Gas Prices Rise Again

So here we go again. Gas prices are on the rise. $3.70/gal where I live. This time the media is hush hush. (Don't want the silly little people to realise Obama isn't doing anything about it). Don't think he tried to keep them down though. He just recently stopped the pipeline from Canada. He could also muzzle his EPA dogs a little and allow America to produce it's own oil instead of giving permits to foreign countries to drill and then sell to us. He could also allow current wells in the US to get more than there current 300 barrell limit. Now I certainly don't think this should be the fix for us. Eventually we need to walk away from using soo much fossil fuels. Like most addictions though, you just can't up and quit. There is a much needed transition phase. During this transition phase I think it would be in our best interest to use the oil from our own country to provide jobs and keep what little money we have left here. I won't even get into the benefit that has on getting away from our oil link with the ever so stable Middle East. Once we start down that path we will have the money and security to really begin developing cost effective "green" energy production methods.

Personally I would like to get into bio-diesel. I would even go as far as to say it would be an interesting business to start. Imagine being able to have all the resturaunts in a community get rid of their waste vegetable oil to a company that will then recycle that into a fuel source to power the vehicles of that community. I have done a pretty good amount of research on this. Producing bio-diesel from waste vegetable oil is not very diffcult or expensive. I have a grand plan for community "fuel depots" that would handle production and sales but I have one HUGE road block I can't seem to figure out how to overcome. What are the regulations and paths to take to accomplish this goal?? For example; Say I purchase a gas station that is currently being unused. This gas station has a typical 2 bay maintenance garage attached to it. I would convert the garage into a secure room in which the bio-diesel can be produced. It is then pumped into the underground tanks that used to hold gas. Now the gas station will function as it did before except it will only sell bio-diesel. Now how would one start with the process of making that happen. Can you just buy the building and start producing and selling?? I think not. What types of permits and steps would I need to take to accomplish this?? I see people working in development for large scale bio-diesel production, but I think the small scale local production idea would work really well and you have a good source of base product from the restaurants. It is also a nice way to recycle some waste don't ya think? Speaking of thinking of this a a recycling loop, the two by-products of bio-diesel production from waste vegetable oil are: Bio-diesel fuel and glycerin. The fuel part obviously gets used to power vehicles, trains, boats, and heat homes while the glycerin can be used in the production of soap. Ah the recycling continues. This method keeps communities supporting themselves which is also an added benefit.

Biodiesel

I have talked about the steps to self sustainability when it comes to cars in prior posts. I was focused on EV's. As I'm sure you are aware of, they are popping up everywhere. These are surely a viable option in a self sustaining lifestyle, but there is the looming question/ concern of range and initial cost. I'm not sure why this slipped my mind before but I should have went into some detail about the use of biodiesel. I didn't/ don't know too much about how or what biodiesel really is, so like any good person who is looking to become self sustainable I went to learn about it.

What is biodiesel?

Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. -(source; http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/biodiesel_basics/)

That description is the best and most appealing I have come across to date. I benefit of biodiesel for being self sustainable is that it can be produced by you on your property. There are countless websites that explain how to build your own processor, purchasing a kit, or purchasing a fully built and ready to use processor. Just google biodiesel and there you go.

I have personally become more interested in biodiesel for a number of reasons.

• It is a simple conversion to use from a typical diesel powered vehicle.
• farm equipment and lawn tractors typically run on diesel.
• it is far less expensive than EV's -(2011 VW golf, loaded, for less than $30k)
• biodiesel can greatly speed up the self sustainability process.
• Biodiesel is far less complicated than using solar/ wind to charge an electric vehicle.
• domestic! domestic! domestic! in terms of the fuel source.
• you can recycle waste oil from local restaurants.
• it is also possible to power your home with biodiesel.

I will more than likely post more about this at a later date as I learn more about it. I will also be doing some research on the processor's themselves and where to get the oil to use. Stay tuned!!

ps - this LINK has good information about biodiesel.

Spacial Gardening

Click the title to link to the video.

This is a great idea for people with minimal or no garden space. Perfect for Urban environments. It would also come in pretty handy if Senate Bill S510 goes through and creates steps towards making home gardening illegal. I could see this in my basement or safe room hidden away from government home gardening gestapo.

If I could make one change to it however, I wouldn't built it from PVC. I would want something that didn't leach chemicals into my food supply.

Self reliance through your home/building

With new technologies emerging every day it is becoming simpler and simpler to become self reliant. A major step towards self reliance would be getting your home/building off grid. Energy in the form of electricity is extremely important in our way of life today and being able to produce it yourself is the epitome of self reliance by today's definition.

Architecture of the home is itself being somewhat self reliant. It is your shelter and place of comfort and safety. Now imagine that home can supply it's own power to function as a home by today's standards. That would give you a ton of piece of mind, not mention eliminating those pesky bills. That is how most people view the benefit of off grid self reliant homes/buildings. Let's look deeper into the benefits. Think of the pride it brings you knowing that you have created a true safe shelter free from someone Else's control. Someone Else's control?! Yes you heard me correctly. Now before you block that out think for a moment the control of say, a power or gas company, has over your home. You miss a bill, they cut your ability to see in the dark and provide heat in the winter. Who is the crazy one now? It doesn't even have to be a result of something you do. Storms can cut off the power supply to your house. A crisis in the major oil producing countries or a dissolving of our relationship with them could jack your costs or eliminate the oil to produce electricity almost completely. And if you think our own country can just switch on their power production to supplement that you are just naive and disillusioned. Now it is very easy to see why it is a major step to produce energy for your home yourself.

In today's world you could really take off grid and self reliance to the max. I would say you really don't have to be connected to anything physically and not miss out on the cushy comforts we enjoy. Let's go through the list. You can have your home produce all the energy it consumes and more. You can supply your own water through a well (if possible) or by harvesting rainwater and purifying it within your home. Heating and cooling systems along with water heating can be electrically powered with the self produced energy. Most people use their cell phones as there primary phones which could eliminate a land line. Even TV and the Internet can be obtained through satellites. If you purchase an all electric vehicle(EV)in the near future you can charge it with the power you produce at your house. Now you can see that basically through your home you can really become self-reliant, self-sufficient & self-sustainable. You may say, "hey, Free, what about the cell phones, TV and Internet being controlled by someone else!" unfortunately these items can't be supplied by yourself however; there is plenty of competition with mobile phone providers and you can access the Internet with free wi-fi hot spots. TV, though not how you typically may envision it, can also be accessed through the Internet. That is not your control totally for those three items, but I would say it is pretty good.

Applying these steps provides a crucial part being totally self reliant. This is a personal goal of mine and for many people. Some is for self pride and some is for lack of trust in the powers that be that we "depend" on to help us survive and live the lives we hold dear. Either way it is a good path to be on.