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Vanlife at Stonehenge hasn't changed ever since the hippies of the 50s 60s did it. we just have technology, but the people are still the same.
Elizabeth Mukwimba is a 62-year-old Tanzanian smallholder farmer who now has solar lighting and a cleaner cookstove in her home, thanks to schemes backed by UK aid.
Elizabeth has had an M-Power solar panel and lights fitted in her home by Off Grid Electric, a private sector company dedicated to providing sustainable, affordable energy to people in developing countries who aren't connected to the electricity grid.
It means that Elizabeth now has lighting at home at night, which means she doesn't have to buy expensive kerosene. The money she's saved already has helped her put a new tin roof on her house. It also means her grandchildren can read and do their homework in the evening.
She also has a 'clean cookstove', as seen in this picture. These cookstoves provide a safer, more durable and energy efficient means of cooking as opposed to traditional open fire cooking. The ceramic, metal-encased design means that much smaller amounts of wood or charcoal are needed, thus reducing the amount of time and money people need to spend on procuring fuel. The design is therefore also much healthier, producing much less smoke or carbon monoxide.
"I feel much better because of the solar lighting and the cookstove", says Elizabeth.
"Before, I sometimes had to choose between buying vegetables to eat, or buying kerosene to light the lamps with at night. Sometimes we used to have to rely just on matches for lighting in the dark.
"But now I'm not having to buy kerosene and the cookstove uses much less fuel, so I'm saving money and not worrying so much about how to provide for my family. It means I can start to save money to hopefully build a new house in the future".
In less than 2 years, Off Grid Electric has installed solar power systems in over 22,000 homes across Tanzania, meaning many more people now have access to cheap, renewable electricity - a vital step forward in a country where less than 14% of the population are connected to the electricity grid.
The Tanzania Improved Cook Stoves programme, implemented by the Dutch NGO SNV, aims to provide improved cooking facilities for 45,000 people in Tanzania's Lake Zone region by 2017. 28,500 people have already benefitted.
Picture: Russell Watkins/Department for International Development.
Please don't use this photo on websites, blogs or other media without my written permission. (c) Yago Veith www.yago1.com - Flickr Interesting
First look inside Hirz Mountain Lookout. A U.S. Forest Service rental in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, California.
A close-up image of freshly chopped firewood logs stacked on a rustic stone wall. The photo highlights the natural textures of wood and bark, set against a blurred green countryside and distant mountains. Perfect for illustrating rural living, sustainable heating, winter preparation, or the beauty of nature’s raw materials. Ideal for anyone searching for eco-friendly, outdoor, or firewood-themed images.
When we decided to build our straw bale house we purchased a 1973 Airstream for our temporary living quarters.
Please don't use this photo on websites, blogs or other media without my written permission.
(c) Yago Veith www.yago1.com - Flickr Interesting
Please don't use this photo on websites, blogs or other media without my written permission. (c) Yago Veith www.yago1.com - Flickr Interesting
Rahel Shigela, an artisan stove maker who lives near Mwanza in northern Tanzania.
Rahel has been making clay pots and stoves for 20 years, but has recently received training in how to also make 'clean cookstoves', as part of a UK-supported programme being implemented by the Dutch NGO SNV.
The sign behind her is her brand identity, Jiko Shigela, which she developed with the help of SNV. It reads:
"Clean stove, nice fire, little money".
"Enjoy cooking today!"
The clean cookstoves can use wood or charcoal for fuel, but use less of either, and produce less smoke, than traditional open fire cooking - meaning they're more fuel efficient, and less harmful in terms of the fumes they emit. This in turn means that people have to spend less money on buying charcoal, less time collecting firewood, and are less exposed to smoke and fumes that affect their health.
The SNV project ensures consistent quality of cookstoves through training and the introduction of standardised production methods. Since the start of the project in 2012, about 28,500 people have benefitted from clean cookstoves across Tanzania's Lake Zone.
