The Touchwood Project

Suddenly there is a load of publicity about the Power Off weekend, bringing the event to the attention of many, and throwing us a lot of internet activity right before we power down. I cannot wait until tomorrow and we pull the plug. Publicity is good, fantastic in fact, but it does bring unwanted comments and intrusion into our life. Rachel feels it more than I do. So, there are pieces in the Times, Guardian… Read the rest of this article >>

We surveyed some of the people who participated in the last Power Off weekend back in chilly December. They live in places like England, France, America, Portugal and Scotland. The following are some of their answers, unaltered. I hope it inspires you to take the plunge and join in too! Remember, this coming weekend, starting 23.00 on Friday 19th – flick the switch. Note – alcohol and fire do NOT mix -… Read the rest of this article >>

Today Power Off Weekend got national coverage, thanks to a mention on BBC Radio Scotland’s Tom Morton Show. Here’s the brief clip and some challenges Tom has posed to us: Power Off Weekend BBC Scotland Tom Morton Tom, here’s answer #1:… Read the rest of this article >>

It is time for us to celebrate the coming of Spring, this year coinciding with the latest Power Off weekend. Everyone is welcome to join us with this because it happens in your own home, or a neighbours, or friend’s or tent! The Power Off weekend is 48 hours, from 11pm on the Friday night to 11pm on the Sunday (19-21 March 2010), without electricity. Power Off is all about having time to have fun, play… Read the rest of this article >>

Another Power Off experience, this time from urban New York. Kerrilee, who wrote our first guest post on how to make a recycled magazine basket, had this to say… -Rachel Greetings! I figure, since this is my second guest post, I should probably introduce myself a bit…. Read the rest of this article >>

A lot of people have asked us, “So how did the whole Power Off thing go?” Rather than just our experience, we asked a few people to share their thoughts. Esther Pawley sent us her almost haiku-like notes that we just had to share… Official candle lighting time – 5.23pm Feel like Wee Willie Winky carrying my candle about. Such a beautiful warm glow – should use candles more often. Frustrating –… Read the rest of this article >>

Storage basket made from recycled magazines: Hello there, Rachel asked me to do a guest post about this project, since it’s one she and I had worked on together before and that I recently took on all by myself. It probably would have been a good use of your Power-Off Weekend. Well, maybe next time. So! Let’s talk weaving. Time required: Uh… several hours. It took me an American football game (roughly… Read the rest of this article >>

It was wonderful, magical, like Christmas! The weather helped, with sunshine and no wind. At night, stars mesmerised me as the scent of wood smoke drifted down to my eager nostrils. Joy! The time has just flown by, and to be honest life was so enjoyable without the electricity that we are only re-introducing it selectively – I call that a success! We rode our bikes to the local Stenness store, only a 5… Read the rest of this article >>

We’re up to over 100 people participating in the Power Off Weekend coming up Friday night, with 46 families officially signed up through our Facebook event page or who have emailed us directly to join in. We are asking participants to take a survey before and after the event so that we would like to understand a bit more about: why people are participating what they’re worried about and what they hope to… Read the rest of this article >>

Dear Power Off participants: Please will you all follow this link and complete the quick 10 question survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XJP2H5B Thank you. Please, will you also make notes of your experiences during the weekend, keep a diary, take photos and complete a final questionnaire afterwards? Best wishes! Malcolm… Read the rest of this article >>