Oh how we take for granted the magically clean clothes, sheets and towels that come out of advanced machines that do everything but fold and put things away. Today’s appliances virtually think for themselves – which has left most of us pretty clueless on how to get things clean without them. 

Whether you find yourself in a short-term outage from a storm or a long-term outage, doing laundry by hand is something you’ll have to face. It’s not quite as simple as dunking things in the river and drying them on the bushes – but fortunately, you’ve got some options. But first, you may want to make a note of the recipe for homemade laundry soap:

• 1 bar grated castile soap, or own homemade laundry bar soap
• 1 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1 cup super washing soda
• 1 cup borax

On medium-high heat, in a large pot, simmer 1 quart of pure water along with the grated castile soap, stirring continuously, until melted. Do not allow to boil. Remove pot from heat and add remaining ingredients stirring vigorously until completely dissolved. Pour contents of pot into a 5 gallon bucket and begin to slowly add 2 gallons of pure water while continuing to stir. Let laundry soap sit for 24 hours prior to use (this allows it to thicken). (Thanks to the Frugally Sustainable blogger for the recipe!)

Your first and most basic option is using a tub, sink or 5-gallon bucket. Many people love the Hand Operated Washing Machine, ($14.99) which looks sort of like a plunger but has vents. The point of using a (clean!) plunger or the Hand Operated Washing Machine is to push and pull soapy water through the fabric without wearing out your clothes. Use 2 gallons of warm water, 1 tablespoon of homemade laundry detergent or commercial detergent and ½ cup of white vinegar (to brighten whites, cut oils and preserve colors). Plunge for 2 minutes, rinse, wring and hang to dry.

For laundry, you can use clean water from a rain barrel, snow melt, lake or stream (but not saltwater). This water doesn’t have to be so clean that it’s potable but it should be clean enough that it won’t leave your clothes dirtier or smellier than before the washing.

Now, just in case you don’t have your grandma’s old wringer washer sitting around and you want to get fancier than a 5-gallon bucket, there are alternatives. For example, MIT has developed the GiraDora, a pedal-powered washing machine that looks much like a beverage dispenser cooler. The Up-Stream has the ability to “spin” clothes and the Wonder Wash is a commercially available option already being used in dorms and small urban apartments all over the U.S.

Don’t wait until the lights go out to figure out a plan for clean clothes, sheets and blankets. Basic hygiene is right at the top of the list for long-term survival – and short-term comfort.

In many parts of the country February is a slower time of year – great for catching up on your reading. Here are our recommendations for five books that will give your prepping plans a boost:

 1. The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster by Bernie Carr – This small guide encourages readers to make a sensible evaluation of potential risks then make incremental preparations that don’t break the bank. If you’re just getting started on your emergency plan, this is a great starting point.

2. When There Is No Doctor: Preventive and Emergency Healthcare in Challenging Times by Gerard S. Doyle, M.D. – In addition to teaching and practicing emergency medicine at the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Doyle is in charge of the hospital’s emergency plan. Who better to write a book full of medical tips for emergency situations? This book is about protecting health in difficult situations but it also is about what you can do if real medical care isn’t an option. Used by preppers and budget-minded people alike, this is guide to “improvised medicine” in hard times. 

3. Mini Farming: Self Sufficiency in ¼ an Acre by Brent Markham – We’re all about self-sufficiency and urban agriculture. Enough food to raise a family can be grown in a small area, but it takes planning and development before a disaster hits. This book describes small-area farming for non-gardeners and includes the basics of buying and saving seeds, starting seedlings, establishing raised beds, soil fertility practices, composting, dealing with pest and disease problems, crop rotation, farm planning, and much more. Markham also discusses raising backyard chickens and home canning along. We also like that there is a list of materials, tools, and techniques are detailed with photographs, tables, diagrams, and illustrations.

4. Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills by Abigail R. Gehring – This is a great read for anyone brushing up on basic skills that can be adapted for a more simple life now or after a disaster. The author provides instruction, step-by-step sequences, photographs, charts, and illustrations for dying textiles with plant pigments, grafting trees, raising chickens, creating furniture with hand tools, and even how to make small comforts such as jam and cheese. Once you’ve mastered those skills, the book will even teach you how to build a log cabin or an adobe brick homestead.

5. The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer – Edible plants are nature’s fast food – they can boost the nutritional content of dehydrated emergency meals and help stores stretch. However, eating the wrong plant and you’ll have to deal with serious illness (or worse!). This is a great pictorial guide to plants that are abundant, safe and tasty. The time to learn about them is well ahead of an emergency.

Rain barrels are an ancient innovation but they should be part of every modern Prepper’s strategy. Using one seems pretty simple, right? Well, yes. But, not exactly. There are some things you should know to use your rain barrel safely, and there are some modern ideas in the marketplace that may give a significant boost to the utility of the rain barrel.

A rain barrel is a 55-gallon drum that is used to collect and store rainwater from runoff areas, like your roof. Rain barrels usually sit right under a downspout and have a screen grate on top to keep out debris and insects. This is a diagram of the Spruce Creek Rainsaver: 

Because rainwater is “soft” water, there’s no chlorine, lime or calcium – perfect for watering plants. But what about for drinking? If it came off of your roof the water has been exposed to chemicals, dirt, dead insects, bird droppings and leaf mold – it isn’t safe to drink without going through the same filtering and boiling or chemical purification process you’d go through with any other suspect water source. However, water from rain barrels can be collected and used for washing clothes, bathing and watering plants.

Obviously, the first consideration for a rain barrel is that it is watertight. Second, it must not let in any light – translucent barrels encourage the growth of algae. Then, you need to determine the right size barrel for your roof - check out this cool calculator at Save the Rain. You also don’t want to store more water than you can use – water stagnates and becomes unpleasant pretty fast. You can build your own barrel or buy one for about $100 - $250.  The Family Handyman blog has good instructions for a double barrel system.

Place your rain barrel under a downspout – and level the spot with sand, a cement tile, bricks or cinder blocks if necessary. Be sure the lid is tight enough or weighted enough to keep out curious small children and animals.

Rain barrels need just a little maintenance on a regular basis, especially if you live in a climate where the water in the barrel could freeze (and damage the barrel). No matter where you are, check the barrel, the diverter and screen regularly for debris. If your climate gets freezing temperatures, drain your barrel and store it upside down for the winter.

As more and more people become interested in being prepared for long and short-term emergencies, the quantity of survival information seems to multiply. However, we all know not to believe everything we read on the Internet or watch on TV – right? When it comes to planning for life-or-death situations, it pays to be discerning about the information you’re basing a survival plan on.

Here are five survival myths that may surprise you:

1. 1.     You can go for weeks without food.  Sure, it happens and people survive, but try going just one day without food and you’ll quickly discover that you can’t engage in any meaningful physical activity. You might be able to sit and play Angry Birds until your iPhone battery dies, but you won’t be able to walk, run, dig, build or hunt.
2. 2.     Eating snow is a safe way to rehydrate. Actually, eating snow can get you into big trouble. If it’s been on the ground for a while it can contain bacteria or other organisms. Also, it takes a fair amount of energy for your body to heat it once it’s liquid – that can contribute to hypothermia. Eating snow should be an absolute last resort if you can’t heat or purify it just like you would water. Which leads us to another surprising myth:
3. 3.     Water in the mountains /away from civilization is clean and safe to drink. Sadly, even water far away from civilization can be tainted with organisms that can make you seriously sick. To be absolutely sure water is safe to drink, it should be purified by filtration, boiling or iodine tablets.
4. 4.     I have invested in enough high-tech survival gadgets that life in survival mode will be almost like normal – maybe even kind of fun. Ask anyone who has actually had their survival plan put to the test and they’ll tell you nothing is like normal and nothing is very much fun, no matter how many gadgets they have. Gadgets can only do so much – and they’ll all eventually fail. It doesn’t make sense to depend on them for long-term survival.
5. 5.     I can live off the land. This may have been true a couple hundred years ago but it is extremely difficult to do now. If you need confirmation, read any account that details what the pilgrims went through when they landed at Plymouth Rock (here’s a good resource). They had weapons, food, seed, building tools and animals. They even had access to the wisdom of indigenous peoples – still most of the settlers died and those that survived had a horrendous experience. “Living off the land” can be brutal and iffy. Wild animals are scarce (and will be more than ever if everyone is after them for food), arable land is also scarce and the knowledge of how to grow crops without modern machinery, fertilizer and pesticides is lost to most of us.   

