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Mother Earth News is pleased to offer study plans for this beautiful, energy-efficient home. The traditional Prairie home style has its roots in the Midwest and is easily recognized by the linear horizontal design, roof overhangs and centrally located fireplaces. This energy-efficient solar home design is optimized for its climate and will perform best in colder areas of the United States.

At about 2,600 square feet, this energy-efficient home has a floor plan design which allows it to be functional while minimizing the heated space and amount of construction materials. This solar home can perform at least 50 percent better than a standard new home. If located in the Great Lakes region, the Solar Prairie Home will require only about $600 per year to heat! These impressive energy savings come from a super-insulated shell and high-performance windows, as well as optimum passive solar design and natural ventilation. Add solar thermal panels and you can cut your heating bill by a total of 75 percent!

This two-story solar energy-efficient home has three bedrooms, and one full bathroom with a wise design component that makes it function as two separate bathrooms while saving you at least $5,000 in construction costs. Each living space is situated to maximize the energy-savings; for example, the kitchen is located in the coldest area of the home, because kitchen appliances create heat, warming up the kitchen without using extra energy.

The solar home plan provides detailed information on this copyrighted energy-efficient home design, including elevation drawings, floor plan, descriptions of design features, the Mother Earth News feature article about the home and information for ordering the construction-ready blueprint.

Designed By Nathan Kipnis Architects, Inc.

DISCLAIMER

It is your responsibility to make sure that any project you undertake is safe, effective and legal for your situation. All Ogden Publications study plans are offered AS IS for information and entertainment purposes only. No warranties are expressed or implied. By using this information or this study plan you agree to hold Ogden Publications harmless from any damages or injuries of any kind that might result from errors, omissions or other causes.

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We're destroying the planet, undermining happiness, and clinging to an unsustainable economy. Our obsessive pursuit of wealth isn't working. But there's another way. Less can be More. Throughout history wise people have argued that we need to live more simply — that only by limiting outer wealth can we have inner wealth.

With Less is More, editors Cecile Andrews and Wanda Urbanska have put together a compelling collection of works by people who have been writing about simplicity for decades, including Bill McKibben, Sarah Susanka, John de Graaf, Bryan Welch and many more.

These thinkers bring us a new vision of less: less stuff, less work, less stress, less debt. A life with less becomes a life with more: more time, more satisfaction, more balance, more security. When we have too much, we savor nothing. When we choose less, we regain our life and can think and feel deeply. Ultimately, a life of less connects us with one true source of happiness: being a part of a caring community.

About the authors:

Cecile Andrews is the author of Circle of Simplicity and Slow is Beautiful and co-founder of Phinney EcoVillage. She has her doctorate in education from Stanford University.

Wanda Urbanska is producer and host of Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska. She is author or co-author of numerous books, including Simple Living and Nothing's Too Small to Make a Difference.

Recommended Product for Wiser Living: Today, more than ever before, our society is seeking ways to live more conscientiously. To help bring you the very best inspiration and information about greener, more sustainable lifestyles, Mother Earth News is recommending books and products to its readers. For nearly 40 years, Mother Earth News has been North America’s “Original Guide to Living Wisely,” creating books and magazines for people with a passion for self-reliance and a desire to live in harmony with nature.

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Grain harvesting can be done in small spaces. With Homegrown Whole Grains, you'll learn how to grow, harvest and cook nine nutritious whole grains. From wheat and rice to heirloom grains, this book covers everything you need for a successful grain harvest.

All you need to start grain harvesting is to convert part of your yard into a field of grain. After the harvest you can enjoy nutritious whole grains, using them whole in delicious recipes or milling them into flour for artisan breads and other baked goods. Barley, quinoa, millet, buckwheat and oats are among the grains you’ll learn to take from yard to plate.

Author Sara Pitzer started this book 30 years ago, when she wrote Wholegrains for the original folks of the back-to-the-land movement. Today, she writes about grain harvesting with a different attitude, one that helps modern homesteaders grow their own food at a smaller, more manageable scale.

For the gardener who is eager to grow more than a variety of vegetables, this grain harvesting book will become a dear resource. Each of the nine grains featured in Homegrown Whole Grains has a different flavor and use. By harvesting them at home, you'll be able to make such varied foods as whole grain pasta, as well as add variety to homegrown food.

About the Author: Sara Pitzer has learned and written about grains in Pennsylvania's Amish country, California, the American Southeast, Thailand and Peru. She is the author of more than a dozen cookbooks and travel guides.

