Bolder Channels with Solar Panels!

It seems like only a few years ago the idea of owning your own solar panels was out of the question, due to high costs and maybe even a little ignorance. Now, advancements in tech. have made it possible for Joe Everyman to harvest his very own solar energy. Yes, it is true my friends, solar panels could be making there way to a yard near you, and the applications are endless.

As of 2013, solar is now just as cheap or cheaper than grid energy in most places.  It's unlikely to continue to get a lot cheaper, though, because the price of the panels has dropped so much that the bulk of the cost is now for installation, not materials.

When you think of owning solar panels you probably imagine them on your roof, right? Well imagine this, you know that cottage you have up north? Or what about that RV you have that's always running on a nasty generator? Now I've got you thinking! The video here shows you how easy it is to use a solar panel set with a battery bank, so you can go camping in style. The cost of a 30 Watt solar panel will run you about $100 and you can expect it to charge your phone, play a radio, lights, and so on.

A system big enough to supply energy for an average home (920 kWh/mo.) will cost between $0 (because of government rebates) to $53,000. That compares to $63,000 the average household would have spent on average for dirty electricity over 21 years. With that said it may not be in most people's budget just yet, although, you don't have to get a system large enough to generate as much as you use. You can start out with a system that generates 80%, 50%, 25%, or even just 10% of your needs to lower your cost.

And obviously a Cob house wouldn't be complete without a solar system set! If you don't know what "Cob" is then I suggest you find out! Anyways, be cool, buy a solar panel.

A Cob House in Canada with Solar Panels

The Cob House; Futuristic, Ironic, Elegent.

What if I told you there was a way you could own your own home, without the mounting cost of buying one and the credentials required to even get approved for a mortgage? What if I told you that it's completely possible to build one yourself? The Cob house, not surprisingly, is made from a material named Cob, it is a building material similar to Adobe consisting of clay, sand, straw, water, and earth. Cob is fireproof, resistant to seismic activity, and inexpensive. Lately I have been delving into the world of Cob and must say, this looks like a promising way out of needless dept brought on by mortgages and the incredible cost of houses. 

A Cob house in Devon, England built in 1539

There are Cob houses in England that were built hundreds of years ago and are inhabited to this day. They prove the incredible strength and longevity of this material.

First I'd like to tell you that I plan on building my own Cob house and will totally blog about it when that time comes, but alas due diligence is a must when considering the building of your future family home. With that said I don't expect to build one the size of the house pictured above, and neither should you if it is of interest to you. I say this because building your house out of cob is time consuming, personal, and sort of rides on the sustainability train, so having a large, extravagant cob house would just be uncanny, for lack of a better word. You should get to know each and every crevice, nail, curve, and so on. Build within your means, you know what I means?

Can you say, "Banjo solo"?

But seriously, jokes aside if you are looking for something a little more country, you got it! This is a much more reasonable expectation when thinking of Cob houses. You may think, "I could only dream of creating such an artistically astounding place like that." but you'd be wrong. I have total faith that with some research you could build something like the above picture. With that said let's move on.

Building a Cob house could cost you anywhere from $500 to $15,000, Maybe even more if you wanted. Some basics for it would be; A water heater, solar panels, electrical equipment, stove (preferably wood burning), some raw or treated timber, windows and doors, roof stuff (not shingles, I need to look into this, so do you), plus the land required to build it, of course.

Use Recycled Materials!

Building a Cob house isn't just a housing decision, it's a lifestyle choice, and it's not for everyone. Building a Cob home can take a lot of time and work, but will provide you with a home that you own indefinitely. My cousin and his wife have just finished there Cob house in P.E.I and are loving every penny saved, "Deciding to build your own home out of Cob will create a more sentimental place to live than you can ever purchase, and I'm sure it will save you loads of time and money down the road."

So go on, look it up.

A good place to start is by reading, "The Hand-Sculpted House". It goes over everything from building permits to "...a good hat and boots", you can buy it here. Again, if you are seriously interested in eliminating the seemingly unsurmountable inheritance of a mortgage, then I advise you to let Cob take you in, love it, learn it, and eventually, you can build it.

Grow Something Interesting for Once!!!

Many people across the world have Gardens; They grow the world's variety of plants, some for sustenance, some for beauty, and some for intoxication. These plants form the basis of our cultures and have influenced humans in many different ways since the beginning of time! In this post I plan to comb over some of the plants that Westerners probably don't have kicking around their garden, along with some of the plants I am growing and others that are just downright bizarre or interesting.

It's easy to plant a plant in a hanging basket, and it's
low maintenance, hang it in your condo, or on the patio.

So, where to begin? I must first say that if you are the type of person who feels they do not have time for gardening or that you lack interest in it, I can assure you there is a plant that you would enjoy and ultimately benefit from growing; For example, everyone loves strawberries!

In my case I enjoy growing far out, radical looking plants like the Drosera, an Avocado, or other neat-o stuff like that.  Lets dive in, shall we?

Oh, ya. One more thing I would like to point out is that you should never feel as though you are "cut-off" from some types of plants because of where you live. In most cases, you can provide for any kind of plant in any kind of climate. For instance I have a Mango tree, as well as a Calamondin Orange, and live in Ontario, Canada. I have also seen Common Fig trees (the fruiting kind) grown outdoors and wrapped in the winter, here in Canada.

The Calamondin Orange Undoubtedly the best indoor/patio citrus plant you could own, the Calamondin Orange is native to asia and Can be grown in tough climate, adapting well. It fruits prolifically throughout the year all the way into winter.
My Calamondin is still trying to bloom and it is nearly October 1st in Canada! Although, Hilariously the oranges are the diameter of a nickel but whatever, it is very neat as is. I would strongly recommend getting your hands on one of these little guys, they are nothing like oranges you can buy, they are more like lemons, possibly even more acidic; Use them as garnish, in salads, or anywhere lemons can be substituted, you can even freeze them and use them as ice cubes (this is great for wine as it doesn't water down your wine and can leave a little citrus note in there for ya. The most neat-o thing about it is that it only takes about two years from seed to start fruiting, cool huh?

Kalanchoe pinnata (The Miracle Leaf)

The Miracle Leaf plant is a pretty awesome plant. It has been coined the Miracle Leaf because of the miniature plantlets that come out of the leaves. Some other names for it are; the Resurrection Plant, the Air Plant, and Cathedral Bells. I have owned mine for about 3 years now, I got it at a neighbors during the winter and rooted it in a window sill. I have yet to see the "Cathedral Bells" as it hasn't been given the right conditions, and I hardly ever fertilize my plants. It also died back last year but is thriving now, hurray! This Plant is an awesome addition to your indoor plant cache, simply because guest can rip a leaf of and root their own Miracle Leaf with ease. It's also great for kids! Like growing a bean plant or something, except you can expect to have your automagic buddy for years to come!

 Funny story... I've moved it around quite a lot this year and it is rather bushy, it loses leaves here and there and now I have little Kamakatakas running around all over the place! oh yeah, Kamakataka is another name for the Air Plant in the Philippines.


I also forgot to mention it has wild and crazy uses, everything from treating rheumatoid arthritis, bruises, burns, to being a sedative and a muscle relaxant. Pretty cool huh? Click the Kamakataka links above for more info on the uses and properties of this miraculous plant! Onward!