurie confirmed that not only will samples of the butter & cheese be available at the Expo, but there will also be an incentive for group purchases of the products. According to her, group buys of the product are popular because of their established and well-known quality. In fact, I also learned that G & R will also have a newer product available at the show. I will let you know more about that product within the next couple of weeks before the Expo, running February 10-11, 2012 in Mesquite, Texas.
Ballantyne's Red Feather Creamery Butter
Ballantyne Butter
Ballantyne is the world’s largest producer of canned butter. Sealed airtight for maximum freshness, this canned butter delivers convenience in the form of extended shelf-life and easy distribution without the need for refrigeration. Take it anywhere. It’s ideal for camping, boating and remote areas where refrigeration is not available. There is no defined expiration date because its shelf-life is primarily dependent upon storage conditions (temperature, humidity, altitude, sunlight/shade, etc.) G& R Foods, Inc., does guarantee the shelf life for two years however, the actual shelf life of the butter will ultimately depend on the storage conditions (temperature being the main factor) and the seal of the can remaining intact. Protection from exposure to oxygen & extreme temperatures will make the butter last for a very long time. Oh, and there are no artificial colors or preservatives. Ballantyne butter is a product of New Zealand.
Bega Cheddar Cheese
Bega Cheese
Bega has been making cheese since 1899 and has found a way to put great tasting cheddar cheese in a can. This product has a natural cream color with medium cheddar flavor and a pleasing texture. The cheese is easy to cut, grate or slice. It’s great melted on a burger, on hashbrowns or just straight out of the can. There is no expiration date on the cans, only the date of production. These cans are guaranteed for 730 days, but if stored properly, will last much longer. This cheese is also hormone free. There are no artificial colors or flavors.
Win a FREE 1-Year Subscription to Backwoods Home Magazine, TONIGHT January 20, 2012
January/February 2012 Issue
Announcing: Have you wanted to add Backwoods Home Magazine (BHM) to your Red Shed of Self-Reliance Tools? Have you read one of the great educational articles available in their publication? Well, now is your chance to win a FREE 1-year subscription to the PRINT edition of BHM!
BHM has partnered with Red Shed Media Group and the Self-Reliance Expo to air their internet radio show on the Preparedness Radio Network. BHM Radio will air every other Friday at 8 PM Central Standard Time. The BHM Radio show strengthens the magazine’s commitment providing others with practical ideas for self-reliant living.
Tune-in to BHM Radio tonight (Click Here to go to BHM Radio) at 8 PM CST. Here is tonight’s show description:
Tonight 1/20/2012, on BHM Radio , the official Backwoods Home Magazine radio show, your hosts Colorado Ron and Bubba Davinci will be introducing themselves and discussing what the future brings for both BHM Radio and Self Reliance Exposed.
Tonight we have two guests who are long time writers for BHM, Jackie Clay, who specializes in homesteading, and Massad Ayoob, a guns and weaponary specialist.
Follow these steps for your chance to win a FREE 1-year subscription. (In order to win, you MUST create a Username with Blogtalkradio) Follow these instructions to create your username with Blogtalkradio:
- Click the Show Link to go to Blogtalkradio, or CLICK HERE.
- In the upper right corner of the screen click CREATE MY TALK SHOW
- Select Choice #1 & Enter a Username, your Email, and a password. Confirm your password before moving on.
- Deselect “Email me occasional updates” if desired.
- To finish registering, click the link “Click here”
- You will then need to check your email for a confirmation link.
- Once you have your confirmation, simply follow the link to the LIVE radio show and join the chat!
Colorado Ron & Scott will ask a question about Backwoods Home Magazine during the show. The first listener who is logged in to chat NOT AS A GUEST but with a registered screen and who answers the question correctly in the chatroom will win the 1-year subscription to Backwoods Home Magazine! If that happens to be you, Ron & Scott will need to follow up with you to claim your prize.
Be sure to Like Us on Facebook!:
Enjoy the show & Good luck!
