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To: jimjohn
Is there a strategy for surviving WITHOUT electric power for longs periods of time?

Yes. It probably won't be as comfortable, and long-range communications would be nonexistent, but yes.

Start with the woodstove. Look for the simple but efficient kind, such as a rocket mass heater, or a masonry stove. Those both use thermal mass to soak up large amounts of heat, then slowly radiate it back. They can be run on low-quality fuel such as twigs and prunings, and if designed properly they can be used to cook with.

Have at least 3 ways to do every task. So, for cooking you might have the woodstove, a small solar oven, and an outdoor grill. That gives you options if one method isn't practical, such as using the woodstove when it's 100F outside.

A lot of appliances can be run using pedal power. There are instructions online about how to do that. I suggest printing a few out and doing some tinkering.

You will learn very quickly why farmers embraced tractors so easily. Most row crops are extremely difficult to grow and harvest by hand. Consider alternate crops, especially perennials, wherever possible. There are a lot of trees and bushes that can supply animal feed. Winter squash, if you choose the right variety, can be stored in a basement or attic for months, sometimes even years, and can be aggressive enough to out-compete weeds. If you do decide to grow row crops, look for varieties suitable for harvesting by hand. I can tell you from experience that you do NOT want to be crawling on the ground trying to harvest dwarf wheat without a tractor!

If you have access to a tractor or generator, print out instructions on how to modify it to run on wood or charcoal. There are lots of designs out there. Personally, I recommend the charcoal because it's easier on the engine, and can be made from things other than wood. It does require the extra steps to process it, but charcoal is a useful enough substance you'll probably be making a lot of it anyway.

There is a book called "The Knowledge" that I found fascinating. It gives enough details about the physics behind different systems that, with a little experimentation, you could bring a society from the stone age to about mid-1940s-level technology within a single generation.
61 posted on 05/13/2022 10:13:33 AM PDT by Ellendra (A single lie on our side does more damage than a thousand lies on their side.)
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To: Ellendra

http://the-knowledge.org/en-gb/lewis-dartnell/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knowledge%3A_How_to_Rebuild_our_World_from_Scratch

Author has done some video presentations as well; https://duckduckgo.com/?q=The+Knowledge%3A+How+to+Rebuild+our+World+from+Scratch&iax=videos&ia=videos


68 posted on 05/13/2022 12:54:49 PM PDT by Pollard (Don't ask if there's a conspiracy. If you're not in one, you need to start one. CA Fitts)
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