Poor Man
Survival
Self
Reliance tools for independent minded people…
“By failing
to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
― Benjamin Franklin
― Benjamin Franklin
We’re giving away a solar hot water rocket this month!
Wasted
Energy-Who is to Blame?
Some of you might be old enough to recall
the Arab Oil Embargo of the early 1970s when drivers could only buy gasoline on
opposite days. Lines of cars could be
found at every service station which had fuel as supplies didn’t last. The
price shot up to as much as .75 cents a gallon.
(Now, the per- gallon tax is enough to make you scream).
Thankfully,
I rode a bike to school back then.
President
Jimmy Carter to the rescue! Carter
created the Department of Energy with a promise to make our nation less
dependent on foreign oil. Through the
years, that agency kept doubling in size and the price of fuel never came down
nor did we ever shake our oil dependency.
The
‘crisis’ ended and I purchased a 1969 Chevelle Super Sport which sucked a
gallon of premium (or hi-test as we called it) gas just turning the ignition
(it was a hell of a chick magnet though).
Fast
forward a couple of decades. Janet
Napolitano is the governor of AZ and politicians and academics are calling for
ideas to make the nation more energy sufficient. Working with the Dept. of Energy I created a
detail proposal for the state to capitalize on its most abundant free
resources, the Sun. I suggested placing
solar panels on the berms of the state’s network of highways through a combined
effort with the DOE and area utilities.
The
state already owned the land and the DOE was willing to help fund the project
through grants. Long story short…thank you for your wonderful idea,
we’ll take it under advisement.
Nothing ever happened and I suppose if they had acted on my plan,
someone else would’ve grabbed the credit.
The DOE
provided me with several interesting background data sheets however which
highlighted:
·
The
government is the biggest consumer of energy and gasoline with the post office and
the military topping the list; law enforcement coming in at a close third.
·
Poor
traffic light management (constant stop and start) of cities throughout the
nation were among the top five biggest gasoline wasting drains and millions of
gallons could be saved through better timing.
·
The
amount of government research dollars for alternative energy amounted to almost
nothing
·
Bad
Press and government regulation has discouraged additional nuclear power
facilities in the USA
·
Regulators
have aimed their fuel efficiency standards at the auto industry
·
New
EPA regulations are stifling the coal and natural gas industries which will
ensure that prices will rise for consumers.
The
government and pressure from environmental groups have helped to improve air
quality standards but have also driven up the cost for anything energy related
for industry and citizens.
Using
available technology we have personally cut our water and energy usage and
drive a very fuel efficient car.
Unfortunately, like many other Americans, no matter what our efforts
are, government interference in the market continually raises prices, a losing
proposition for many.
Going
completely off-grid can be expensive and daunting and in some cases, filled
with government interference like the woman in FL we recently reported on. Her off-grid home is under attack by
regulators. Thankfully, various
non-profit groups have come to her legal aid.
We’re
still reviewing our options for taking our mini-farm completely off-grid. We own our water system and septic and have a
backup generator. Soon we’ll install a
system of solar and wind that we’ll adapt from an RV system.
Learn
the latest about solar options…
This month’s giveaway…Solar Hot Water
Rocket
Just send us
your tip-winner drawn at random!
What Makes My Electric Bill So
High?
For most of us the electric bill is one of the larger bills that we pay each month. Therefore, it's only natural that we'd want to reduce it if possible. So here's a look at three important things - how your bill compares to the average, what makes the average electric bill so high, and what you can do to reduce your bill.
For most of us the electric bill is one of the larger bills that we pay each month. Therefore, it's only natural that we'd want to reduce it if possible. So here's a look at three important things - how your bill compares to the average, what makes the average electric bill so high, and what you can do to reduce your bill.
8 Free DIY Solar Food Dryer Plans
Sheerwind is an innovative wind power
generation company founded by Dr. Daryoush Allaei.
The company
recently announced its work on a bladeless wind turbine called INVELOX. Rather
than using large and expensive blades, INVELOX captures wind and forces it
through tapering passageways to ground-level generators. As the air is squeezed
through these passageways, its intensity is amplified – a more efficient design
(in theory at least).
You’ll be amazed at how many
watts each item in your house uses!
How many Watts
do you need to power your home? Use this
free calculator:
www.motherearthnews.com/.../using-pv-watts-solar-calculator.aspx
“DIY Solar
Projects” by Eric Smith provides plans for a standalone solar water heater,
wood kiln, battery charging station and other convenient sun-powered house
projects.
Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/how-to-make-a-solar-still-ze0z1209zsch.aspx#ixzz2xe6Ifv7m
Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/how-to-make-a-solar-still-ze0z1209zsch.aspx#ixzz2xe6Ifv7m
This week’s Prize:
Solar Hot Water Rocket
This remarkable piece of gear weighs only two
pounds, and at 18″ long, is easily portable. Best of all, it can take a pint of
water from stone cold to boiling hot in approximately one hour.
Send us your tip…
We’ll post
the tip and the winner gets a prize!
Scroll to the bottom of the page to
submit your tip…
Yours in freedom,
Bruce ‘the Poor Man’
Now Celebrating our 6th Year!
Got a News Tip or Resource to Share With the Poor Man?
Send it to: PoorManSurvivor@Gmail.com
A Shallow Planet Production
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