Inactivity? Status update?

[Mike Smullin]

Is there a newer site being used instead of this one? I find old posts from 2011 and no recent meeting minutes or photos. I'm very curious to see the types of construction you've been able to achieve, and whether you had any trouble re. building permits or other legal hassles the same way this guy has:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrMJwIedrWU

Also anyone tried Aquaponics or stuff like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AyRMvXZIKaw

If you're on Facebook or Google Plus, add me:

https://www.facebook.com/mikesmullin

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[Renee Shaw]

We've been taking a break, it is winter. Yes, we want to do Aquaponics. Thanks for your interest.

[Mike Smullin]

thx renee. as a computer scientist by trade, i'm interested in experimenting with a high-tech off-the-grid alternative lifestyle, and i have some budget to research here. right now i am starting by building an urban farm in my back yard, with aquaponics, chickens, dwarf dairy goats, and honey bees. my goal is to use solar power and some arduino microcontroller electronics to automate the farming process to a modest degree. but ultimately it would be nice to also not have a mortgage, or HOA restrictions, to live among like-minded people, and to build something scalable that anyone in any city in the USA or the world could use to get off the grid.

1. are you practicing alternative/sustainable building techniques such as the recycled tires + rammed earth, or cob walls, or hempcrete, etc. if so, how many such buildings? any pics? have you had any problems with zoning or building code enforcement from the city or are you far enough away that those are not issues?

2. does anyone out there have satellite or other internet connections?

3. do you have any alternative energy sources such as solar panels ( i think i saw a field of solar panels), or wind turbines, or HHO, etc.? anyone doing the heated water via coiled black tubing in the sun, or heated homes via aluminum can walls or geothermal?

4. how many sources of water do you have? e.g. just one well, or many? any rivers or streams, bodies of water? etc. and do you filter the water?

[Renee Shaw]

!. Yes, we've experimented with cob, earth bags, tires, rammed earth. We have two almost finished. They are small because we can only build 200sq ft. buildings without permits right now. We think we know how we can get around the codes. We are in trailers during the summers right now. No permant buildings yet. The dragon pic on the slide show is what we have so far...

2. We use laptop satelite connections with verison.

3. Right now we have solar pannels. Some of our members are very into alternative on the edge energy techniques we hope to impliment in the future.

4. We have a well and want to capture rain water and recycle it.

We want to finish a commercial Aquiponic green house this summer. Would be great to have you on board.