Survival is all about planning based on realism. If anything in your plan is based on something you’ve seen on TV or anything you’ve seen Tom Cruise do, you probably need to go back to the drawing board and start with the basics – having a reliable resource for food, water and shelter.

Sometimes we ask you to trust us a minute in our blog posts and this is one of those times. You see, if you’re not already on Pinterest, we want you to consider joining.

Pinterest is a content sharing website that allows members to "pin" images and videos to “pinboards” they create on different topics. Membership is free, all you have to do is sign up here.  After you sign up you too can create “boards” that relate to things you’re interested in. For example, if you are a woodworker from the planet Xenon who enjoys raising goats and making your own pizzas while living on Earth, you might have boards for “Wood Projects”, “Space Travel”, “Goats” and “Pizzas”. Then when you take a photo or come across interesting content on the Internet you can “pin” that content or photo to your boards. Once you’ve built some boards, other people who have interest in those subjects are likely to come across your “pins” and can choose to add your pins to their boards and/or “Follow” your boards. Of course, you in turn can do the same.

Now, Pinterest is not just for crafters or alien woodworkers or fashionistas or people who want to share pictures of chihuahuas in little sweaters. Yes, there is that. But there is also an excellent and growing contingent of Preppers who are sharing some pretty cool content about prepping, so we at Wise started some boards of our own on prepper topics that are full of interesting, useful ideas.. Here’s an example of one of our boards called “Doin’ It Ourselves".

This board is filled with great ideas for how to make useful things that fit into your prepping plans

We’ve also got an Urban Backyard board:

And a board where we collect pictures of some sweet survival bunkers.

We’ve actually got lots of boards and the list of topics grows all the time! After you join Pinterest, just type “wisefoodstorage” into the search box to find us…

…or just click here.

Social media can sometimes feel like a lot of white noise, we know. But we’re really digging the Prepper community on Pinterest – come join us and share what you’re up to.

If you haven’t seen the new generation of portable thermoelectric generators, be prepared to get excited. These little powerhouses convert heat from buring small debris or boiling water into power for USB devices such as smartphones, GPS units, cameras, lights, radios and water purifiers. One of the main benefits of these devices is that unlike solar panels they work in any weather at any time of day, indoors or outdoors.

A favorite of campers, the $129 BioLite CampStove uses heat to generate electricity. You don’t need special fuel to use it – which means you can just use leaves and twigs around the campsite instead of lugging petroleum-based fuel. Once you’ve built a little fire in the canister, you can plug in your small electronics via a high-heat USB cable and start charging. The CampStove weighs 33 ounces and will charge an iPhone in about 20 minutes.

Biolite also is developing a HomeStove that is a low-cost biomass cook stove for the home that reduces smoke emissions by 95% and has the ability to charge small electronics. Right now its being tested for use in developing nations but the finished functionality is sure to make a few preppers happy.

The PowerPot is a similar device that creates electricity from boiling water, making the perfect companion to your stash of Wise dehydrated meals. Users got to test their PowerPots during Hurricane Sandy and the company received testimonials from East Coasters who only had to have the ability to make a fire in order to charge their devices and stay connected with loved ones and keep up to date on emergency information. The PowerPot sits on top of a campstove or campfire fire, boils water and converts the heat to energy. It also makes enough hot water to rehydrate a couple of Wise meals!

The PowerPot weighs 18 ounces and can charge an iPhone in about 90 minutes.

