Land

The entire Alaskan village of Kivalina is off-grid, or “unserved” as the official jargon puts it, by water or power utilities. It clings to a narrow spit of sand on the edge of the Bering Sea, far too small to feature on maps of Alaska, never mind the United States.

Which is perhaps just as well, because within a decade Kivalina is likely to be under water. Gone, forever. Remembered – if at all – as the birthplace of America’s first climate change refugees.

Four hundred indigenous Inuit people currently live in Kivalina’s collection of single-storey cabins. Their livelihoods depend on hunting and fishing.

In June, the United States Supreme Court denied the Native Village of Kivalina the right to sue Exxon Mobil for the climate damage which has caused them to be endangered by the sea level. …

Trying to Get Away? A new season of “Buying Alaska” starts August 3 on cable TV Station Destination America. Each episode will follow a couple as they examine three different properties and look to buy a piece of the untamed north.
[via press release from Destination America]…

Why should we wait till we are old and inform to enjoy the best that life has to offer? We put up with the indignities of life in the City while we work and then if we are lucky, spend our declining years somewhere warm or beautiful or both.

It doesn’t have to be that way. By embracing the off-grid lifestyle, you could be ready for retirement by the time you are 25. You then get to enjoy this lovely place for an extra 40 years, at no extra cost – possibly at a lower cost.…

As the idea of living off the grid goes steadily mainstream, increasing numbers of properties are being offered on the market. Here are two, at very opposite ends of the spectrum….. and the world.

In Argents Hill, Coffs Harbor, Australia, a dwelling for 230,000 ozzie dollars. In Woodstock, NY, a 2.3 million dollar property.

If you want your own private bushland oasis of 100 timbered acres, there is a council-approved two-bed home plus 7m x 5m Colorbond shed. The basics are all in place. A small solar system, generator, water tanks with pump, two seasonal creeks and a hidden dam. An extensive list of fruit trees are already planted.

In Woodstock, an iconic village north of Manhattan, an off-grid retreat for the 15.

“When I first bought this property,” Miller said, “everyone told me you couldn’t build here. But it was exactly where I wanted to live.” Woodstock is one of those iconic places, both beautiful and convenient, and it s great to see an off-grid home there – a showcase that might encourage many others to do the same.…