Elemental Renovations

01/20/2024

I’ve been learning about and experimenting with Aquaculture, Aquaponics, and hydroponics systems for years. I’ve built a bell siphon system with a 300 gallon IBC tote and grew a lot of plants for a few years in my greenhouse. Once I got the system setup, it was almost zero maintenance. I had tilapia for a season and had to switch to goldfish through the winter because tilapia can’t handle the cold and I didn’t want to spend a lot of energy on a water heater as it defeated the purpose. I used a small aquarium pump and that was the only electricity that was needed. The siphon worked all on its own using physics.

It’s a beautiful way to grow food and fish and I plan to build a better system with the knowledge and experience I now have on our land.

This guy has a great urban system in his suburban backyard along with greenhouses, chickens and even some dwarf pigs! Check out his page and this video in particular that I’ll put in the comments.

01/20/2024

If you live in suburbia and are wanting to live more eco-logic-ally, as in being an ally to the ecology around you using logic, then this is a great channel to follow. Here’s a great video on collecting rainwater (in comments) and another link to his channel.

We can all be more environmentally enlightened. Here’s how we start. With education. Cheers!

01/12/2024

As I’m driving down our road that goes from our rental to our land, I look at the communities/neighborhoods and I think of more urban and suburban neighborhoods and think about what’s missing.

What I’m wanting to create is not much different than our current system. It’s just an environmental tweak, if you will. We already live in little hamlets. Yet, what’s lacking in most is a community garden, walkability, walking/hiking trails, natural habitats, community centers where neighbors can congregate, and more control over their own utilities.

Sure, new neighborhoods are boasting community centers that have pools with slides and a water feature, maybe even a little shop with local products in the more forward thinking neighborhoods with a higher price tag. But, our existing neighborhoods built after 1940, post WW2, were built for cars. They were built to commute. They were built to maximize profits. They were built to line the pockets of the chemical companies, with green grass ordinances, to ensure that commercial builders and developers had the market for chains to be setup and more copy and paste neighborhoods could go in. Copy and paste. Copy and paste. Across the country.

So, looking into the future, I still plan on building from scratch a model that showcases a new way to create communities, but also carve out spots in the existing layout that fills the void for locally sourced food, crafts, and community engagement.

Out of the box thinking like working with existing apartment complexes to install a bodega in their rental office for the complex to shop for local produce and dairy without having to leave the property.

To buy up empty lots in neighborhoods and turn them into market gardens for that particular neighborhood where they can have their own Saturday markets and also have birthday parties and classes.

Create a business, an LLC, that invests in and manages these various projects.

These are the things I would like to do with the rest of my days for my community.

It’s possible. Just need to organize, make these relationships, and start doing it.

It also takes capital.

So, if you also feel passionate about changing how we live, how we get our food, and agree with what I’m saying, consider becoming a partner/member of Enlightened Concepts LLC where we will not only make Panther City Cottages a reality, we could very well fund it by retrofitting our current neighborhoods.

www.panthercitycottages.com

01/12/2024

A friend just posted asking about how to shut off a water main and I just realized it’s because my friends in Texas are culling down for the next Tex-stopia ice/freeze event. A tip from your friend who is a contractor, have a pair of Pliers, side cutters, slotted/adjustable wrench, channel locks, or even if you don’t have these tools not have a block of wood and a saw, make you a slit in the wood wide enough to fit over that “minus sign” on the “utility-side shutoff valve” pictured below and cut the 2x4 or wood piece short enough to be able to rotate it 90 degrees. That’s if you are desperate, don’t ask me how I know.

If you can go practice first and make sure that you are prepared for if a water line busts, it could save you thousands of dollars in repairs.

If you know that you will be out of town for these days, I would recommend just shutting the water off at the meter to be safe till you get back.

-another tip: If a line does bust and the meter is off, always just turn the valve 30-45 degrees first, turn on a faucet and let the air out of the lines, let the toilets fill back up, then turn the fact eat off and go to every faucet and spigot in your house and check all of the lines for leaks. Sometimes, it’s a tiny little crack and it may just be a spray coming out. Sometimes, it’s a completely busted line or fitting and it’s coming out full force. Having it half on can be enough to get the water back in the lines but not enough to be wildly spraying out like you turned on a water hose in your house.

Any other questions, tips, or issues with your situation, please comment below and let’s figure it out together. This is something everyone in your family or household should know to prevent disaster.

Stay warm out there folks. Be prepared.