Shelf Reliance Consultants @ Dallas, Texas Self-Reliance Expo, Feb. 10-11, 2012
Texas Shelf Reliance®
For those of you out there who enjoy the free samples given out at Costco, Farmer’s Markets, or In-Home Presentations, you’re in for a treat at the upcoming Self-Reliance Expo just outside of Mesquite, Texas in three weeks. A team of select Independent Consultants from Shelf-Reliance® & Thrive™ Foods will be there, coordinated by John & Diane Runnells. The Runnells are based out of North Richland Hills, Texas and are excited to share their experience and knowledge of their products.
Shelf Reliance® Consultants will include (click on any one of the links to visit their independent sites):
- John & Diane Runnells, serving North Richland Hills, Texas area
- Vicki & Emmett Koen, serving the Canton, Texas area
- Krystal Windham, also serving the Canton, Texas area
- Carrie & Michale Folsom, serving the Forney, Texas area
John & company will have fresh samples available as well as a display of their practical shelving options for storing & rotating home food storage cans. They look forward to answering your questions & arranging free consultations for individuals as well as families. Having tasted tons samples of the Thrive™ Foods, I can vouch for their quality and goodness!
Please be sure to visit their websites where there are many valuable tools available to guide your food storage. Some of the free online tools available through Shelf Reliance® include:
- Their online store of course!
- Food Calculator- calculate your family’s food storage needs
- Shelf Reliance® University- learn about food storage & becoming better prepared
- Recipes- get tastefully creative with your food storage!
- How to host a Food Storage Party in your Home
- The Thrive™ Q- develop your own personalized food storage solutions
- & Many more…
We look forward to seeing you all in Dallas! Please visit www.SelfRelianceExpo.com for details. To order discounted tickets, please visit the Self Reliance Expo Fanpage on Facebook & be sure to Like it.
-David SafeWater
Lehman’s 2012 Cast Iron Recipe Drawing: Enter to Win a Gift Card!
Lehman’s-”the world’s purveyor of historical non-electric merchandise technology”- is hosting a drawing for a recipe which utilizes cast iron cookware in one of four possible categories:
- Main Dish
- Dessert
- Bread
- Breakfast
I want to point out that this is a drawing and not a contest to select a preferred recipe. All submissions/entries must be received by Lehman’s by February 1, 2012 at the latest, and the drawing will occur approximately one week later. One winning entry will be selected per each category, with each winner receiving a gift card, redeemable at Lehman’s for products they sell.
Once the winners are selected, their names will be posted on Lehman’s blog. Please visit Lehman’s.com for full details regarding the drawing, and GOOD LUCK!
Tech for the homestead…or maybe not?
photo credit: SiGNa Chemistry
Well, many of us are into our technology as well as our basic self-reliance skills…and we know that CES is still going on right now in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s happening at the Las Vegas Convention Center/The Venetian through Friday, January 13. With so many exciting consumer gadgets, and James Bond-like contraptions, there is a lot of buzz about nifty products Inspector Gadget would be proud to own!
Here’s one of the craziest things I’ve read in the last 24 hours via SFGate:
[SiGNa Chemistry] is ready to sell [the PowerTrekk™ Fuel Cell Charger] that can put the juice back in your cell phone, iPod or GPS device just by adding a little water.
And if there’s no water available, it works with urine.
That’s right, they are promoting their product’s pee-power-production-for-phones! Now, I am not terribly anxious to unzip to recharge, but the idea is pretty cool…if you get stuck in the boonies and are able-to-get-cell-coverage-to-make-an-emergency-call-but-need-to-charge-your-phone-first. Seriously, this product sounds like more of a novelty item for several reasons:
- The retail price point is too high (for my taste) for a product that is more of a convenience gadget than a necessity. I’d rather put $200 toward splitting a cow, or getting a new Sun Oven™ , or tons of Sport Berkey® bottles, or toward a Humless Power System!
