So I click on an article this morning that was titled "The Best Places to go Off The Grid," and when the article appears, it's actually titled, "The Best Places to Escape Civilization." It's a travel article about unpopulated vacation destinations. Sigh.
You can't blame people, because most do not realize exactly what off-the-grid means. In an ideal world, your off-the-grid lifestyle would include close friends and neighbors as part of a vibrant, independent community, practicing the theory of strength in numbers, and bringing various individual strengths together to make a strong whole. You cook, she cans, he forages, and those two over there fix things. Community.
But it can also mean a solo existence; living primitively in the wilds of Alaska, hunting and foraging for your food and building your own shelter. Yet even those folks rely on the occasional visit from the bush pilot or snowmobile trip into town to replenish supplies.
So basically, "off the grid" is pretty easy to achieve, while "escaping civilization" is something we only do for short periods at a time, for periods when we need some solitude. You can do that in your own house if you'd like, although there's nothing wrong with escaping to a place with room service or at least a good bush pilot at your disposal. Just don't call it "off the grid living," for heaven's sake.
Doubt we'll ever be off the grid. Our goal is to not have to leave the "homestead" for 3 months. Only go to the big town once a quarter. Still frequent the small grocery nearby for forgotten items on occasion. We'll accept visitors but doubt we'll venture out much. That's off the grid for us. Not quite hermits & not quite recluses either, we just happen to like our own company.
ReplyDeleteI think that's an ideal balance, if you're able to stock up enough to be self-sufficient. Not sure I could go three months without needing to head to town for something or other, but it certainly would give me a lovely sense of freedom and independence if I could. Good for you!
DeleteI used to yearn for "off the grid" until I realized what it truly meant. I don't want to have to think twice about plugging in my KitchenAid mixer. "Shit! It's cloudy, dinner's canceled" is not conducive to a hyper type A as myself. I think there should be a middle group who live "in consideration of the grid". Ending habits like mindlessly turning on the TV, leaving lights on, and a 45 degree house on a 95 degree day can go a long way.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. I judge my "footprint" by my bills. When I'm being careful, my gas bill for my car and my electric bill are both nice and low. When it starts getting higher, I find ways to cut back. I also think one can only be "off the grid" in certain ways anyway -- solar panels use batteries and have lots of plastic parts that wear out and need replacement. You can heat your house with a woodstove, but if everyone did that, we'd have no more trees to cut. Living lightly on the planet is my solution, and it sounds like its yours too.
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