01/07/2024

Thinking about a stock/share market for everyone to invest in alternative communities. Walk with me for a second.

We have a system currently where people invest in companies through shares and stocks. There is a risk and potentially risk for loss yet everyone does it.

We have banks that provide loans for people to build houses with a now very high interest rate.

The biggest hurdle for people building with H**p, Rammed Earth, building a tree house community, building a hobbit house community, Shipping containers, etc. is that the banks just laugh you right out of their building. it’s also very difficult to get a loan for construction on something that’s not there. They require something to hold as collateral. We’ve faced this in our own experience with building our house on our land. They can’t give us a loan until we build the house, which we wouldn’t need at that point.

Sure there are construction loans and all of that, but again, try to get one of those from a traditional bank for a hobbit community. Nuh-uh

So, I’m formulating with my LLC, how anyone who would be interested in getting involved with alternative community projects, eco-tourism, camping sites, eco villages, etc., can buy shares and be a member of the LLC.

It’s what I’ve been working towards and you can learn more and see progress on that on my website I’ve created here at:

www.panthercitycottages.com

The idea is, there are various levels of investment. Here are some examples.

1. The “shareholder”- The person who doesn’t have a lot of investment income but wants to help and be a part of a growing system. They buy one 1/10 of a share at a time starting at $10. A full share being $100. Instead of every week, putting $10 automatically into a savings account at their bank, they are buying a 1/10 share and slowly building their stock portfolio in the various projects taking place. They have the option to sell their stocks at any time like a regular share (think Robinhood).

2. “The visionary”- These folks are buying at least one full share, $100, at a time or buying a number of shares as they build their investment funds. These folks are driven to help the cause and really want these projects to succeed. They may also be be getting physically involved in the projects to get shares from labor credits (Another way to get shares through labor).

2.5 “The Time Share”- Had to add this because there will be opportunities for people who are able to physically be at these projects and help with development or manage the properties after they are setup. Time and labor can be built up and be turned into shares. This would be for nomads, musicians and artists, those who work remotely and can spend half of their time working on the projects, or those who have decided that they are done with modern life and just want to unplug for a while and live in the woods working on fun projects and learning new skills.

3. “The Investor”- These folks are funding partial or full projects and buying in on a concept. Maybe $10,000+ as high as $100,000 for some of the bigger ones. These folks have the income to buy in at a large capacity and can see particular projects being profitable enough to buy in at this level. Sometimes, the bigger concepts take people like this.

I see this being a way for every day people like you and me to be able to invest in projects at a level that is more reasonable and that many capital investment projects just don’t allow people to enter because of initial buy in prices.

Communities have been doing this for 100’s of thousands of years. It’s not a new concept. The Amish do it with their healthcare. We do it with our taxes to provide roads and social services.

So, if this is soe thing that you would be interested in, feel free to contact me. I won’t have any projects planned until I get our house built later this year but I would love to start building the investment pot so that we can hit the ground running come fall or winter, buy a parcel of land, and start envisioning the first project which likely will be an offgrid hipcamp site with primitive sites, RV pull ins, a communal kitchen and shower, and some fun features that will make the stay enjoyable.

If you would like to setup an account and start depositing funds now to build your shares throughout the year, message me and I will get you setup.

Let’s carve a new path for development together. We are strong in numbers. Little ants make big things happen! Strength in numbers.

*All investments are legally bound and contracted with protection’s for you and I, but of course, with any investment, there is always a risk of loss. We will go over each project and you will be fully informed on the scope, the progress, and the costs at regular intervals, just like any company does with regular shareholder meetings. Funds are secured by Enlightened Concepts LLC (Tennessee) at Citizens Tri-County bank and are protected by FDIC. Share Members are part of Enlightened Concepts LLC and are responsible for their own taxes. Legal documentation will be provided and enforced by both parties.

01/07/2024

Now this is what I’m talking about folks.

https://youtu.be/-IeIT0_z5x4?si=yzdZF43PsOSUO1PH

Steve and Marie Nygren bought a farm 25 minutes out of Atlanta, GA for their family to enjoy, but as rampant, unstructured development nipped at the heels of...

01/06/2024

When part of me wants to start a YouTube channel and make videos like this, I’m quickly reminding myself that I don’t have time for this and I can just as easily share these ones that have already been made and make commentary on it.

These guys did a good job of showing how many moving parts there are to going off grid. There are definitely some things that I would have done differently that would cost way less to do but this is a good video to show from start to finish one way that it can be done.

