step by step, piece by piece

Not everyone can build a home and live off the grid, and many, if not most would not want to. That is the Free and American way. But each of us, whether we already own a home in the burbs or are building a new home, on or off-grid, can make a difference in every community.

By taking a stand and allowing others the Right to build their own home, in the manner of their choosing (as long as another's person or property is not harmed - there are laws to deal with that). Allow the freedom to engage in the changes that must take place all over the world.

Changes need to be made in the political arena... Our representatives must allow us the freedom to build and/or make changes to our homes, without ridiculous laws and special interest regulationsl, which cause many unnecessary hindrances and an excessive increase in cost. This is the burden of our society. The high cost of housing is outrageous and unnecessary.
The "American Dream" has failed many people for these very reasons. A lifetime of endless debt just to own a humble home... on top of that, having to pay a "mortgage" to the government, usually called a tax, fee, or fine, for the use of your own property, yet enacted with a ruse that it will make us "better" in some way, causes great harm to our society!

For the emerging industrial/technological nations of the world, fossil fuels cannot support the exploding populations the way we now live, in the US. Neither can we continue to live the way we do, heavily dependent on foreign oil. The age of fossil fuels is waning. If we don't begin to meet the needs of the decline of oil (see: Peak Oil articles) soon, we will all be scrambling for light, warmth, food and other needs, in ways we don't wish to contemplate.

Begin the change... become change.
"Be the change you want to see in the world" - Gandhi

Most people can retrofit their homes so that they function on a more sustainable level.  Here are some things you can do:

Reduce energy consumption

* Replace poorly functioning appliances that use lots of electricity and/or water. Like refrigerators, hot water tanks ("on demand" water heaters are a good option) and clothes washers.

* Hang clothes out to dry. Fresh air breezes helps limit the use of chemically laden products that eventually gets into our water source. Stop supporting the chemical industry... perfumes and dyes, are mostly petrochemicals.

* Add switches so you can turn off "phantom loads"; electric drains that run all the clocks and tiny lights on electric appliances. If you replace them, buy them without clocks. Pay more attention to cooking than to "the tubes"...

* Use compact florescent bulbs.

* Add more insulation and/or siding to your home... especially the North side.

* Replace aged windows with energy efficient ones; add more, or larger, south facing windows, to allow the sun to heat floors and walls. When the sun sets, that warmth is released to help keep the home warmer, reducing heating bills. Add a "Solar Window Heater" to a south facing window.

* Add a wind turbine or solar panel(s) - reduce the use of fossil fuels. Install solar panels or on the ground (if not blocked) so snow can easily be brushed off... and easy access to shift it for maximum solar exposure during winter. In some areas you may be able to "sell" excess energy back to the city.

* Open up a wall or two if it will allow the flow of the heat from the south side to other rooms which don't get much sun.

* South facing windows can provide a "greenhouse" environment for herbs and food... it adds humidity and a little oasis inside your home. It educates children about how food is grown... not just purchased from the store. That it takes water, care and nourishment, just like our bodies.

* Channel grey water (from clothes & dish washing - no toxic chemicals) to the garden, or recycle it to your low-flow toilet, rather than flushing potable water down the drain.

* Switch your lawn over to a garden and grow organic veggies and herbs.

* When you need to replace the shingles on your home, try solar panels that can be installed on the roof as shingles. Or put them on a wall.

The thing to remember is to not be overwhelmed by it all. Little by little, step by step, window by window, buld by bulb... your home can function better. And you would participate with the home, in the way your home is lived... not just a passive bystander in the midst of technology.