These next generation power generators will keep you off the grid on your own terms – you’ll still be able to stay connected without relying on (or paying for) electricity. If you want to see the nerdy science behind these devices, click here.

You may be looking to military books for survival training but if that’s your sole source of information you’re likely missing out on tried-and-true, gadget-free survival skills that can carry you through a long-term emergency. One of the best sources for information is history – in fact, you might be able to learn as much from an archaeologist as an Army Ranger. Here are 10 survival skills to consider learning this year:

Start, control and use fire - If you’ve got a Firesteel you may feel like you’ve got everything you need to start and use a fire. However, starting a fire is just the beginning. You’ll want to learn how to start different kinds of fires (cooking, heating, signaling) from different kinds of materials, how to keep them burning in different situations as well as how to control fire for safety. If you’re using fire for heating and cooking in a shelter, you’ll want to learn how to keep it going and how to throttle it up or down as needed. With this in mind, consider keeping a supply of WiseFire on hand.

Make functional pottery – Vessels that hold water and food are incredibly important when it comes to a long-term plan. Functional pottery is exceedingly simple if you know where to look for clay (geological areas called “clay veins”), how to shape it and how to fire it so it’s waterproof and can be used for cooking. Some good tips can be found here and here.

Weaving – Eventually, machine made fabrics are going to wear out. Learn how to find or collect natural fiber, prepare it and how to weave it into baskets for storage or portage, blankets and basic clothing. Learn how to weave a basket from willow here and how to make a loom and weave a blanket here.

Cooking over an open fire – How hard can it be, right? If you haven’t tried cooking over an open fire you don’t yet know the joys of burned food or raw food or food that turns out to be dangerous because it wasn’t cooked to the right temperature or for the right amount of time. Cooking over an open fire means learning about safety and control.

Make a cutting blade – Fortunately, this is an area where archaeological evidence is broad enough and recent enough to reconstruct effective techniques for making stone cutting tools. Blades can be used for weaponry, sure, but blades are necessary for building shelters, first aid and in textile projects. A good tutorial can be seen here.

Grow plants – If you don’t have a green thumb, this is the year to get one. You don’t need to learn to grow orchids or cultivate entire fields of corn, you need to learn about soil, water, seeds and sun. Start with a small garden or a tomato plant and get to know the lifecycle of a plant.

Purify water – We all love our portable water filters but even the best have a finite number of uses. Eventually, you’ll need to know how to find the best water source and how to purify water for drinking and cooking. Learn about sand filters, boiling techniques and rain collection.

Make a shelter – Depending on your situation, you may need a shelter for sleeping, protection from the elements or maybe even hiding. There are as many ways to build a shelter as there are situations – learn basic construction techniques for sturdy shelters that will keep you warm or cool, and basic camouflage techniques so that your shelter keeps your whereabouts secret if necessary. Pay attention to advice about the best locations for shelters and consider how your chosen spot may change depending on weather.
 
Store food and water – once you’ve mastered gardening, gathering and even fishing or hunting, you’ll need a way to store food and water safely so you don’t spend every waking moment going through all the steps necessary to feed yourself. If you get sick from spoiled food or tainted water, everything you’ve learned to this point may not mean much. Learn about safe vessels for storage, storage temperatures and natural “cellars” and preservation techniques.
First aid and hygiene – Another lesson we learned from history is that poor basic hygiene causes disease very quickly. Brush up on basic biology of organisms and how to keep yourself and your shelter site clean. Then brush up on basic first aid for burns, breaks, bites and illness.

Start learning about the history of survival skills and you’ll likely be able to combine your new knowledge with modern techniques and your own abilities, interests and supplies for a more holistic view of staying prepared

A Guest Blog Post by Jeff Ordonez

Note: Author, researcher, and teacher Jeff Ordonez has studied world religions for over 25 years. He’s traveled extensively throughout North America and South America seeking the truth and now appears on nationally syndicated radio. To learn more about Jeff and his book, Seven Predicted Disasters, visit:  http://7predicteddisasters.com 

Fiery words of doom and gloom have existed for millennia and predictions of global cataclysms have seized the mind for ions. Almost all faiths and cultures have some type of prophetic warning about the future, which are detailed in my book, Seven Predicted Disasters. In light of this, my team and I put together a list of best survival practices. Here’s a list of the most important things you can do to survive a disaster – whether small or large.

