Profiling ten beautiful homes in regions as diverse as New York City, urban Germany, suburban Southern California, rural Canada, and the remote "bush" of Australia, Off the Grid: Modern Homes + Alternative Energy shows you how to take responsibility for your future choices and conveniences by living in a beautifully designed home that uses much less energy. Off-the-grid living is a concept that can be easily understood and adopted by everyone, regardless of where you live or how much money you make. Learn why understanding a site's geography and climate are vital to knowing which off-the-grid technologies will be the most efficient. See how each technology, from geothermal heat pumps to wind turbines to photovoltaic arrays, can be integral to the beauty and design of a home. Revolutionary and responsible, Off the Grid is gorgeous proof that alternative energy speaks the language of modern design. Lori Ryker grew up in Texas and has lived and worked in a variety of locations including Boston; New York City; Portland; and Basel, Switzerland. She now resides in Livingston, Montana, where she teaches at Montana State University's School of Architecture and is a partner, along with Brett W. Nave, of Ryker/Nave Design. Their work has been published in The House You Build, and Western Interiors and Design. Ryker holds a Master of Architecture from Harvard GraduateSchool of Design and a PhD from Texas A&M University. She is the author of Mockbee Coker: Thought and Process. - From the Publisher