- If I find myself stranded in the wilderness outside of cell range, one of the last priorities I have is to power my electronic gadget…water, food, & shelter are first on my list…and this device will tax the precious blue-gold you are trying to conserve…or at least its golden by-product.
- Again, how inconvenienced must I be in order to spend $12 for the chance to charge my phone 6 times ($2 per phone charge)? Perhaps this is best suited for business people who rely on their cell phones while traveling internationally…
...like this guy
I like the ingenuity & commitment it takes to produce a product such as this cell charger, but we’ll see how many REIers use this on the homestead.
Can you think of a creative/funny scenario where you would want to use this product? If so, write us an email and we’ll post the funniest/most creative response we get! Send responses to david[at]thomesteadbasics[dot]com.
StockUpFood- How do I calculate my food storage?
One of the reasons I have a such a great time traveling to Utah is because of the almost endless amount of creative products & services having to do with Self-Reliance, Homesteading, Emergency Preparedness, and just plain old frugal living. I recently met two brothers who have created the coolest functional and neatest looking site aimed at helping people calculate the basics for food storage…and emergency supplies…
Please visit this site and set up a FREE account!
Here’s why I signed up with them:
- I started off with the free version and experienced just how simple it is.
- After I set-up my account & inputted where I’m currently at, I decided that I wanted to extend my goal & customize my plan.
- In order to customize your plan, you’ll need to pay for the upgrade…only $3 a month!!!
- Once you upgrade, you can also input your current inventory of Emergency Supplies & customize that plan too!
- Their site is super simple to navigate…and it’s a great looking one too!
Another aspect I liked about their customization option is that it allows a family like mine to address dietary requirements specific to our situation…same goes with the Emergency Supplies option in their “recommended account”. The recommended account is their way of referring to the paid version.
Check them out & have a blast!
-HomesteadBasics
Win A Country Living Grain Mill
Open to the public! Here is your chance to win a Country Living Grain Mill!
Only at the Self Reliance Expo
April 8-9, 2011
National Western Complex
Denver CO
View a demo below:
$12 Storage Containers
With Spring right around the corner, I was starting to get a bit of cabin fever. Since we recently moved into our home, there was still some organizing that needed done. I needed to get my shop more organized so that Ill be ready for upcoming Spring projects.
While shopping around Home Depot
the other day I found some very cost effective Homestead storage bins. I heard about these on another site, but didn’t think there would be any left. They are manufactured by Best Plastics and only sold through Home Depot. They are called the Strong Box. They came in at just under $12 each.
I promise you for what they are, they are very durable. I tested them out, loaded them, dropped them from the top shelf, stacked them, strapped them, etc. I even sprayed them with water. Although they ARE NOT waterproof, no water entered during the water test. I am impressed at the amount of space you get for $12. The 27 gallons of capacity works great and makes them very manageable. They stack nicely and actually lock into each other. You can even mount them lid to lid and they stack lock. They have 3 slits on each side so you can run straps through and tighten them down. They claim to be able to load up to 750lbs. I did NOT test this, and honestly, I kinda doubt it. It may hold it, but would warp out of shape so bad that you wouldn’t be able to move it. I did load one half full with ammo. It was super heavy, and more than you would want to load into them, especially climbing a ladder. It held together just fine.
This lids have a grid design that really helps with sturdiness. The bottom and walls of the container are designed with similar grids to help strengthen the unit.
If you are in the market for cost effective storage containers, these are it!
Here are a few more pics:
GrainMaker- The Hand-Crafted Grain Mill
GrainMaker is based out of Montana and builds one of the best quality grain mills that I have ever had the privileged to use. Their mill is designed to make quick work of grinding grains of all types.
They are designed to outlast YOU! I love this product! Every part of the mill including the body, handle, hopper, stainless steel GrainBreaker auger and high quality alloy grinding burrs are made on-site, so they know they can guarantee the quality. Many of the GrainMaker’s parts are machined from solid material, including the dust cover, adjustment knob, main shaft and GrainBreaker auger.
