The mention of living off the grid brings a mental picture to mind of a small cabin in the middle of nowhere, snowy hillsides in the background, a water pump in front next to an old wooden outhouse, fire logs stacked up neatly on the side of the place, crops growing in the back, and some cattle grazing nearby.
For some, this may seem daunting, but for most people — who love the great outdoors — living off the grid is like a dream come true. However, you don’t have to live in a secluded area deep in the mountains or far out in the countryside away from everything to live off the grid.
While being focused on creating an eco-friendly indoor space, sometimes, we forget to create an equally eco-friendly outdoor space. Luckily, the summer is the perfect time to make your outside space as green as possible. It doesn’t matter whether you have a lawn or just a window: Making your available outdoor area natural, efficient, and eco-friendly can be really easy and fun. Try any of these tips:
Tech is advancing at such a rapid pace it'll leave your head spinning. A view years ago, projects like community solar didn't even exist. Nowadays, the federal government offers tax incentives on solar panels and individual states are piling on their own tax breaks. One thing for certain, whether you go with your own rooftop solar panels or buy into a community solar farm, you WILL save money in the long term.
But which one will save you the most money and is there a way to overcome your lack of roof space? Read on to find the answers and ask questions in the comments if you get confused!
While we may be getting more conscious about how we are using utilities, it hasn’t stopped large amounts of energy waste. We’ve all received the bill and wondered how and when we used as much energy as we did.
Fortunately, through advances in technology, there are now products that help save you money and help save the environment. This technology, known as smart home tech, does all the work for you: regulating your heating and cooling, monitoring water usage, shutting off lights, and so much more.
Kinetic energy is the energy created by movement and it’s one of the most underutilized forms of renewable energy out there
Think about it; what if you could harvest the movement of dancers at a festival? What if we could store the energy given off by volcanoes exploding in Hawaii? What if the waves on a beach could power an ice-cream truck?
With Silicon Valley and other tech hubs hurtling along at break-neck speeds, these wild claims are becoming a reality.
When you gaze out onto the ocean, your mind probably thinks of the glorious marine life, the vast depths, and wonder of coral reefs and dolphins. Something you might not think of though is the huge amounts of plastic pollution floating, sinking, and decomposing in the ocean.
It’s a hard concept to grasp. Even though you might not see heaps upon heaps of plastic pollution in the ocean, it’s there, and it’s dramatically altering the lives of the marine animals that call the sea home.
If you’re unaware of plastic pollution -- both what it is, exactly, and the amounts that are piling up in our oceans -- you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to explain the origin of plastic pollution, how it piles up in our oceans, and the steps you can take to reduce it.
The problem is getting worse and worse every day. It’s only with calculated steps, strategic planning, of the dispersion of knowledge that we can help to fight plastic pollution in our vast waters.
Missing the next big business trend is like missing the bus to school when you were younger. No matter how fast you run, you're just not going to make it to school in time.
What if I told you 193 countries agreed to work together to solve extreme poverty by 2030?
You’d be a little surprised right? People have been looking for ‘the cure to poverty’ for a long time with little success.
Well, they did, and that's not all. They signed up to address all sorts of issues, including environmental destruction, equality, and even corruption.
To identify and combat the most pressing problems, the UN spent three years researching and debating, and eventually came up with 169 individual goals under the umbrella name; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
With the amount of attention solar and wind power have been getting in the mass media, it's almost like other renewable power sources don't exist.
Interestingly enough, not only are there other alternatives, but some countries rely on them to make the majority of their energy and meet their renewable energy quotas. Countries that don't have consistent sun or wind have been looking towards alternatives like Geothermal and Hydroelectricity for decades. A combination of these two methods has allowed Iceland and Puerto Rico almost to go 100% renewable with their energy consumption.
Although typically on a large scale, these alternative sources can be scaled down and installed in small, rural communities -- giving them the power they need to escape the confines of poverty.
By popularizing all types of renewable energy resources, we can rely on renewable energy sources even more in the future.
So you've done the research and are convinced that solar power is the way to go. After all, it's a no-brainer. Lowering your electricity bill while saving the planet at the same time makes you a real-life superhero! You just have one problem holding you back.
Your home isn’t a stand-alone with it’s own roof… it’s an apartment or condominium with a strict condo association.
Is it even possible to install solar panels when the condo association can't even agree on how to manage the trash?
Yes, of course, it's possible! It just takes a little legwork and a friendly neighborly chats or two. You have four options to choose from when going solar, each varying in effort and reward. Choose which one suits you best, and you are ready to harness the everlasting power of the sun!
Installing a solar array or getting your own wind-turbine can be an expensive investment for some. Sure, it pays itself back over the next few years, but the lump sum can be a hefty investment.
Just because you can't afford to go off the grid right this second, it doesn't mean you can't do your part to help the environment. By tweaking your everyday habits, you reduce your carbon footprint and spread the worldwide message of sustainability.
These 5 simple habits will cost you nothing and maybe even save you money!
If you want to learn about solar panels, you've come to the right place! But first, let me ask a quick question...
Are you good at science?
No? Yes? Maybe you didn’t quite make it past high-school level?
Either way, you don't need to worry about it! We've distilled the secrets of how solar panels are made into 8 easy-to-understand steps!
The statistics of poverty are pretty scary.
Around 10% of the world's population lives in extreme poverty. And 13% of our population lives without electricity. Shockingly, 38% of people still rely on traditional biomass (wood, kerosene, and charcoal) for heating and cooking. Over 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa live in extreme poverty conditions every single day.
To assist those in poverty, we must first provide them with the infrastructure to move forward. Without access to electricity, homes are dark and dangerous, cooking is done using unsafe and potentially poisonous materials, and basic access to online learning materials is non-existent.
By solving energy poverty, we will create jobs and provide basic access to these poor communities.
Reducing or eliminating poverty is in the financial interest of society. It will bolster the economy while helping world governments achieve their sustainable energy goals.