Recommended Product for Wiser Living: Today, more than ever before, our society is seeking ways to live more conscientiously. To help bring you the very best inspiration and information about greener, more sustainable lifestyles, MOTHER EARTH NEWS is recommending books to readers. For 40 years, MOTHER EARTH NEWS has been North America’s “Original Guide to Living Wisely,” creating books and magazines for people with a passion for self-reliance and a desire to live in harmony with nature.

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Solar panel systems can give you the energy independence you want, and in Power From the Sun, author Dan Chiras gives you accurate and easy-to-understand information about small-scale solar energy systems.

Starting with basic information about electricity and solar power, this book includes information about site assessment for optimum use of your solar panel system, types of PV systems, inverters, batteries, generators and maintenance of your solar electric system.

With chapters for every part of a solar panel system, you will be able to understand clearly how and why everything works. The authors have also included a final chapter on permits, insurance and other necessary paperwork for solar panel systems.

Homeowners and businesses will benefit from reading Power From the Sun by better understanding how a solar panel system can save them money in a short time, and how they too can achieve energy independence.

About the author:

Dan Chiras is president of Sustainable Systems Design, Inc., a residential renewable energy and green building consulting firm, and is director of The Evergreen Institute's Center for Renewable Energy and Green Building. He is an internationally acclaimed speaker and author and has published 25 books, including The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy and Power from the Wind.

Robert Aram, PE, LEED AP, is a renewable energy advocate and consultant. His consulting projects include off-grid farmsteads, highly energy-efficient homes and a solar system for a university sports complex. He has participated in the design and installation of photovoltaic, solar thermal and small wind systems.

Kurt Nelson has been installing solar electric systems through his company SOLutions since the late 1980s. He specializes in off-grid PV and teaches classes for the Midwest Renewable Energy Association.

Recommended Books for Wiser Living: Today, more than ever before, our society is seeking ways to live more conscientiously. To help bring you the very best inspiration and information about greener, more sustainable lifestyles, Mother Earth News is recommending books and products to its readers. For nearly 40 years, Mother Earth News has been North America's "Original Guide to Living Wisely," creating books and magazines for people with a passion for self-reliance and a desire to live in harmony with nature.

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Saving time and money is easiest with make-ahead meals, and in Fix, Freeze, Feast you have all the steps you need for making delicious meals ahead, freezing them and enjoying them whenever you are ready.

By making food ahead you will be saving money, as you can buy seasonal products or in bulk. Freezing your meals in ready-to-eat servings will allow you to have a delicious homemade meal at the table in minutes, without having to spend hours preparing, cooking and cleaning every week. Just thaw your meals in the fridge overnight, reheat and enjoy.

With more than 100 recipes including sauces, beef, pork, chicken and vegetarian meals, as well as pastas and Mexican-style dishes you'll be on your way to filling your freezer with delicious meals that, once thawed, will take just minutes to cook.

The recipes in this book include meals you can prepare, freeze, and cook when you are ready, fully-cooked frozen meals you'll just need to thaw and reheat, as well as recipes for smoothies, freezable cookie dough and other treats.

Fix, Freeze, Feast contains tips on grocery shopping for your make-ahead meals, and recipes for using your frozen marinades and sauces in other recipes anytime, as well as labels for correctly identifying your meals in the freezer, and detailed information about cooking your once-frozen meals.

Cook ahead, skip the restaurant, save money and enjoy fast wholesome meals every night in no time.

About the Authors: Lindsay Tkacsik and Kati Neville are enthusiastic make-ahead cooks, warehouse club shoppers, and founders of meal assembly businesses. They share an appreciation for well-organized freezers and clearly labeled containers.

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You don't need a commercial kitchen or unrecognizable ingredients to whip up fresh buttermilk, yogurt, cream cheese, crème fraîche, mozzarella, goat cheese and other dairy delights. The simple homemade cheese recipes in The Home Creamery encourage you to turn your fresh, sweet milk and cream into cultured dairy products and soft, unripened cheeses.

To use the homemade cheese recipes in this book you'll need the best quality milk you can find. These recipes start with pasteurized milk, which is widely available. Cow's, goat's or sheep's milk will work for these homemade cheeses, so start experimenting with your favorite!

This book's recipes range from the easy yogurt cheese, for which you'll just need yogurt, salt and some cheese cloth to enjoy a delicious treat, to homemade cottage cheese, ricotta and goat's milk feta, which will give you the satisfaction of enjoying wholesome and delicious dairy products - while knowing every ingredient that went into making them.

