Sustainable Living at LV Ranch Estates

I'm Peter Gooding, the developer of LV Ranch Estates (LVRE). We designed LVRE as an on-the-grid community, with gated entries, miles of paved roads, individual wells, underground electric, and wireless phone and internet.

In addition to its beauty and high development standards, LVRE is uniquely attractive because an owner can live off-grid here as well as or better than living connected to the grid. With 300+ days of sunshine, abundant groundwater, and nearby Prescott, an off-grid lifestyle is practical and achievable at LVRE.

Living "comfortably" off-grid on a small farm or ranch has always appealed to me, so I was intrigued to find the topic at the end of Barton Biggs' new book Wealth, War & Wisdom. In it Biggs traces the last century's wars, market performances, and wealth survival. He concludes with compelling advice on how to secure yourself against chaos and disaster:

Buy a ranch or farm and stock it with seed, canned food, medicine, clothes, etc.

I'm not a survivalist, and neither is Barton Biggs. He was chief global strategist at Morgan Stanley for years before leaving in 2003 to form Traxis Partners, a billion dollar hedge fund. His book, the market's recent turmoil, and repeated inquiries from prospects were the catalysts to my adding this page of "favorite" links. I thought they might interest you too.

I hope you enjoy this "left handed" section of our site; we're not selling anything here-just exchanging ideas. If you have other links you think would fit, please email me at pgooding@truewest.com.

Thanks for visiting. If you like what you see, call toll free (877.443.9818) to arrange a personal visit. I look forward to meeting you.

Peter Gooding
October 7, 2008


"Off-Grid" and Sustainable Living

Off-grid - without reliance on public utilities, self-sufficient.
Sustainable living - a lifestyle that reduces the use of natural resources and preserves the earth for future generations.

Design & Architecture

www.NotsoBigHouse.com
www.CatalystArchitecture.com
www.AEAPower.com/


Modular/PreFab/Alternative Material Homes

Piece homes
Eco-Steel
Fab List
NY Times - High Style Shed
Modern Shed
Cedar Houses
Rammed Earth Homes
Flat-Pack House
DIY Rammed Earth
Adobe Builder
Rammed Earth Works
Napa restaurant owner connects to earth with home made of soil
Rammed Earth Solar Homes

Power

Sunshine is plentiful in Prescott, AZ, typically over 300 days a year, so why not use it? Yes we put LVRE's electric service lines underground, providing every ranch estate reliable power from the state's largest utility, APS. But did you know APS will pay you for power you generate? It's called "net metering"; find out more here:

APS Net Metering

Federal tax rebates, state tax credits, and solar and wind energy incentives are available for solar water heating, and photovoltaic and wind energy systems. Click on these links to find out more:

Energy Policy Act of 2005 - Summary of Tax Credits for Homeowners
APS Incentives for Solar Energy
Residential Solar and Renewable Incentives
Solar Tax Credits

Arizona residents can buy "solar devices" in state free of state sales tax.

Arizona Solar Devices Sales Tax Exemption

A good primer on the topic:

The Renewable Energy Handbook: A Guide to Rural Energy Independence, Off-Grid and Sustainable Living

Water

The typical well at LV Ranch Estates has a depth to water of just 100'; shallow by AZ standards, so solar water pumps are a practical and attractive option. Solar pumps require little maintenance and have no running costs. Learn more here:

Solar Well Pump
Solar Well Pump Kits
Solar Well pump Kits 2

Here's one of a series of articles, this one's about domestic wells:

Rural Water Wells Explained

Gardening

Raised Bed Gardening
The Urban Farm
PermaCulture.net
The Garden Guy
University of Arizona - AZ Cooperative Extension
University of Arizona - Master Gardener Program

Must have books to grow vegetables:

Grow More Vegetables on Less Land
Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space

Food

Environmental conservation at an eastern Arizona ranch.

Ranching Conservation

Pint-size cows part of Prescott ranch's natural lifestyle

Grass fed beef and buffalo and wild caught fish just taste better, the health benefits are a bonus!

Eat Wild
2 Sisters Alaskan Seafood
The Buffalo Guys

Interesting Reading

Rural Land: The Ultimate Hedge?

Country Life: A Handbook for Realists and Dreamers

The Bible of the Self-sustaining Farmer! A must for anyone remotely interested in the basics and essentials of a truly agrarian lifestyle.

Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance

The Self-sufficient Life and How to Live It

Harvest: A Year in the Life of an Organic Farm

It's a Long Road to a Tomato: Tales of an Organic Farmer Who Quit the Big City for the (Not So) Simple Life