Hawaii Lawmakers Reject Nuclear Plant Proposal

For the record, I'm torn on the issue of nuclear power. Part of me screams no for environmental reasons, while the rest of me is thankful that the folks in charge are at least thinking of *something* to try and get us off our oil addiction.

But, then again, most of our electricity comes from coal and (being from West Virginia) me likes coal. Sure, I know it's dirty, but at least it isn't radioactive... and it has the added benefit of being one of the few things that still puts at least a little money back into my state.

Plus, if society ever suffers any sort of upheaval and the employees at the coal-fired power plant don't show up for work for a few days, the whole joint won't melt down and result in a nuclear holocaust either. With the Cold War being over and all, my emergency preparations include very little by way of radiation protection. Jeez, now I gotta go buy iodine pills!

Besides, I would think Hawaii might get better, cleaner results from some sort of geothermal energy. Just a thought.

http://www.kitv.com/news/18602735/detail.html

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Even the World's Seed Bank May Need a Bailout

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this subject, you can get more information here. The reason I thought I should blog about this particular article has less to do with the actual subject they're discussing and much more to do with the casual way that things like this are presented in the news... almost as an afterthought.

I seem to recall having a similar feeling several years ago when they first announced the project and being amazed how many people glazed over the articles with barely a raised eyebrow... as though hearing that actual scientists (not just cooks on the internet) were setting this thing up with funding from at least one prominent world government and big $$$ players like Gates and Rockefeller wasn't even a big deal.

Do you think these fatcats would be dumping tons of money into a project like this if they didn't have reason to think it was necessary? It makes me wonder if they know something we don't. Better step up the pace on those emergency and disaster preparations, folks!

http://www.greendaily.com/2009/01/29/even-the-worlds-seed-bank-may-need-a-bailout/

"Sure, banking institutions around the world are reeling from stupendous amounts of toxic debt. But now, the financial sludge has somehow seeped all he way to a bank that performs no traditional lending or banking functions at all: the Millennium Seed Bank Project. Based in the UK, this seed bank is basically supposed to serve as the Noah's Ark of biodiversity, attempting to collect seeds from all of the Earth's plant species and house them for posterity -- or to re-seed a post apocalyptic planet. Take your pick."

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FREE Plans for an arched PVC pipe GREENHOUSE

Here's another one of those wishlist projects that I've been eyeing forever as an addition to the old homestead and yet never seems to actually materialize. Gardening can be really difficult here because of all the rabbitts (and bad backs) and so we've never really been able to go all-out like I want to - building one of these and planting in containers seems like the most viable option for us in our quest for self-sufficiency.

http://www.pvcplans.com/pvc-greenhouse.htm

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100 watt *PER DAY* refrigerator

Here are detailed plans for converting a standard chest freezer into a refrigerator that uses only 100 watts (0.1 kWh) of electricity to run for an entire day. This has been all over the net for awhile now, so you may have already seen them or others like them, but I thought something this phenomenal deserved to be repeated over and over.

Many self-sufficient survivalist homesteads use alternative means to generate their own electricity as an emergency preparedness measure. And, this refrigerator-conversion is a perfect setup for virtually any alternate power plan, whether it be based on solar, wind, hydro, or just a plain old gas/diesel generator.

http://mtbest.net/chest_fridge.pdf

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Build a Garden Pond for Under $10

I keep swearing to myself that I'm going to build one of these one day, but we've been so tied-up by other renovations and home improvements since moving to the homestead that I wonder if we will ever get around to it.

Before you even begin reading, I also feel that I should warn you to be dubious of the "for Under $10" part. It obviously doesn't include any kind of pump at that price and I, for one, am not sure I dig the idea of having standing water in my yard with no way to keep it fresh and circulating. Just my preference.

Also, if I'm going to go through all the trouble of setting something like this up, I would want it to be less about the way it looks and more about utility. Don't get me wrong, I would definitely want it to look nice, but for me it would also need to serve some real purpose to further the self-sufficiency of my homestead.