Enjoy your creamy, homemade spreads and cheeses as simple accompaniments to small bites or light meals, or as starring ingredients in more substantial side dishes, salads, entrées and desserts. The Home Creamery includes 75 recipes to use your homemade cheese in, from Cheese Blintzes to Chocolate Sour Cream Cake. You will be able bring out the very best in your dairy creations.

About the author:
Kathy Farrell-Kingsley is the author of many magazine articles and cookbooks - including The Big Book of Vegetarian and Chocolate Cakes, selected by Julia Child as one of the best cookbooks of 1993. Kathy was also the founder of Great Cakes Bakery, which still operates in Westport, Conn.

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Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François have proved that people want to bake fresh, homemade bread with their groundbreaking, hugely popular first cookbook, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Now, the Artisan revolution continues for those who are changing the way they eat and bake because of health concerns or lifestyle choices. Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day takes Hertzberg and François’ established methods and applies them to breads rich in nutrition and flavor.

Packed with 100 new healthy bread recipes featuring whole grains, fruits, vegetables and gluten-free ingredients, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day will show you how the "secret" to gourmet, homemade bread in five minutes a day works with super-healthy ingredients, too. This book covers everything you need to know about baking healthy breads, including chapters outlining the techniques behind delicious, nutritional bread as well as detailed descriptions of the ingredients and equipment you need to turn your kitchen into an artisan bakery. This book is guaranteed to rise … to the top!

About the authors:

Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., is a physician with 20 years of experience as a practitioner, consultant and faculty member at the University of Minnesota Medical School. His interests in baking and preventative health sparked a quest to adapt the techniques of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for healthier ingredients. Zoë François is a pastry chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America who teaches baking and pastry courses nationally and consults to the food industry.

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More than 128 birds strut their stuff across the pages of Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds, the ultimate primer for farmers and fanciers alike. Admire the handsome black and white plumage of Lakenvelder roosters, read the fascinating history of the Blue Hens of Delaware, and marvel at the petite size and toylike appearance of Call ducks. And if you’re curious to know which heritage turkeys are making a comeback, look no further. This definitive guide to North American barnyard and wild fowl includes a brief history of each breed, detailed descriptions of identifying characteristics, and colorful photography that celebrates the birds’ quirky personalities and charming good looks. If it’s fowl facts and photos you want, you’ll find them all here.

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Author Sharon Astyk tackles all the nuts and bolts of preserving foods, and provides tips on how to bulk buy and preserve food inexpensively. Independence Days is packed with valuable secrets to home food preservation, including canning and dehydrating techniques, root cellaring, season extension, and a host of broader issues. In addition, it focuses on how to enjoy a delicious, high-quality diet at home year-round, how to preserve food on a community scale, and how to reduce reliance on industrial agriculture by creating self-sufficient and vibrant local economies.

In just a few decades, America's approach to food has changed radically from the self-sufficiency of our grandparents to the convenience foods of mega-supermarkets. The recent economic crisis has seen millions of North Americans move from being middle class to poor, and from poor to hungry. At the same time, the trend toward self-sufficiency, whole foods health and eating locally is shifting from being a pricey fringe activity to an essential element of getting by. But how can you eat locally, not just when the farmers markets are bountiful, but all year-round? Who really knows anymore how to eat outside of the supermarket, and who really knows how to eat a balanced diet based on easily stored and home preserved foods?

About the author: Sharon Astyk is a former academic who is a writer, subsistence farmer, parent, activist and profile blogger (SharonAstyk.com). She farms in upstate New York with her family, raises livestock, and grows and preserves vegetables. She is the author of Depletion and Abundance, and co-author of A Nation of Farmers.

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This revised and expanded fifth edition of Create an Oasis With Greywater describes how to quickly and easily choose, build and use a simple greywater system. Some can be completed in an afternoon for under $30.

It also provides complete instructions for more complex installations, and how to deal with freezing, flooding, drought, failing septics, low perk soil and nonindustrialized world conditions. This book helps in coordinating a team of professionals to get optimum results on high-end projects and "radical plumbing" that uses 90% less resources.

Recommended Product for Wiser Living: Today, more than ever before, our society is seeking ways to live more conscientiously. To help bring you the very best inspiration and information about greener, more sustainable lifestyles, Mother Earth News is recommending books and products to readers. For more than 40 years, Mother Earth News has been North America's "Original Guide to Living Wisely," creating books and magazines for people with a passion for self-reliance and a desire to live in harmony with nature.