Top 10 Keys to Surviving a Disaster

1. One year or more of food

Although the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends storing food and water to last three days, survival experts often store enough food and water to last well over a year.

This prudent measure has historically shown to save lives during major disasters. After the Fukushima tsunami a news report out of Japan told the story about a man who fed family and friends for nearly two weeks before adequate food supplies arrived. The reporter highlighted the fact that the man had stored nearly a years’ worth of dried food sealed in water tight packaging which he had stored in closets throughout the house.

This technique can save more lives than you think.

2. Keep portable cases of food and water

This is a frequently overlooked technique. Our survey found that most survival experts recommend having on hand portable kits of food and water. Unlike a food stock, portable food kits contain all essential meals to last a week or two in one to-go bag.

These types of to-go bags should be prepared in advance and placed in easily accessible areas. When disaster strikes a portable food kit allows you the flexibility of simply grabbing the bag and escaping without delay.

3. Geo Stashing

Hiding stashes of food and water along escape routes is an old time tested practice. First you need to preplan multiple escape routes from your city. If disaster strikes you want to be able to open your map and know exactly which way to go.

Once you’ve determined the most viable escape routes, consider hiding or camouflaging small stores of food along your escape routes. Be sure not to trespass on private property. Food and water must be stored in air tight containers for maximum storage life.

As you store your stashes of food, be sure to be as discreet as possible to reduce your visibility. You can store food along hundreds of miles of road to ensure safe passage, but be sure to cleverly mark your locations. GPS coordinates, maps, and written notes should all be considered when devising a geo-stashing plan.  

4. Three-Day bug out bag

The three-day bug out bag is a true and tried friend of survival. A portable bag that contains the essentials for 3 days of survival is as varied as the needs of its designer, but there are several core principles to keep in mind when preparing a survival bag.

Remember, a bug out bag provides short term support in the case of immediate evacuation. Most survival experts agree that the following items should be considered when assembling a grab-and-go bag:

• 3 days of non-perishable food and water (Consider pet, child, and elderly care)
• Water purification supplies
• Portable cooking supplies
• A first aid kit (consider allergies, the flu, and any regular medication)
• Fire starting tools (e.g., matches, ferrocerium rod, lighter, etc.)
• A disaster plan including location of emergency centers, meeting points, possible evacuation routes, etc.
• Emergency literature explaining how to survive and escape various types of disasters. (Study and understood in advance but packed for reference.)
• Maps and travel information.
• Standard camping equipment. (include hygiene and toiletries, fixed-blade and folding knife, compass, slingshot, pellet gun, blowgun or other small game hunting equipment, wire for binding and animal traps, a flexible saw, etc.)
• Weather appropriate clothing (e.g., water proof poncho, headwear, gloves, etc.)
• Bedding items - sleeping bags and blankets.
• Records (Drivers license, car registration and insurance, copy of mortgage and title, credit card records, property insurance, medical insurance, medical records, state I.D. card, social security, birth certificate and/or passport etc.)
• Battery or crank-operated radio.
• Lighting (battery or crank operated flashlight, glow sticks)
• Cash and change. (Automated Teller Machines ATM’s may not be available)
• Duct tape and rope or paracord.
• Plastic tarps for shelter and water collection.

5. Alternate communication

Imagine the electrical grid going out and your television goes dark. All regular and mobile phones stop working, and even the Internet is no longer accessible. What do you do?

Not many people consider alternate forms of communication when preparing, yet it can be a life-saving move that can get you and your family out of harm’s way. The top two alternatives are ham radios and cb radios (Citizens Band). Of the two, CB radios require no license and virtually no training, unlike ham radios.

