Going Off Grid

There will be information posted here on living off the grid, solar and wind power, etc.

Biodiesel Processors
[16 Dec 2008 | No Comment | ]

FuelMeister Biodiesel Processoriconicon

No More Fill-Ups at the Gas Station!

The FuelMeister produces approximately 40 gallons of biodiesel every 48 hours, with about one hour of operator time required per batch. Supplies typically cost 70 cents per gallon or less. Methanol is widely available as racing fuel, the lye catalyst is available at any hardware store. A safe manual methanol pump, and a precise digital scale for the lye is included, along with personal safety items rubber gloves,
safety glasses, etc. and a titration kit for testing your raw oil to see precisely how much catalyst is required. This well-engineered package is designed for safety, quality, and ease of use with ball valves and see-thru tanks and tubing.

The optional Oil Pre-Heater with thermostat accelerates production and improves yields in cold climates. It includes wrap-on insulation, heater,
and tape to fit any standard 55-gallon barrel you provide. 40″H x 20″D. 120V AC.

Only requires about 30″ x 30″ footprint when assembled, very compact. USA.

BioPro 190 Automated Biodiesel Processoriconicon

The goof-proof all-in-one way to easily make your own biodiesel

The BioPro 190 biofuel processor is designed for just about anyone who wants to economically produce their own, clean burning 100% biodiesel fuel. The compact, portable design is self-contained with individual compartments for each ingredient required to produce biodiesel. No measuring or mixing chemicals required. Simply add vegetable oil (new or used), methanol, and small amounts of sulfuric acid and lye, and start the automated process. In about 60 hours you will have 50 gallons of clean, smooth-running biodiesel.

The BioPro 190 has been designed for minimal operator involvement. The patented logic controller has built-in fault protection, which provides self monitoring and step-by-step guidance to the operator. No transfer of the finished fuel into storage or distribution tanks required. Simply pump the biodiesel directly into your vehicle or equipment fuel tank using the integrated 12-gpm filler pump.

With no titration or measuring required, simply fill everything up to indicated levels and turn on your processor. The two-stage esterification and transesterification reaction removes uncertainty and eliminates delicate, time-consuming chemical tests. One-year mfg. warranty. USA.

Organic Gardening »

The Grass Is Greener at Harvard
[13 Nov 2009 | No Comment | ]
The Grass Is Greener at Harvard The grass at Harvard University is now being grown organically, without the use of synthetic nitrogen, the base of most commercial fertilizers. Source: NYT > Organic Gardening

Organic Gardening »

Featured Plant: Sweet Potatoes
[13 Nov 2009 | No Comment | ]
Featured Plant: Sweet Potatoes Some vegetables really need to hire better PR people. The poor sweet potato suffers from being confused with the yam. No relation. And the potato. No relation. Sweet potatoes are high in fiber and good sources of Vitamins A & C. How many sweet foods can claim that? Although they're available year round, they're in season in November and December, making them popular holiday foods. But did you ever think of growing your own sweet potatoes and having a few baby sweet potatoes to snack on in early fall? Or harvesting sweet potato greens all summer? Unfortunately sweet ...

Organic Gardening »

Gardening Question of the Week: What’s the Difference Between a Variety and a Cultivar?
[13 Nov 2009 | No Comment | ]
Gardening Question of the Week: What’s the Difference Between a Variety and a Cultivar? Plant names can be very confusing. One person's 'Love Lies Bleeding' is another's 'Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate'. Then there are those taxonomy enigmas where Actaea is the plant formerly known as Cimicifuga. My feeling is, if the person you're talking to knows what you're talking about, it doesn't really matter if you've got the right name or know how to pronounce it in Latin. The only time it's truly important that you get the name of a plant right is when you are shopping for a specific plant. The full Latin name will ...

Organic Gardening »

And the Winners Are…Fall Color Photo Challenge
[13 Nov 2009 | No Comment | ]
And the Winners Are...Fall Color Photo Challenge I have a love/hate relationship with fall. I bet a lot of you do, too. It's not that I hate winter; I actually enjoy winter sports and there's nothing to compare with the sunrise after a snow storm. Still, I'd rather be outside gardening. Fall color is nature's way of easing us into the bleakness of February, in northern climates. One last hurrah and then hunker down and be patient. All the more reason to celebrate fall and that's just what the photographers in our October Garden Photo Challenge did. It was total eye candy and very hard to come to ...

Organic Gardening »

Growing Acorns
[13 Nov 2009 | No Comment | ]
Growing Acorns Maples get all the attention in the fall, but there are plenty of other trees that put on a decent display. I'm especially fond of oak trees at any time of year. There's an oak across the street from me that never seems to drop its leaves. They're still out there, hanging on, well into early spring. This year we had a bumper crop of acorns. One day when I went out to get the mail I was literally pelted with the little nuts, as they fell by the bucketful in the breeze. By now the squirrels have safely buried them in all my outdoor ...

