Do-It-Yourself Projects to Get You Off the Grid: Rain Barrels, Chicken Coops, Solar Panels, and More

by Instructables.com

Instructables is back with this inspiring book focused on a series of projects designed to get you thinking creatively about going green. Twenty Instructables illustrate just how simple it can be to make your own backyard chicken coop, or turn a wine barrel into a rainwater collector. Here, you will learn Clip a chicken’s wingsPower your lawn mower with solar powerCreate a chicken tractor for the cityWater your garden with solar powerBuild a thermoelectric lampCreate an algae bioreactor from water bottlesAnd much more! Illustrated with dozens of full-color photographs per project accompanying easy-to-follow instructions, this Instructables collection utilizes the best that the online community has to offer, turning a far-reaching group of people into a mammoth database churning out ideas to make life better, easier, and, in this case, greener, as this volume exemplifies.

Genres: Nonfiction

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 4, 2018

Reviews

[Emily Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super practical projects!

[Page Turn Palace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a treasure of DIY projects that will help you live a greener and more independent lifestyle. Whether you want to harness solar and wind energy, collect rainwater, or raise chickens, this book has it all. Each project is easy to follow, with clear instructions and colorful photos. I was amazed by the creativity and ingenuity of the authors and the online community.
As a city girl who longs for a homesteading or farming life, this book was the perfect guide for me. I can’t wait to try out some of the projects and see the results. One of the projects that caught my eye was making a solar oven from a cardboard box and aluminum foil. How cool is that?
The book is not only practical, but also entertaining and educational. The tone is friendly and humorous, and the book is full of interesting facts and tips. For example, did you know that you can make your own soap from wood ash and rainwater? Or that you can use a bicycle to power a blender or a TV? The book also covers some of the benefits and challenges of living off the grid, such as saving money, reducing waste, and dealing with pests and predators.
This book is a must-read for anyone who loves nature and wants to make a difference. If you are looking for a book that will inspire you to go green and get creative, this is the one for you. 5/5✨

[Jak Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book needs an editor, but was a decent collection of doable projects. We made the chicken run and found the instructions sufficient. I read through the rest of the book and could see myself making the rain collection projects. The electrical stuff is a bit beyond most DIYers.

[Ruth Feathers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doable!

I got it for the title, and used it for the water collecting systems. Another one of those"why didn't I think of it" books.

[Marjorie W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting projects but none that I will realistically undertake, perhaps a chicken tractor, but the rest while interesting were a bit beyond me.

[Jaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cool read, but I felt that a lot of the book was just cool backyard experiments - not something that you need to have to live off the grid

[Curtis Hohl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty lame… didn’t realize this is just a collection of instructables from a website. No real order or consistency.