The biggest highlights that I would like to note on are the HomeBiogas system, Havelock Wool, the utilizing of free pallets for the chicken coop, and the rainwater catchment setup. They did great there.

Some of the other building structures I would have done differently and I would, of course, have chose H**pWood flooring over that LVP flooring, especially after the long section about why wool insulation is better than fiberglass and spray foam insulation because of the offgassing causing long term health risk. Then they put the vinyl down, which is plastic and foam and full of offgassing properties. Just saying, Don’t make a long commentary about how insulation is toxic and they are using a non toxic material to replace it, mentioning kids playing in there, then put down plastic floors that the kids will be playing on. Not bashing them, but for the cause, that’s a miss there.

Anywho, it’s always cheaper to do it all yourself, but as one can see, it’s a lot of work and know how to build these systems.

That’s where I can help. I’ve done all of these systems, plus even more, and can guide anyone along in making their dream off grid property a reality.

Watch the video if you like. You could actually use this video to guide you along if you decide to do it yourself, but what they don’t get into is layout and other aspects that are critical in getting right the first time before you setup all of this stuff. That’s where I can be of help.

If you are planing on going off grid, no matter what level of involvement you decide to do, any leanings that you may have for an expert, feel free to give me a shout. I’d be happy to consult or even drive/fly out to get you moving along.

This is a very simple setup. One for maybe a small eco Hip camp side hustle, or a weekend outing while you build your dream home. Whatever it is, I can help you get there. Just give me a shout.

We built an off-grid Micro Cabin living system at the end of 2023 for less than $25k! It took us 30 days of building to finish all of the off-grid systems f...

01/05/2024

I keep coming back to the Ithaca Ecovillage and their template for a great way to setup a community. It’s not the only way to do it but I see this as the “softest” way for people not familiar or with a stereotype of what it means to live off of the land to make a transition.

Please watch this short 20 minute video and if you have any questions or would like to discuss more, please comment or DM me.

There is no one way to do it. Everyone and every project is different. One common thing though is the relationship with the land and how we live with it.

https://youtu.be/85EqQWW398s?si=T7bKyzdfHzkd16hQ

Last year we toured the EcoVillage at Ithaca (episode: https://youtu.be/n-uH36w9xg8), which we had contacted early on to see what we would be able to learn f...

12/29/2023

Do you have a group of friends or family members who are more and more discussing buying land and building a community together?

It takes hard work, a well thought out plan, and saving up enough money to get started. Once the land is purchased, then a plan and infrastructure needs to go in. It can be a daunting and too big of an idea, that may seem too much to handle for one group.

It’s possible. Taken in little steps. Just like anything we’ve seen in history. Every massive red wood tree, every forest, once started with a seed that fell on the ground.

Every nation across our globe started with a vision. A drive for a better life. We are here now. A new chapter has begun.

I want to be that consultant. I want to help you get there. I want to, before my last leaf falls from my tree, see a network of communities, spread across the state, nation, and world. All working on their own projects and own passions. All working together to push against the train of monopolistic mentality.

I may not see it. But I know there are those who at least want to buy land together and start something in their own little way. To have their own gardens and own systems to live more in touch with nature and be closer to their families.

I can help you get there. First step is to create the seed of the dream.

Then there all of these questions. What does it look like to you? Who are the people you want involved? What would you like to do there? How would you like to operate your utility systems? Want a pond? Trails? A workshop? Homeschooling? A retirement village? A short term rental/Bed and breakfast setup? Want to host events or classes?

I can help you get there. First step is to create the seed of a dream.

What does it look like?

For those young folk who are ready to start a new system. One that focuses more on self sustainability, on community, on not living check to check just to pay a landlord and barely scrape by in a cubicle of a job and home. Those who want to create a new system all together. I’m down to help make that happen too. But you will need drive, passion, and a pioneer spirit.

All of these ideas have cautions. Here’s some of them to consider.

If you are ready to make that jump, If you are ready to invest in this new way of living, If you are ready to quite trying to change our current system, starve it, and start feeding into a new system, join me at Tennessee Ecovillage Network and we can start here in central/eastern Appalachia.



https://youtu.be/i6kuy20F2nU?si=M40X0xhMoCDBiJOF

12/19/2023

https://youtu.be/XsEzyeyMfgw?si=il3z3F3G9OR4PBmo

Global Ecovillage Network:

https://ecovillage.org/

In this video I will talk about the biggest intentional communities in the world. These are eco villages that are open for you to visit or learn more about i...