Picture: Russell Watkins/Department for International Development
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Tiny Bamboo House. Build with Guadua angustifolia
Please don't use this photo on websites, blogs or other media without my written permission. (c) Yago Veith www.yago1.com - Flickr Interesting
This is a very aesthetically pleasing home made from tires, rastra block and other earth-friendly materials. It is what's known as an earthship, and is a completely self-sustaining, off-grid home.
Previously this space was a large dinette.
New trailer desk is installed. It's nice having windows on three sides for panoramic views when I'm camping. Ikea LINMON table top, 2 OLOV adjustable legs, and then two angle braces to attach it to the wall on one side.
Also, I added a corner cabinet to store things in. For this cabinet, I reused the old door fronts from the cabinets that were part of the dinette. I then built the rest of the cabinet.
Finally, I got a small folding table and folding chair for when I have guests or need more workspace.
#rvlife #rv #renovation #trailer #trailerlife #fulltimerv #remodel #offgrid #remodeling #diy #mobileoffice
Even with freezing temperatures and an area that expects 40+ inches of snow a year. The passive solar design heats up nicely on a sunny day like today !
Joseph, a local manager for Mobisol, a solar energy company that's receiving support to grow their business from UK aid - in return for helping provide solar electricity to some of Tanzania's poorest people.
Picture: Russell Watkins/Department for International Development
you just can't describe how good it feels inside a strawbale home. you have to experience it. it feels like the house is actually hugging you. it's so comforting.
you can read an article on marilyn pedretti's strawbale home from her local paper here.
seen on the 2007 MREA wisconsin solar tour.
Winter on one side of the highway and spring on the other. This photo was taken from a drone hovering above the cabin looking west.
Rillway Cabin. Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana
Some of these cabins are abandoned in the winter and revisited during the breakup, summer and fall. I'm not sure if this is truly abandoned, or if it is a summer away-from-it-all home.
No roads, no electricity, no sewer system and literally miles and miles from any town. Only reached by snowmobile, ATV or by flagging down the Alaska Railroad train.
Image - Copyright 2015 Alan Vernon
Previously this space was a large dinette.
New trailer desk is installed. It's nice having windows on three sides for panoramic views when I'm camping. Ikea LINMON table top, 2 OLOV adjustable legs, and then two angle braces to attach it to the wall on one side.
Also, I added a corner cabinet to store things in. For this cabinet, I reused the old door fronts from the cabinets that were part of the dinette. I then built the rest of the cabinet.
Finally, I got a small folding table and folding chair for when I have guests or need more workspace.
#rvlife #rv #renovation #trailer #trailerlife #fulltimerv #remodel #offgrid #remodeling #diy #mobileoffice
Joseph and Neema, a local manager and sales agent for Mobisol, a solar energy company that's receiving support to grow their business from UK aid - in return for helping provide solar electricity to some of Tanzania's poorest people.
Picture: Russell Watkins/Department for International Development
Please don't use this photo on websites, blogs or other media without my written permission. (c) Yago Veith www.yago1.com - Flickr Interesting
First morning at the cabin. The dogs adjust to the Rocky Mountain Time Zone.
Rillway Cabin. A U.S. Forest Service rental in Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana
On McClintock River, southeast of Whitehorse, Yukon. It was July, probably not long before midnight.
Savings cooperatives like this one in Bariadi, Tanzania are helping many people to access solar technology who might not otherwise be able to afford it.
The cooperative is working in partnership with solar company Ensol. Ensol provides solar lighting kits to the co-op at a discounted price. The co-op then sells the kits to its members and earns a commission on each one it sells - which is reinvested in the co-op for them to buy more solar kits.
For a small deposit, local people can join the cooperative, and then save whatever they can. Being a member means that they can borrow credit against the cooperative at microloan rates. If they can afford it, members can buy a solar lighting kit outright. But if they can't afford to pay the whole cost up-front, they can pay a percentage and then pay off the balance in small monthly instalments.
The scheme is one of a number of ways that the UK-supported EnDev (Energising Development) programme in Tanzania is helping to encourage and provide solar energy to many of the >35 million people in the country who aren't connected to the electricity grid. The EnDev programme is an international partnership in Tanzania which is being implemented by the Dutch NGO SNV.
Picture: Russell Watkins/Department for International Development