A properly trained and licensed ham radio operator can communicate over continents, while a cb radio may be limited to just 5 or 10 miles. Weighing factors like training, alternate power sources, portability, and expense will determine the best option for you.

The average person feels most comfortable with a portable cb radio. They don’t require a license, are easy to operate, require less power, can be portable, and are inexpensive.

6. Self defense

It’s common knowledge that in a disaster situation the rule of law quickly breaks down. After a devastating situation a massive disruption of power and communication can cripple emergency services and police protection.

In these situations there are two types of self defense tactics, non-lethal and lethal. Non-lethal tools and methods include mace, pepper sprays, tasers, stun guns, personal attack alarms, self-defense training, and home protection devices. The lethal category includes knifes and firearms, although they can also be used as non-lethal tools.

Unfortunately crime exists, and catastrophes are a criminal’s window of opportunity. It’s better to prepare now. 

7. Suit Up!

Nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) warfare can hurt entire populations, and yet for as little as $50 to $100 you can defend yourself from these invisible assailants.

A personal protective suit is designed to protect you against the harmful, sometimes lethal affects of nuclear, biological, and chemical agents. It protects by restricting direct contact with contamination. In general it’s designed for short term use to facilitate safe escape, or survival, in a mass contamination situation.    

8. Alternate currency

Today the standard currency is the “dollar”. It’s a medium of exchange, or payment, and a standard of value. But what if the value of currencies collapses or you run out of cash in an emergency situation? A small gold coin or silver can go a long way.

Exchanging goods and services for items of value is nothing new, it’s called bartering. Bartering used play an important role in our history and may play role in a disastrous situation. Consider a few extra supplies of value just in case it takes a while before things return to normal.

Here’s a top ten list of things that have been historically known to have value during tough times: 

1. Alcohol – There’s always demand for alcohol. It can also be used medically, plus is has flamable properties.
2. Seed – Depending on where you live and the situation, vegetable and fruit seeds may be worth more than silver and gold.
3. Toilet Paper – There are many alternatives to toilet paper, but nothing beats it. Toilet paper is a luxury when supplies are low.
4. Fire – Any fire starting kit is essential if you’re going to stay alive. Matches, lighters, ferrocerium rods (fire steel), magnesium fire tools, are always in demand. Another great product to consider for keeping a reliable source of fire is WiseFire.
5. Food and water – Everyone needs to food and water. Food and water are of vital importance when any disaster strikes.
6. Pain relief – Items like ibuprofen and aspirin are small compact items that are excellent in a battering situation.
7. Sweets – In a world of survival, a pack of sweets like chocolate temporarily helps escape the drudgery surviving. Plus it’s a good source of calories.
8. Toiletries – Soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and deodorant, are things that provide comfort and hygiene.
9. Spices – The human palette craves food with flavor. Extra salt, pepper, and flavorings in general are great to have on hand.
10. Coffee – Another small luxury that can be worth gold. Keep extra on hand.    

9. Alternate Transportation

There are many forms of transportation that use alternate forms of energy. Looking into them you’ll find a myriad of options that use of the sun, wood, water, cooking oil, and even waste to fuel vehicles.

The time-tested form of energy is the human body. Walking and cycling are at the top of the list when fuel runs out, or when highways are jammed shut with cars.

10. Health

The most important tool in your arsenal is your health. If you can maintain a strong and healthy body with good food and water, you’ll be able to escape and survive almost any situation.

To learn more about Jeff and his book, Seven Predicted Disasters, visit:  http://7predicteddisasters.com/ 

Portable solar charging panels allow you to charge and power electronics even when you’re off the grid. Trekkers, boaters and RV’ers have been testing them out and giving feedback to manufacturers for a few years now. That’s good news for Preppers who want reliable, compact, lightweight portable power in a disaster, emergency – or if they just decide to slide off the grid for a while.

