Modern life pressures for 'ordinary folk' may mean that self-sufficient-style lifestyles could make something of a come-back - ? Folk may need to be aware that modern 'on-the make' commercial practice, driven by the drive for big profits, has got the individual in its sights. The 'free market' business-sector 'philosophy' without the restraining condition of 'maintaining many sellers and many buyers in the market place' appears to have produced large predatory commercial organisations viewing the small powerless businesses and individuals as prey, as an example amply demonstrates.
The miniscule small semi self-sufficent lifestyle here at the organic micro-holding (small smallholding) in the UK midlands has given some counter protective shelter from any modern rapacious commercial trends, with this year's growing season results satisfactory to good, in what's been a sunny hot summer so far. Wood stocks as usual have been building through spring and summer and the cottage's solar panels and air-source heat pump, both now over ten years old, appear to be still in good shape.
There are reports in the broad sheet papers that there's a growing use in the UK of solar panels together with battery packs, to in some cases give zero domestic energy costs - it will be interesting to see whether more semi self-sufficient systems make a cone-back - ?
