Masanobu Fukuoka is a farmer/philosopher who lives on the Island of Shikoku, in southern Japan. His farming technique requires no machines, no chemicals and very little weeding. He does not plow the soil or use prepared compost and yet the condition of the soil in his orchards and fields improve each year. His method creates no pollution and does not require fossil fuels. His method requires less labor than any other, yet the yields in his orchard and fields compare favorably with the most productive Japanese farms which use all the technical know-how of modern science.

Instead of deciding which vegetables would do well in which locations he mixes all the seeds together and scatters them everywhere. He lets the vegetables find their own location, often in areas he would have least have expected.

Slow sand filter- filter your water with a simple sand filter to 99.7 cleanliness.

strange edibles

to end – this is wonderful

and some Swedish permaculture resources
swedish DN article on biochar
Sweden/ Sverige permaculture

Maybe with 2 laptops to power and 4 LED lights for the house we will be ok, store food in the basement cellar (will have to cut some rock, it is all rock in Sweden, all the way down)and do laundry in a hand-crank machine.

http://www.velacreations.com/

I have a friend, farmer Paul, that put up a wind turbine on a 30 meter pole, and no wind…. This was in NY. So i am sceptical of alternative energy, no hippie that I am. It’s just that it does seem the only way for independence.

Russian Evgeny Gvozdev sails around world 2 times in home-made boats, that cost him less than $200 – and endless hours- to build.

The third time, he was found off the coast of italy two weeks after pieces of his third boat showed up.
He was 75. And he decided not to call for help. Maybe he wanted to die at sea.
But the most inspiring thing is that he is one of the very few people left that believe in 100-percent complete responcibility for our destiny.
How many people say, I would sail the world if only I had money.
This guy made his boat by hanging it off the side of his apartment’s balcony.
Everything is possible.

And what is the worst that can happen- you’re gonna die.
But then at least you lived.

Gvozdev was a boat mechanic. I can guarantee you that he had no money, just desire.

http://www.mitchellyachts.co.uk/photos/said.html

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/stories/s637590.htm

http://parusa.narod.ru/bib/papers/gvozdev/index.htm

A cheap solar cooker has won first prize in a contest for green ideas.

The Kyoto Box is made from cardboard and can be used for sterilising water or boiling or baking food.

The Kenyan-based inventor hopes it can make solar cooking widespread in the developing world, supplanting the use of wood which is driving deforestation.

Other finalists in the $75,000 (£51,000) competition included a device for streamlining lorries, and a ceiling tile that cools hot rooms.

Organised by Forum for the Future, the sustainable development charity founded by Jonathan Porritt, the competition aims to support concepts that have “moved off the drawing board and demonstrated their feasibility” for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but have not gained corporate backing.

The Kyoto Box has the potential to transform millions of lives and is a model of scalable, sustainable innovation,” said Peter Madden, the forum’s chief executive.

It is made from two cardboard boxes, which use reflective foil and black paint to maximise absorption of solar energy.

Covering the cooking pot with a transparent cover retains heat and water, and temperatures inside the pot can reach at least 80C.

As many as two billion people in the world use firewood as their primary fuel.

The official website (no information )
http://kyoto-energy.com/
The BBC article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7991654.stm
sky news link

Roger Sanders’ Waste Oil Heater

Roger Sanders has solved all the problems that make Mother Earth News waste oil heaters difficult to use. His new MEN heater design is simple, reliable and easy to use, it’s quiet and uses no electricity, it has reliable oil flow and a wide heat range, it’s easy to light and easy to clean. “In other words, it is a practical design that you can use day in and day out for seriously heating your dwelling or workshop without costing you a lot of time and frustration.”

http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/me11.html
I’m going to post an update on the toxicity of heating with used motor oil.

For machine construction, no electricity is necessarily needed, and the materials can come from old unused car parts.

The multimachine can be used as a one-stop machine shop, to fix cars, make tools, and improve life.
I’m thinking of making one for the farm.

The MultiMachine http://opensourcemachine.org/the-multimachine

Stationary Water Filters

For heavy use

Berkey Filter

http://www.berkeywater.com/
Berkey filters are recommended worldwide as the best
Berkey system removes pathogenic bacteria, cysts and parasites entirely and extracts harmful chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, VOCs, organic solvents, radon 222 and trihalomethanes. It also reduces nitrates, nitrites and unhealthy minerals such as lead and mercury. This system is so powerful it can remove red food coloring from water without removing the beneficial minerals your body needs. Virtually no other system can duplicate this performance.

A wonderful idea to save lots of money is to buy just the filters and use two buckets. One to pour the water in (and have the filters), the other to collect water.

You should use food grade plastic or stainless steel.

DIY Berkey filter on the cheap

Save $100 or more in 5 minutes.
Set of Two 9″ Black Berkey Water Purification Elements

Needed: 2 Berkey filters / filter elements ($100 or less, shop around), Two five gallon buckets, a spigot.

Tools: drill or knife.

1)Drill or cut an appropriate size  hole for the threaded filter tube on the bottom of the filter in the top  bucket and in the lid of  the other bucket

making sure that they line up

2) put the threaded filter tip section through the bottom of the bucket and then the lid of the second bucket

3)secure with nut that comes with the filter. Place this on the other 5 gallon bucket and fill the top with water. Have a base for the bottom bucket (secure with wood, wire, rope) so the filter does not topple over.

Optional) Add a spigot to the bottom bucket to get the clean water out.

I would suggest the recieving container is larger than the top container, that way you can add more water to the top without worrying about overflow.
Here is a good starter link

If you think you will only need to filter water in emergencies (floods, blackouts) there are cheaper options, although not as reliable.

Just Water, ceramic drip filter

Hiking and outdoors

When you are out in nature, often filtering water through a cloth filter and adding iodine or chlorine bleach is enough.

Some people use an ultraviolet pen or oxygen.

It is a better idea to use a filter with charcoal, membranes and silver, as this will take out pathogens and chemicals more efficiently, provided the filter is fresh.

details by maker:

The whole project cost around $15 from HomeDepot. There is one bolt that goes through the hub, and a coupling that links that to a bolt that is half metal threads and half wood threads. That’s really about all that it takes. The pots hang off of simple stainless hooks attached to the rim and spokes.

Detailed instructions

some other space saving ideas:

• magnetic knife strip

(get some magnets from old harddrives or refrigerator doors for free!)

alternatively, it’s $8 at ikea
and some clever hacks for it