Making it larger and deep enough in which to raise catfish or koi, for instance, would increase its utility as an emergency preparedness measure as well as provide a pleasant atmosphere in the backyard. On a nice day, you could sit and enjoy the ambiance around your pond, and in a survivalist situation the fish become a wonderful source of protein in your diet.

http://www.littlecountryvillage.com/build-your-own-water-garden.shtml

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"America's #1 travel toothbrush" a great addition to any disaster survival kit or 'bug-out bag'

Fresh&Go travel toothbrush with toothpaste inside

It'd be nice to find a cheaper alternative, but these look like they would be a pretty handy addition to your survival kit if you don't mind trading your $$$ for convenience. For me, I'd just pack a few toothbrushes and a couple of tubes of toothpaste in a ziplock in my kit.

Here's the link: http://www.freshangousa.com/

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The Elephant in the Room

The following link will take you to a very interesting study on the issue of human population, or rather *over*population. It's long, I know, but check it out - there's no reason you can't add it to your favorites and read it a little at a time until you get through it. Or, just come back here and use the blog as your link.

There is some very heavy and worrisome information in there regarding the sustainability of the current system that will be very interesting to those with an emergency preparedness mindset as well as straight-up survivalist folks.

http://www.paulchefurka.ca/

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Amazing solar-powered fridge invented by British student in a potting shed

I was surfing around the net today and came across this item that appeared in the British media a few weeks ago. As you can read for yourself, it was created with the Third World in mind, but I can't help but think it might be useful to look into it as a possibility for the rural homestead. It would, I imagine, be very economical and provide a hedge against possible future electrical grid outages, thus making it just right for the disaster and emergency preparedness minded rural homesteader.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1108343/Amazing-solar-powered-fridge-invented-British-student-potting-shed-helps-poverty-stricken-Africans.html

"It's the kind of simple yet brilliant invention that would have the tycoons of Dragons' Den salivating with excitement.

Not only is the fridge solar powered, it can also be built from household materials - making it ideal for the Third World.

Emily Cummins, 21, came up with the idea while working on a school project in her grandfather's potting shed. The fridge is now improving the lives of thousands of poverty-stricken Africans.

And Miss Cummins hopes to patent a more sophisticated portable model for use in transporting medical supplies around hot countries.

From the age of four, when she was given a hammer as a gift, Miss Cummins has spent much of her spare time making things out of ordinary materials.

She has won awards for a toothpaste squeezer for arthritis sufferers and for a water-carrying device, again for Third World use.

Her 'sustainable' fridge works through evaporation and can be used to keep perishable goods such as milk and meat cool for days.

Without using any power, temperatures stay at around 6c.

The fridge comprises two cylinders - one inside the other. The inner cylinder is made from metal but the outer cylinder can be made from anything to hand, including wood and plastic.
Miss Cummins, from Keighley, West Yorkshire, said: 'A fridge is something that people can't seem to live without.

'I wanted to keep it really simple and so I set about researching how we cooled things years ago. The simplest method of cooling something could be seen when you look at how we cool biologically - through sweating or evaporation."

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Food Dehydrating and Storing

A really interesting 5 part how-to series of videos from Youtube. Enjoy.

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Advertise on Backwoods Survival Blog!

Updated 5 November 2011

It is an exciting time here at Backwoods Survival Blog. Our regular readership has been growing steadily and I'm pleased to announce that we have now entered into a phase where we are ready to accept contracts for our advertising space. These paid ads will receive prominence over affiliate advertisers both via their placement on the blog page itself as well as through the articles that appear as blog content.

The following represents our current rates, but please be advised that they will likely increase as we continue to grow our readership. If rates were to rise during your contract period, you will of course not be effected until time to renew your contract. Also, our rates will always be comparable to other sites with comparable readership.

The regular rates are:
$450 per year
$270 per 6 months
$140 per 3 months
$50 per month

We are willing to accommodate most graphic sizes with the caveat that our layout only allows for a width of only approximately 170 pixels; graphic height is negotiable, but should usually be roughly square to fall exactly within the above pricing. If you already have a graphic that doesn't fall exactly into that description, however, and require special pricing, just let me know and we'll work up a special rate for you.

Also, if you are willing to pay for a full year, we can place any virtually any height advertisement for a deeply discounted rate. Contact me if you are interested. I promise I'll make you a good deal.

Please contact me for details and availability.

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Recommended Books and DVDs

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