Self sustained home as a concept is about having the coziness of a home that is tuned best with Nature and is the scope if this blog. Suggestions/Comments welcome.
To start with, a home like every other being goes through three major phases:
-Construction
-Sustenance
-Dissolution (guess when sustenance gives up),
Talking of staying tuned with nature, the test of time has hinted at a strong affinity of nautre to that evolve the effective, retain the efficient and the dissolve the rest. From my view this applies equally to a home, a car, a gadget, our own wonderful body etc. All of this in the framework of Karma (the adventure of sowing and reaping that I greedily misinterpret(ed) as a viscious cycle).
The life that a cosmopolitan home lives today is considerably outsourced or largely dependant.
Let's look at the basic needs,
. Food - outsourced to farmers, manufacturing units and chefs.
. Water - outsourced to Water and Power Corporations
. Light - outsourced to Power corporation
. Air - outsourced to Air Coolers
Well outsourcing sure has it's advantages, but has disadvantages too given the amount of freedom I lose having to plan for price increase and condition my life style to adjust to available options, handle inflation, market games/economics and profiteering buisnesses. Of all the basic needs, I think I am considerably dependant in the areas of Light and Food (can't imagine a day without electricity). I donot recollect where I read this powerful quote, it says "The weak are depandant, The Strong are inter-dependant". So "Aall izz well" as far as I pay the bills and accept price hikes as part of life for there's some one out there dependant on the money I pay handling inflation as I do. (But that's just the tip of the ice berg for there's also somebody out there with an hidden agenda and a hidden profit margin. Well, well that's part of life in the 21st century, and I drop now the idea of being cynical. Being authentic, I expect to make good hikes with my job as well, shamelessly contributing in advance to the next cycle of inflation.)
However I find it grossly stupid to completely outsource basic needs. I guess this is one sector of life where I need to be grossly independant, mildly inter-dependant and highly self sustained. So I am working on generating power naturally and cultivate vegetation to the slightest possible extent (for every journey is made of persistant single steps in the desired direction :-). Forgive the extra, un-asked for, free gyan). I have the being accompanied by http://www.dailydump.org/ and their Malnad network (Just in case you are interested too). I will with time share my plans on this adventure, actions and conclusions (hmmm, so overly optimistic of me). Wish me success, feel free to join along and/ share.
The Plan:
. Estimate
Basic food needs
Electricity needs
. Identify opportunites to naturally cater to the above.
The Actions:
:-), Starting March 1st 2011.
Revised to March 10 2011.
References:
http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/design-principles/design-with-daylight-natural-lighting.aspx
To start with, a home like every other being goes through three major phases:
-Construction
-Sustenance
-Dissolution (guess when sustenance gives up),
Talking of staying tuned with nature, the test of time has hinted at a strong affinity of nautre to that evolve the effective, retain the efficient and the dissolve the rest. From my view this applies equally to a home, a car, a gadget, our own wonderful body etc. All of this in the framework of Karma (the adventure of sowing and reaping that I greedily misinterpret(ed) as a viscious cycle).
The life that a cosmopolitan home lives today is considerably outsourced or largely dependant.
Let's look at the basic needs,
. Food - outsourced to farmers, manufacturing units and chefs.
. Water - outsourced to Water and Power Corporations
. Light - outsourced to Power corporation
. Air - outsourced to Air Coolers
Well outsourcing sure has it's advantages, but has disadvantages too given the amount of freedom I lose having to plan for price increase and condition my life style to adjust to available options, handle inflation, market games/economics and profiteering buisnesses. Of all the basic needs, I think I am considerably dependant in the areas of Light and Food (can't imagine a day without electricity). I donot recollect where I read this powerful quote, it says "The weak are depandant, The Strong are inter-dependant". So "Aall izz well" as far as I pay the bills and accept price hikes as part of life for there's some one out there dependant on the money I pay handling inflation as I do. (But that's just the tip of the ice berg for there's also somebody out there with an hidden agenda and a hidden profit margin. Well, well that's part of life in the 21st century, and I drop now the idea of being cynical. Being authentic, I expect to make good hikes with my job as well, shamelessly contributing in advance to the next cycle of inflation.)
However I find it grossly stupid to completely outsource basic needs. I guess this is one sector of life where I need to be grossly independant, mildly inter-dependant and highly self sustained. So I am working on generating power naturally and cultivate vegetation to the slightest possible extent (for every journey is made of persistant single steps in the desired direction :-). Forgive the extra, un-asked for, free gyan). I have the being accompanied by http://www.dailydump.org/ and their Malnad network (Just in case you are interested too). I will with time share my plans on this adventure, actions and conclusions (hmmm, so overly optimistic of me). Wish me success, feel free to join along and/ share.
The Plan:
. Estimate
Basic food needs
Electricity needs
. Identify opportunites to naturally cater to the above.
The Actions:
:-), Starting March 1st 2011.
Revised to March 10 2011.
References:
http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/design-principles/design-with-daylight-natural-lighting.aspx
perfect reflection of the current and future life scenarios. We see tones of ppl growing and showcasing so called ornamental flowering plants in their homes, instead why can't they just set up a veggie garden in their homes which can cater their daily needs. For example, growing Cilantro in a pot of mud can save Rs.10 per day!..saves gas(driving to the market)...no pollution ...seems like what the heck...but ...just a little first step!
ReplyDeleteShashikumar Thammaiah Said
ReplyDeleteI liked this article, and would to suggest some energy conservation tips at home and office..
Home Electricity Conservation
Some of the simplest things you can do include switching to energy saving light bulbs, attaching dimmer switches to interior lights and using electricity monitors to keep track of your power consumption. However, these strategies are just a start. You can also:
o Keep your furnace clean and well-lubricated, and replace its filter regularly
o Turn your thermostat down at night or during times when nobody is at home
o Wash your clothes in cold water and only do loads of laundry when you have enough clothing to fill the machine completely
o Apply weather stripping and switch to energy efficient windows
o Use your dishwasher at off-peak hours and let your dishes air dry rather than run them through a drying cycle
Energy Conservation Tips for the Office
Lowered power costs are but one benefit of office electricity conservation. You can also save wear and tear on office equipment by running it less often and more intelligently, which reduces the burden of repair and replacement costs. Some energy conservation tips you can use at work include:
o Walking, biking or carpooling to work
o Recycling paper
o Reducing and reusing office supplies
o Installing power strips to stop the consumption of "phantom power"
o Setting your computer to go to sleep if you're idle for 15 minutes or more
Of course, you should also keep the lights as low as possible and make sure they are turned off when everyone has gone home for the day. This simple act alone can result in massive energy savings and dramatically reduced power and utility bills for your company.