Episode-859- Jack Dody on Off Grid Homesteading
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (13.9MB)
Jack Dody of ChristianHomesteaders.org
Jack and Marilou Dody live on a homestead on the plains of Colorado, within sight of Pikes Peak. Jack has been designing and building “alternative” housing since the late sixties.
His workbook entitled Abundaculture gives the details of his homestead construction, including solar and wind power, a rainwater catch system, indoor garden, passive solar, and a composting toilet.
Jack runs workshops to train missionaries, homesteaders and homeschoolers on the knowledge he has gain in his years of actually living the life of a truly off grid homesteader. His work has prepared many for trips to remote ares of the world on aid missions along with helping others realize their own dream of homestead life.
Jack joins Jack today to discuss…
- The challenges of true off grid living
- Using a sawdust toilet
- Using gray water for irrigation
- Using SIP containers in dry climates
- The value of kids growing up on the homestead
- How you can make solar and wind affordable
- Why most homesteaders need at least some off homestead income
- Common mistakes of new homesteaders
- Why homesteaders are generally the first to know about threats to liberty
Additional Resources for Today’s Show
- Members Support Brigade
- TSP Gear Shop
- Join Our Forum
- Ready Made Resources – (sponsor of the day)
- Bulk Ammo – (sponsor of the day)
- Christian Homesteaders Association – Jack Dody’s Site
Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.
Very good podcast jack. I thought at first you were interviewing ol’ Don Rumsfeld.
I haven’t even listened yet and I know I’m going to love this! Jack, not sure what part of the Pikes Peak region you call home, but waving to you from way down in Midway!
Hello to Jack from Colorado Springs!
Lots of interesting, down to Earth discussion in this episode.
I’m listening to the show now. It’s awesome. I’m working with my dad on making solar panels for our house. Thanks for what you do.
Jake
Jake, do you have any good resources for self-solar panels? I’ve been trying to decipher the cream from the crap info online…
Thanks,
Brian
Hello to Mr Dody, from Aurora Co!
Okay, like I said, I’m down in Midway at the south end of the county. More correctly, I’m back in Midway after eight years of being in the middle of a city in southern Cali. Trust me when I say that all three of us are “chipped-in” onto homesteading here in Midway. We know the alternative and can’t stand it. I’m a world full of questions since you know my climactic challenges! Two questions to start: 1. how do you keep SIP planters from tipping over? I have a place where a planter is probably the best idea, but it does get some wind (east-facing but north winds do blast) 2. I’m a Coloradoan enough to not collect rainwater, but as for greywater I’m on septic (per code) and I have to question how I could possibly create an impingement by spilling a gallon of saved water on one part of the acreage compared to a couple hundred feet away. So I want to do greywater like crazy. Is Colorado law more sane on greywater compared to rain cachement? 3. Have you ever done water spiking, ollas, zai? I’m looking at spiking and ollas for my water delivery system this year. (along with fencing for windbreaks and mulching)
Great podcast! Thanks for providing such great information and resources.
Wonderful show today. I hope Jack will be a recurring guest.
I second that hope!
Hello to Jack from Wiley!
ya learn something new everyday, I live in Denver and I did not know it was illegal to harvest your own rainwater
It’s strange to think that we strive to live pretty much like the Native Indians of this continent did. They had it going on.
Great show again.
I’m so impressed that you gents covered the isolation issue so well. I only live 10 miles outside a big city, but since I’m blind and don’t drive, I might as well live 100 miles away from my everything. That kind of isolation can take a toll, so it’s important for us ladies who’re stay-at-home moms in an isolated situation to find some sort of diversion. For me, it’s my church life and my blog. Sometimes we have to invent diversions for the sake of our own mental health.
I really enjoyed this episode!! I can’t tell you how much. And thank you so very much for that handbook it was exactly what I need to understand some elements of the solar system and more. Very realistic your honesty Mr. Dody I think is very important…thanks Jack for bringing us this episode!
Wisdom borne of experience. Its always great to hear from the ‘elders’.
Thanks for another great show Jack & Jack. =)
Great interview. I like his comment about farm kids. However, I think that there are other avenues to raising kids to be like that. I feel it has more to do with how involved the parents are in their lives, and that their ideals can rub off wherever you are at.
