Month: August 2019

Off Grid Permaculture

Posted on August 18, 2019August 18, 2019 by stpaulsfreeuniversity

Off Grid Permaculture: A Complete Practical Course

Off Grid Permaculture is a course for everyone that seek the freedom, sustainability, and uncommon joy of a life free from utility bills and grocery lists. Learn how buy land, build an off grid cabin, use permaculture methods to establish an eternal “food forest”, design an off water and energy system, store food for yearlong survival, and thrive in your own personal Eden.

HOURS: 30

INSTRUCTION: Daniel Mark Schwartz

Detailed Description

In the 21st century, a new “back to the land” movement has erupted on the scene. Whether in the aim of sustainability, a dept-free lifestyle, or the “prepper” sense of security for one’s family, the modern off gridder needs a large set of skills that few people living posses. This course is designed to provide the student with a broad knowledge base that touches every aspect of need and comfort of this burgeoning independent lifestyle movement.

The course starts by covering all of the most important aspects of finding, researching, negotiating, and closing on your off grid property. This includes options for cheap off grid property options. Just this unit alone is worth the cost of the course given the wealth of information here can save you $10,000s in mistakes and missteps.

In the bulk of the middle of the course, we cover a wealth of design wisdom that will leave you with a comprehensive design for your own utility free, low maintenance homestead. Learn the highlights of how place and design your farm structures, and both traditional and modern low-cost environmentally friendly building methods. Then we move on to the details of design and conduction of heating, electricity, and water systems on your property with no utility bill ever (and ways to integrate with the grid if you desire).

Finally, we will cover all the key components of an abundant subsistence farmstead. You will learn how to choose crops, how to layout your garden for max efficiency and productivity, how to plant an orchard, how to keep keeps, how to raise chickens, and much more. All this with minimal external inputs, which saves you money and keeps your lifestyle sustainable in the long term. Beyond that we cover how to save the fruits of your labor for year long enjoyment.

This is the course that I wished I had before I went off grid.

Course Outline

How to buy off grid property
- 10 methods for acquiring land cheaply
- A checklist of essential qualities of an off grid property
- Legal considerations
- A step by step guide to buying raw land
Off grid homestead design for efficiency and sustainability
- Develop a compressive site plan
- Permaculture zones and layout
- Whole system evaluation techniques
- Permaculture design patterns
- Site safety considerations
- Complete a multi-year homestead plan
Sustainable building techniques
- Tiny house design and construction
- Cobb / adobe house methods
- Light straw clay construction
- Traditional home stick frame construction
- Code and building permit overview
Off grid heating / cooling
- High efficiency wood stove construction (rocket mass)
- Passive solar methods and calculations
- Wood ovens
- Solar ovens
- Passive solar water heaters
Off grid electricity
- Solar power (photovoltaics)
- Micro-hydro power stations
- Low cost wind power
- Power storage (off grid batteries)
Off grid water systems
- Gravity feed water systems
- Off grid water storage
- Rain water collection
- Grey water systems
- Water purification
- Wells, spring, and creek utilization
- Irrigation
Gardening / Food Production
- Garden layout
- “Lazy gardening”
- Permaculture poly-culture techniques
- Rain gardens
- Orchards for fruit and nuts
- Harvesting
- Foraging for greens, berries, & mushrooms
- Herbs
Livestock
- Chickens for eggs and meat
- Pork / pigs
- Goats and milk
- Butchering & charcuterie
- Beekeeping
Food storage
- Canning
- Fermentation & pickling
- Salting & curing
- Root cellar
- Off grid freezing and refrigeration

Making a Living from the Homestead

Posted on August 18, 2019August 18, 2019 by stpaulsfreeuniversity

Okay, you want to be off-grid, under the radar, but you’re still going to need cash-flow. Where will it come from how and will you manage it?

By attending my Making a Living from the Homestead workshop, you will be able to overcome the obstacles which have been holding back your personal flow of cash. These various cash-flow strategies include those supported by Internet technology which requires online access and a device to access the services as well as those which are completely disconnected from the World Wide Web.

We understand how important it is for you to be independent and sustainable without being plugged in, though there are two camps on either end of the off-grid spectrum, those who are somewhat connected, and those who are not, at all. And in between those two extremes there exists a continuum which includes varying degrees of connectedness.

The Making a Living from the Homestead course includes a vast variety of business types and styles with a spectrum of protection, and only you can decide what format will apply best to supporting your right to independence as you see fit to your unique circumstances.

Many students are surprised to discover there are so many ways to conduct business while protected by your human (and/or non-human) rights. Most Americans are unaware of all the different types of entities which are available, as only those who are “in the know” are aware of.

The most powerful individuals in the United States are aware of these, while the rest of us (including our attorneys) only knows of a few. Once you have this knowledge, it can be life-changing and priceless as a part of your off-grid toolbox.

Once you have your structure in place there are many ways you can generate cash flow. No matter how disconnected you desire to be from the greater community, you will need money to survive sustainably and thrive.

Some use the power of the Internet, others, not so much. So, you decide from hundreds of methods, which are best for you and yours.

Bartering service-for-service and/or product-for-product will get you so far, but far from thriving unless you are controlling the lion’s share of all the products and services in your network yourself. Trading is not a significant component of the “Living” referred to in the “Making a Living from the Homestead” course while creating multiple streams of cash-flow is the primary focus.

There are many resources required for the basic family unit to thrive, and cash money is by far the best way to grease the wheels of the machine which feeds the family unit.

It is highly unlikely that you can trade organic squash or farm fresh eggs to cover insurance costs or property taxes.

But you do not have to take a job working for the man.

You can establish your independence off-grid, make a living from the homestead, have all the cash-flow you need, and thrive by having access to these powerful tips, tools, and techniques.

Instructor: David M Masters

Events

Posted on August 17, 2019August 5, 2021 by stpaulsfreeuniversity