The GrainMaker mill is easy to assemble and take apart. Simply turn the adjustment knob counter-clockwise to remove it, remove the front burr, lift off the dust cover and remove it, turn the stationary burr clockwise about 15° to remove, and pull out the stainless steel GrainBreaker auger. That’s it! Reverse the order and attach the handle to assemble.
I promise, this is the last one you will ever have to buy! Here is a quick video demonstrating it:
We are proud to announce that GrainMaker will be attending the upcoming Self Reliance Expo! So swing by their booth and get your hands on one!
My Visit to Emergency Essentials
I w
as back in Utah last week and had a chance to finally visit an Emergency Essentials store. It was great! I look through their catalog every time it comes in the mail, but to actually visit the store was a real treat. They had everything that was in their catalog, but it was nice to hold it in my hand. While I was there a grabbed a couple of things we could use, but was easy enough to haul back to Colorado. The main cool toy was the Bucket Opener. These are super handy and cheap. Makes opening and closing food storage buckets a ton easier. They ranged from $1.95 to $14.95 for a full aluminum one that does it all. The plastic ones seemed fairly strong. I opted for the one picked below, they were $4.95 and included a bung opener for our water storage barrels. I bought 10 of them so if anyone in Colorado wants one, let me know and you can save the shipping. I also grabbed a couple other items. I bought the Sportsman Lighter , 8 Emergency Ponchos, and a Portable Toilet kit.
The portable toilet kit is great. You can use a regular 5 gallon bucket and snap this toilet seat setup on it. This gives you a nice portable toilet you can use and easily relocate if needed. I bought this more for camping, but would come in handy in times of emergencies.
This has become my new favorite store! Whenever I am visiting Utah I will be sure to swing in for more essentials.
Smith and Wesson Urban Survival Knife
Knife: Urban Survival Knife Designer: Morgan Taylor Maker: Taylor Brands LLC www.taylorbrandsllc.com —————————————- Knife Design: Survival Blade Pattern: Sawback Drop Point Grind: Flat —————————————- Blade Material: 440C Rockwell Hardness: 57-58 Blade Length: 8″ (20.32 cm) Blade Thickness: .196″ (5 mm) —————————————- Liners: None Bolster Material: None Handle Material: G-10 Handle Length: 5 3/4″ (14.60 cm …
Eglu-An Instant Chicken Coop
I thought this was a nifty product for urban homesteaders. The Eglu is an easy to setup chicken coop that can house 4 medium sized chickens or 6 bantams. The eglu features Twin wall insulation, draft free ventilation, perching bars, a nesting box, and plenty of trays that make it easy to clean and easy to collect eggs. Choose from 5 colors of 100% recycled plastic.
10 Brilliant, Boxy and Sustainable Shipping Container Homes
By Joe Wertz
Shipping containers are tough. Built from weathering steel, these building blocks of international trade are designed to withstand stacking, stuffing and strapping and are reused over and over. There are roughly 17 million of these containers floating, riding and flying around the world today, but the recent sustainable design trend has found these containers re-purposed to carry a more fragile cargo — humans.
Eight feet tall, eight feet wide and either 20 or 40 feet long, the containers don’t contain much space, but architects and building designers on the next page don’t exactly build within the box, so hit the jump and size up 10 great shipping container homes.
The Four Room House
Stacked vertically on four different floors, Belgian architects Pieter Peelings and Silvia Mertens of Sculp(IT) have created a compact home for streamlined living. Each of the four small rooms serves a specific function. From the bottom up, a spiral staircase links a work floor, kitchen/dining floor, the living room floor and on the uppermost floor, a bedroom and bathroom space. [pic via]
Port-a-bach
Atelier Workshop’s Port-a-bach is a portable retreat designed to have a low-impact use on its host landscape. The housing unit can be dropped on site by helicopter or delivered by truck and easily connects to local utilities. The home unfolds to “comfortably sleep” two adults and two children and has a bedroom and integrated kitchen and storage cupboards. [pic via]
Ecopod
The Ecopod is a small and energy-efficient way for a homeowner to get off the grid. The container home is easily transported and secure enough to leave in remote locations for extended lengths of time. Each Ecopod is powered by an 80-watt solar panel, floored with rubber made from recycled tires and insulated with a soy-based product.