Coming from someone who was raised on a farm it’s way different from someone raised in the city, for one you are working from the time you can help and you learn how to fix things from about the same age so by the time your in high school you have much more common sense and problem solving skills than kids who lives in town and never even mow their own yard until high school, you are not so wrappped up in cell phones and ipads or sitting around watching TV all day or playing Video games, you just don’t have time for that stuff and being raised in a world of where those things really don’t make much sense you learn life skills and living with the land much younger, not to mention I leaned to drive when I was 10
Another great interview and show. I would like to see you interview Jack again. He is a shining example of the lifestyle that I hope to achieve.
Jack,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for having on a guest with a Christian perspective. Your audience is all over the map, but I’m betting you have a significant Christian segment of your audience that really appreciates this, like I do.
Also, the information and sheer wisdom that Mr. Dody brings to homesteading is awesome. I have downloaded his book and hope to go through it this weekend.
I’d vote for having Mr. Dody back on, just to describe his greywater and water collection systems, and take questions about them, like we do for Steve Harris.
Wow! This is great. I just had a meeting with a second church to begin “Don’t mow…GROW!!” and they’re very excited to begin turning church lawns into food production. Thank you Jack D. for your free download. There is no better payment than serving God, is there?
Great show. Liked the guy a lot. Hope he doesn’t go to jail for stealing rainwater, lol.
I did podcasts on fruit trees and pruning if you need a podcast fix today. I’m no Jack, but my composting and pruning episodes may ease your podcast jones until he puts out a new one.
Dan Vamos
hdivs.com
What a wonderful show today. I kept thinking “Wow, that was a good answer” until it finally dawned on me…. Hey, this guy is a GREAT guest!
Thanks to both Jacks for your efforts. I hope to hear more from Mr. Dody in the future.
What a great guest. Fantastic show!
To emphasize and support what Jack D. said about the compost bucket toilets, I’ve used them for years because my land won’t perk. I use two. One for liquid, one for solid. The wet gets emptied daily, and when the other bucket is full, it is dumped into a 96 gallon container . I use two large containers which each takes about 18 -20 months to fill. Then the full large container is left to “cook” while the next is being filled. When the second one is full the first is dumped, and amazingly it is just sawdust and cedar chips, totally composted. This year I am eliminating the chips for a faster breakdown. The buckets stay in the house and there is NEVER an odor. My great-grand kids love to come for a visit and their first fun thing to do is use Nana’s potty. It’s not as gross as you may think. Better than an outhouse in all kinds of weather.
We have been using a sawdust toilet for 5 years on our offgrid homestead here in North Idaho and it works great. I like the way Jack D. pointed out being his own utility company. That’s so true. Even though we’re only three miles from an interstate and 15 miles to a large town, If something goes wrong with our solar power or water system , I’m the one that’s going to (economically) fix it. I’ve also concluded that the more rural one lives, the more good neighbors matter.
This was a great show! What a Week, This totally awesome show and a horrible show (vegetarian myth) I liked learning about fellow Christ followers being prepared.
=) – ..ya can’t please all the people all the time!
Hi Jack & Jack,
Just a quick note to let you both know how much I enjoyed this podcast. It was GREAT! The discussion and information shared really made me think about different aspects of homesteading and off-grid living and I appreciated Jack Dody sharing his hard earned wisdom on this topic with the audience. I hope that Jack Dody can participate in another podcast in the future. Thanks Jack Spirko for having him on, another fantastic show!
Jen
Love this episode. Very interesting to hear Jack talk about the “not so sexy” parts of living off grid and in the boonies.
I think in a lot of people’s heads, homesteading is all about good views, no noise, pretty little ranches, and saving millions of dollars.
It’s good to remember that it’s full of bugs, loneliness, bad smells, intermittent internet, angry wives, hard work, and penny pinching.
Love the “date before you marry” suggestion by Jack as well. A couple weeks on location probably gives an infinitely better look at some of the realities…
Cheers guys,
Dan
Great podcast. I downloaded his book Abundaculture and have been reading it. What a great resource and what a great mission. Way to go Jack Spirko for getting such interesting guests.