The American economy is close to double dip, and ordinary Americans are wondering whether they can trust the government to protect them through the times that may be just around the corner.

US retail sales fell 1.1% in May and 0.5% in June. Manufacturing output fell 0.4% in June. The Philly Index for new manufacturing orders fell to -4.3 in July.

Other confidence indicators are also falling, and as we wonder what might be ahead of us, some Americans are taking out an insurance policy — by going off the grid. They figure that if the worst happens, they and their families living in communities powered by wind and solar will still be able to function as normal.

The Fed is talking about QE2 — another wall of money thrown at the long term problem. Even if it happens, there will still be many more forecloures and layoffs, and the price of oil will continue to rise.

But for the thousands of families who are making the move off grid each month, the economy is only one consideration. Many have had it with the dysfunctional state, or the threat from global climate change.

They want to be free of the need to pay a mortgage — a small, three bed off-grid home with electricity and water can run as little as $75,000 including land. That is a compelling agrument at a time when new homes sales have dried up.

As the technology continues to improve, living off-grid has become more comfortable. Of course there will always be millions of Americans for whom the lifestyle is out of the question — a return to the stone age. But millions more value the simplicity of off the grid living, and the freedom it confers because it is a low-cost existence.

In future postings I will outline what you need to live off the grid, and why its a good thing to consider.

Other Stats:

New homes sales collapsed in May 2010 to a record low of 300,000 with the expiry of tax credits for first-time buyers.

The American Trucking Association said tonnage fell 0.6% in May (the most recent available).

The American Association of Railroads said car loadings fell 1.1% in May, and a further 1.3% in June (month-on-month, seasonally adjusted)

Outbound traffic from the Port of Long Beach fell from 139,000 containers in May to 116,000 in June. Shipments from the Port of Los Angeles fell from 161,000 to 155,000.

Nick Rosen Huffington Post

Described by some as a “sunrise industry”, water conservation is fast catching on in all areas of southern Africa as individuas and companies realise that the demand for water is fast outpacing the decreasing supply. With the rolling out of its franchise model, Water Rhapsody is experiencing a sharp increase in demand for its water conservation systems. There seems to be an urgency whereby people wish to get off the grid and harvest their own rainwater. They have seen what has happened to energy in this country with Eskom being unable to supply sufficient power and having to increase tarrifs by staggering amounts. Economists have warned that the looming crisis in water will make the energy problems seem nothing in comparison to water issues.
Sales of Water Rhapsody greywater systems have rocketed as homeowners seek to water their gardens with filtered greywater that used to go down the bath or shower plug.
Water Rhapsody now have 15 dealers who all own their own franchises, located in most of the provinces around South Africa. Says Charles Bryant ” From the beginning of 2010, we have been inundated with demand from would be ecopreneurs looking to own their own businesses in this green industry” Water Rhapsody expect to more than double the number of franchises this year alone, with particular emphasis in Gauteng. The industry is in its infancy, but is truly an industry whose time has come.

Visitors have traveled for miles to see David and Laura Sill’s new garage in Reisterstown. What makes this three-car garage worth the trip is that it was made out of about 200 bales of straw and features a toilet that heats waste into environmentally friendly ash.

The Sills’ garage was finished last week, just in time to be part of the B-more, B-Green Solar Tour on Sunday sponsored by the American Solar Energy Society, Potomac Regional Solar Energy Association and several energy-related companies. The self-guided tour featured 10 homes and businesses in Maryland that use green techniques to cut carbon emissions.

Building a green garage was a natural for the Sill family. The family’s Victorian home has solar panels, which supply about 40 percent of the family’s electricity. So when David Sill, a physician at Mercy Medical Center, wanted a heated garage so he could work on cars year-round, he looked to the sun again.

“The power is raining down on us as we stand here, yet we don’t use it,” Sill said.

One of the first things a visitor will notice about the new garage is that it doesn’t have a paved driveway that causes run off. Instead, the driveway is a “permeable pavement,” sort of like a thin metal grid that’s barely covered by dirt but allows vegetation to poke through and rain to be absorbed.

The garage relies on three solar panels for heating. The panels heat a tank of antifreeze-like fluid, and when the garage needs heat, the fluid will be circulated in a grid under the floor. The garage can be heated up to 80 degrees, Sill said. “These walls are tremendously insulated because they are so thick,” Sill said.

Looking at the garage, there’s no evidence of the bales that make up the 21-inch walls other than a square of plaster purposely cut out to reveal the golden straw. The bales are covered with plaster. The exterior features cement-product paneling, said Polly Bart, owner of Greenbuilders in Butler, which constructed the garage.

The straw came from a farmer about five miles away from the Sill home, Bart said.

Other features of the garage include a small bathroom with an electric toilet. Waste is collected in a bag, and at the press of a button, the bag drops to the bottom of the toilet, where an electric coil incinerates the waste and leaves behind an eco-friendly ash.

On the roof are two small gardens that will keep the garage cool in the summer and extend the life of the roof, Bart said.

The 1,400-square-foot garage with screened porch cost $160,000. The Sills will get some of that investment back in federal and state tax breaks for the solar panels and energy-efficient doors.

Other sites on the tour included a green-certified building at a winery, imitation cedar shakes made from recycled rubber and plastic, and a rooftop solar pool heating system that allows a 1,000-square-foot pool to be heated about 10 degrees higher than usual at no extra cost, according to tour organizers.

In South Baltimore, the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center gets nearly all its electricity from solar panels, said Cheryl Miller, a building administrator. Miller said she likes that the lights automatically turn off because she sometimes forgets to switch them off when she leaves.

But solar isn’t the only green features of the center. The building also uses “gray” water – after someone washes their hands in the bathroom, the water is filtered and then used for the toilets, Miller said.