Depending on the size, portable panels can power cell phones, tablets and laptops, while larger versions can power appliances and lighting. (Larger panels may be critical for those with medical equipment that depends on electricity.) Prices range from $50 - $3,000 and charging times vary from 3 or 4 hours to a new invention that claims to charge cell phones and tablets at the same rate they would charge if plugged into the wall

The right panel for you is the right combination of price, portability and charging speed and power.

If price and portability are most important, the Solio H1000 ($80) is an interesting option because it comes with a carabineer clip so you can charge while you walk or hike. You’ll get about 45 minutes of power from about 4 hours in the sun. Solio also offers a more expensive option, the Solio Classic ($100). The Classic is a popular, travel-friendly option that provides around 160 minutes of power from 3 or 4 hours of charging. If you can handle a little more size and weight, the FatCat Solstice ($100) is about half a pound and the size of a couple of cell phones. It has the largest battery capacity and the double folding panels mean it charges faster.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Goal Zero Yeti ($2600) powers appliances and medical equipment indoors or out with none of the emissions or other problems generators have. It requires a 40+ hour charge, so it’s something you’ll need work into your preparedness maintenance.

With all sizes, makes and models, slow charging has been the major complaint of portable solar panel users. However, there’s a new kid on the block that claims he’s made slow charging a problem of the past. The SunVolt Portable Solar Power Station was a Kickstarter project undertaken by a sailboat owner who wanted to charge his iPad on the water. He claims his invention charges his tablet at the same speed it would charge plugged into the wall. The SonVolt even looks like an iPad, which means it’s portable and folds into it’s own carrying case. The project was just fully funded in September of this year, so you may want to wait and see if the SonVolt delivers.

Portable solar panels make sense for long- and short-term emergency preparedness plans, and they come in a range of prices and functionality to fit a range of budgets and needs. (Be sure to check the specs on any portable panel before you buy to be sure it is compatible with your devices.)

One of our favorite topics to pop up this year was the DIY modern village kit from Open Source Ecology. Marcin Jakubowski announced that modern life could be maintained with 50 basic machines. Now, Jakubowski is a physicist, but he’s also a farmer. As a farmer / physicist, he decided that science wasn’t really solving any of the world’s problems so in 2003 he founded Open Source Ecology, a network of farmers, engineers and supporters whose main goal is to manufacture the Global Village Construction Set (GVCS) – a blueprint kit that contains low-cost, build-it-yourself versions of those all-important 50 machines.

I know you want to see the list – here it is:

1. Tractor
2. Cement mixer
3. Sawmill
4. CEB press
5. Bulldozer
6. Backhoe
7. Seeder
8. Hay rake
9. Drilling rig

10.  Microtractor

11.  Soil pulverizer

12.  Spader

13.  Hay cutter

14.  Trencher

15.  Bakery oven

16.  Dairy milder

17.  Microcombine

18.  Baler

19.  Multimachine

20.  Ironworker

21.  Laser cutter

22.  Welder

23.  Plasma cutter

24.  Induction furnace

25.  CNC torch table

26.  Metal roller

27.  Rod and wire mill

28.  Press forge

29.  Universal rotor

30.  Drill press

31.  3d printer

32.  3d scanner

33.  CNC circuit mill

34.  Industrial robot

35.  Chipper hammermill

36.  Power cube

37.  Gasifier burner

38.  Solar concentrator

39.  Electric motor generator

40.  Hydrolic motor

41.  Nickel-Iron battery

42.  Steam engine

43.  Heat exchanger

44.  Wind turbine

45.  Pellletizer

46.  Universal power supply

47.  Aluminum extractor

48.  Truck

49.  Car

50.  Bioplastic extruder 

The blueprints OSE comes up with are all Open Source, meaning free distribution for the good of all. They are all openly reviewed and tested by volunteers, so if you’re an engineer or a wannabe engineer, you can join the OSE Smart Mob to review and comment on the blueprints for all the machines. To see how the machines actually work, you can watch a short 2-minute video here. It’s a fascinating idea from a fascinating guy. If you’d like to know more about the founder - watch his very interesting TED talk here.