Organic Gardening »

A Toast to this Season’s Harvest Pairing Wine with Vegetables
[13 Nov 2009 | No Comment | ]
A Toast to this Season’s Harvest Pairing Wine with Vegetables I'm an unabashed vegetable lover and even on Thanksgiving, meat is just an accompaniment to my veggies. This year, instead of matching your wine to your Turkey, choose a variety that will bring out the best in the vegetables you grew and stored for the harvest festival. Here's a cheat sheet from The Wine Guide by Williams-Sonoma and more in depth pairings from the San Fransisco Chronicle for pairing wine with everything from avocados to zucchini. Here are a couple of starter tips: Wine pairs better with cooked vegetables than with raw vegetables Roasted and charred vegetables pick ...

Organic Gardening »

Featured Plant: Viburnum
[13 Nov 2009 | No Comment | ]
Featured Plant: Viburnum The longer I garden, the more I love shrubs. I am utterly delighted with every new Deutzia and Weigela that comes out, but I would never forsake my old favorites, like lilacs, hydrangeas and viburnums. There are over 150 species of viburnums that grow from Zone 2 through 9. These are long-lived and fuss free shrubs that can provide colorful berries for the birds, brilliant fall color and sometimes even fragrance. You're probably familiar with at least a few Viburnums already, like Korean spice, with pink buds that open to white, clove-scented snowballs, the American Cranberry Bush, with it's lacecap flowers and clusters of red berries and the ...

Organic Gardening »

Gardening Question of the Week: Can I Prune My Raspberries in the Fall?
[13 Nov 2009 | No Comment | ]
Gardening Question of the Week: Can I Prune My Raspberries in the Fall? Someone in the About Gardening Forum wanted to know if pruning their raspberry plants now, rather than waiting until late winter, would have any effect on the amount of raspberries the plants produce. I've always heard that leaving the canes in tact helps the plants make it through winter, although I'm not entirely sure why. We'd love to hear from other raspberry growers, about when you do your pruning. Do any of you cut your raspberries back at the end of the season and have you noticed any differences or problems? Pruning Raspberries in Fall Forum Thread...

Organic Gardening »

A Good Foundation Planting
[13 Nov 2009 | No Comment | ]
A Good Foundation Planting For many of us, the shrubs in front of our homes are about the only gardens we see throughout winter. While there's a movement to get us thinking about alternatives to foundation plantings, shrubs still rule. If you're not yet willing to replace your yews and rhododendrons with perennials and vegetables, you still might want to think about sprucing up your curb appeal. David Beaulieu has a foundation planting photo gallery of inspiration for you to mull over and compare what you have with what it could be. Photo: © Marie Iannotti A Good Foundation Planting originally appeared on About.com Gardening on Wednesday, November ...

Wind Power News »

NASA Confirms Water On Moon
[13 Nov 2009 | No Comment | ]
NASA Confirms Water On Moon Back in October, there was quite a bit of controversy surrounding NASA’s project of crashing a LCROSS satellite into the moon to determine if there is in fact water on the moon. While it was initially believed by spectators and researchers alike that the mission was a big failure, since there was no visible lunar dust or any other substances that resulted immediately from the cash; NASA says today that it actually was a success, indicating that the moon has a substantial water supply. Read more of this story » ...

Wind Power News »

Extinction Looms Large for World’s Smallest Rhino
[13 Nov 2009 | No Comment | ]
Extinction Looms Large for World’s Smallest Rhino Sumatran rhino Time is running out for the world’s smallest rhino.  According to a recent  press release, scientists and experts from all over the world are rushing to save the Sabah rhino, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni, from extinction.  Sadly, it is estimated less than 50 of the diminutive rhinos exist today.  Read more of this story » Source: Green Options

Wind Power News »

Economic Value of Ecosystems and Biodiversity — New Report
[13 Nov 2009 | No Comment | ]
Economic Value of Ecosystems and Biodiversity — New Report A new report, The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), attempts to bring to the world’s attention the truly great economic value of ecosystems and biodiversity, as well as the benefits of taking these into account when making policies. The value of the world’s natural ecosystems and biodiversity is something lacking in most economic analyses. Lack of value for what is truly priceless doesn’t just hurt the environment, however. It is also a sort of economic suicide. This new report, hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme and supported by key EU, UK, German, Swedish, Dutch, and Norwegian bodies, attempts to bring ...

Wind Power News »

What Is the Matter with Us? Lead and Other Toxins into the Mouths of Babes
[13 Nov 2009 | No Comment | ]
What Is the Matter with Us? Lead and Other Toxins into the Mouths of Babes Over the weekend, someone sent my husband a link to a video called “The Girl Who Silenced the World” from 1992 where a 12 year old girl named Severn Suzuki addresses the UN’s Earth Summit Meeting in Rio de Janeiro. Severn essentially gives the panel and every living adult a well-articulated lashing for leaving the planet in this state for her generation to contend with. Had the Internet been in full force then, this video would have flown around like wildfire. I’d like to help spread it around now. Everyone on this planet should watch ...
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