Need an opinion - Becoming self sufficient

[ar81]

I came to the idea of starting to save money to turn my home into a some sort of spacecraft system, a self-sufficient system. It is a time when oil prices make solar energy affordable, and in real terms, any dependecy with outside world is likely to affect my internal economy.

One of the problems of space is that if you throw garbage you could create a Kessler syndrome, so it won't be a matter of "throw garbage out there".

Organic food can be turned into compost and since I live indoors, I think I found an interesting piece of hardware, but I need a review to see if it actually works as advertised.

I saw this in a documentary of History Channel. It turns food into compost
http://www.naturemill.com/
Is there any other low tech option? Or this is the way to go?

I am taking bus, not using car. I turn the lights off when not needed. And I also heard about transparent solar panels made in Japan that can be attached to windows internally. Do you know where to get them?

 

[Woo482]

you sound like you are going crazy and I think you will need to import the solar panels from japan

 

[jedidia]

becoming self-suffitient mostly means needing all your time to care about your provisions and having no time at all for anything else, especially as a single person.

It may make sence for families or communities in some countries to be self-sufficient, but for a single person?? I can't think a more inefficient concept... :huh:

 

[simonpro]

Sounds hippy-like if you ask me.

Being self sufficient is virtually impossible unless you own a lot of land. Where're you going to get food from? It's amazing how much food people actually eat, a lot more than you think

 

[ar81]

Well, at least as self sufficient as I can.
I would like to minimize the impact of world economic crisis in my pocket.

 

[Ghostrider]

You need some survivalist training, then. Survivalists have had the art of self-sufficiency down cold ever since the '80s. Takes a good lot of real estate and effort.
That NatureMill gizmo looks great if you've got a garden but you can't realistically support yourself, much less a family, with that.

 

[ar81]

At least I will not be producing organic garbage with that NatureMill.
And I have indoor plants, so I save in compost.

My goals are:
1.Produce less garbage
2.Consume less energy
3.Consume less water
4.Be as selfsufficient as possible

 

[Joss]

Well.. While I understand the point of view of those that think this is pure madness.. I consider the self-sustained home an achievement as important to makind as space exploration.

Anyone remembers the film "Gattaca"?

If I ever win a lottery prize substantial enough to grant inmediate retirement one of my projects is to develop the technology to build houses, even buildings that produce energy and recycle waste to the point where external services will be almost unnecesary if neede at all.

 

[tblaxland]

My goals are:
1.Produce less garbage
2.Consume less energy
3.Consume less water
4.Be as selfsufficient as possible

Noble enough goals and our family try and do what we can in these areas too. We are not aiming to be self-sufficient but "low-impact". On your goals, here is how we are going:

1. Our local council collect general, recyclable and green waste separately. We compost some of our green waste and use it on the garden. We also have a small "worm farm" for getting nutrient rich compost and liquid fertilizer from kitchen scraps.

2. Our electricity consumption varies from 9kWh/day to 13kWh/day which is pretty good for Sydney. We have just about all our lights fluorescent instead of incandescent. Heating/cooling is by a reverse cycle air conditioner. Hot water and cooking is natural gas (means less C02 emissions for the same amount of energy compared to coal fired electricity).

3. We use about 600L/day for a family of four. 150L/person/day is about average according to Sydney Water so we could do better. We plan to install a rainwater tank at some stage but we will wait for better rebates from the government. Eventually they will release it is cheaper to pay for thousands of rain water tanks than it is to build a dam or desalination plant.

4. We have a small backyard (30sqm) of which we have dedicated about 5sqm to growing food. Currently we have oranges, lemons, mandarins, strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes, chillis and about half a dozen herbs and spices. It reduces the grocery bill somewhat and the kids enjoy the growing and harvesting.

Good luck with your project.

 

[n0mad23]

If you're in an apartment, it's pretty easy to set up a compost system on your balcony. You need to water and stir it frequently. Five gallon garbage bags filled with good soil will grow more potatoes than you'll believe.

Dumpster diving is frowned upon, but can and does provide some interesting opportunities. Things given to me so far by adventurous divers are: a 1970's US Army Chemical Warfare Division trench coat, 120 year old functional sewing machine, a beautiful dulcimer, and a mint condition venu (bass sitar).

Beware of small heavy bags - they're probably filled with cat litter.

 

[MajorTom]

Beware of small heavy bags - they're probably filled with cat litter.

n0mad, your posts are at their usual high level...

Aside from making me laugh painfully...I wonder if my always setting out so many amazingly heavy garbage cans, because of my astoundingly high quantities of soiled kitty litter, will give me negative karma...

But then I got to thinking, in terms of this self sufficiency-exploring post, if there were any practical use for soiled kitty litter. Other than stinky ballast for a hot-air balloon. :lol:

Of course one can use dry kitty litter as a non-skid when in snowy, icy climes.

 

[tl8]

3. We use about 600L/day for a family of four. 150L/person/day is about average according to Sydney Water so we could do better. We plan to install a rainwater tank at some stage but we will wait for better rebates from the government. Eventually they will release it is cheaper to pay for thousands of rain water tanks than it is to build a dam or desalination plant.

Aahh yes tank water, much better than that stuff that comes from the tap.

 

[tblaxland]

Aahh yes tank water, much better than that stuff that comes from the tap.

I'm not sure if you are being cynical there or not. My initial instinct is to think that you are... Nonetheless, health regs in Sydney say that tank water can be used for washing machines, toilets, garden watering and car washing without treatment. "First flush" devices are recommended to get rid of the initial dirty water off the roof. When I was younger we used to drink the water straight out of the tank. That was out in the bush though, I'm not so sure I'd want to drink any water straight of my polluted Sydney roof.

I'll offer up some interesting info based on my experience (our company does environmentally sustainable design consulting, among other things). This applies to Sydney only as it is heavily dependent on rainfall patterns.
For a typical sized single detached residence, the typical water use in the items mentioned in the above paragraph will be approximately equal to the average amount of rain that falls on the roof. A 5,000 to 10,000 litre tank will help average out some of the shorter term fluctuations in rainfall.

For me, when we get a water tank it will be much smaller because we don't have much space, probably 1000 to 2000 litres. We would use this for garden watering and the washing machine because these can be done without tearing into the plumbing.