Espace Mobile
The affordable and modular Espace Mobile home is designed to be customized, a process the designer likened to adding options to a new car purchase. The homes are made to retain heat and conserve energy and can be tweaked to include a balcony or all manner of roof and interior configurations. [pic via]
Container City
Urban Space Management’s Container City system makes the most use of urban space utilizing the innate design benefit of shipping containers — stacking. The modular units can be used for homes, apartments, office and work spaces and simply bolt together. The Container City designs are already being used by youth centers and for classrooms, art studios and retail spaces around the world.
Greentainer
An Exposure Architects project to create an eco-sustainable building and to reduce CO2 emissions, the Greentainer uses available resources and a solar panel to power the small housing unit, which could be used on an existing site as an accessory building or as a small cabin space in a remote location.
Zigloo
Keith Dewey used shipping containers to create a 2,000 square-foot home in Victoria, British Columbia. Using the recycled container building blocks, which only cost Dewey a few thousand dollars each, he was able to build his Zigloo, a three-bed/two-bath home with an open floor plan, five balconies and a full basement.
Redondo Beach Container House
Built around California’s notoriously stringent construction codes, De Maria Design’s Redondo Beach Container House is sleek and contemporary, barely hinting at the recycled and sustainable nature of the house. The American Institute of Architects gave the home design a 2007 award for innovative design, which incorporates the used shipping containers, which are integrated with traditional home building techniques.
Mobile Dwelling Unit
Each volume of LOT-EK’s Mobile Dwelling Unit serves a specific function. Built for those “moving around the globe,” the transportable MDU travels with its owner, returning to its shipping container roots by storing all their possessions and belongings during the trip. [pic via]
All Terrain Cabin
Big enough for a family of four and a pet, BARK’s All Terrain Cabin was designed so its owners could live off the grid, but not without comfort. The home can be transported by train, truck, plane or helicopter and when folded up, resembles a typical shipping container. Once installed, it expands into a 480 square-foot living space.
Duct Tape “Head to Head” Review!
What’s the Best Tape? Abusive Lab Test
Duct tape’s versatility is almost a cliché—we’ve seen it used for everything from wallet construction to hull repair to, well, patching ducts. But can it beat newfangled multiuse tapes? We pit the standby against three challengers, testing each tape’s tensile strength, the tenacity of its adhesive and how it worked after a week underwater.
Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Fair
Thought I would post this up! I just found out about it and will be making every effort to be there. I looks to be very informative and I will be updating the blog with all my findings while there! GO HERE to find out more info!
September 19-20, 2009
FAIR LOCATION
Fort Collins, Colorado
FAIR HOURS
Saturday 10am – 6pm
Sunday 10am – 5pm
FAIR ADMISSION
$8/day, Kids under 12 free
Tickets at the entrance
2008 Inspiring Statistics
Exhibitors 225 — SOLD OUT
Attendees 11,873
Workshops 86
Volunteers 276
ONLY 275 lbs of trash
84% waste diversion
3502lbs Electronics Recycled
Emergency Radio
Since our new homestead is in the famed tornado alley, the first piece of gear we bought was a Midland emergency radio. The specific radio we chose was a Midland WR-100c. Once we had our county and surrounding counties programmed into it , it just sits there quietly monitoring for any emergency broadcasts. Once it picks it up and sounds off an alarm and announces the emergency. Its a great little radio and proved valuable within the first 72 hours we got it. The alarm went off and our family gathered around to hear what was going on. Severe storm advisory was announced and several areas reporting hail! Uh-oh, better get our vehicles in the garage. Glad we did, within 15 minutes we had severe winds and rain. No hail luckily, but the little radio proved its worth! I advise any homesteader to grab one of these. For the price, its deffinatly worth it.