Off The Grid Living
Living Off The Grid
Some of the characters (including author Carolyn Chute) from the book - OFF THE GRID - Inside the Movement for More Space, Less Government and True Independence in Modern America, (Penguin, August 2010) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143117386?ie=UTF8&tag=offgrid-20&li...
He traveled around America meeting these extraordinary people and writing about their lives. Above all he wanted to find out WHY they live off the grid.
For more info go to http://www.off-grid.net
Written by a leading authority on living off the grid, this is a fascinating and timely look at one of the fastest growing movements in America. In researching the stories that would become Off the Grid, Nick Rosen traveled from one end of the United States to the other, spending time with all kinds of individuals and families striving to live their lives the way they want to-free from dependence on municipal power and amenities, and free from the inherent dependence on the government and its far-reaching arms. While the people profiled may not have a lot in common in terms of their daily lives or their personal background, what they do share is an understanding of how unique their lives are, and how much effort and determination is required to maintain the lifestyle in the face of modern America's push toward connectivity and development.
Solar Panels For Sunless Spot.
Solar panels for sunless setting hunting lodge in Maine with two small solar panels, some old used car batteries,a quarter mile of wire and careful management. An old-timer explains how he does it in this video.
The old batteries are important – recycled from the owners car once he buys a new one. The Deep cycle batteries which we are told are the right product for this environment, in reality do not hold a charge over the winter when not in use.
The wire is because the panels have to be placed a quarter mile from the house in order to catch the sun in winter. But they still charge the battery about 0.2 volts per day. This means you can take a battery from dead, when it reads 11.7 volts, to fully charged – when it reads about 12.7 volts – in just 4-5 days.
How To Earn A Living Off The Grid
Some Fred and Susan Klotz run their online businesses from their off-grid home.
Susan sells quilts and laptop bags, made on her sewing machine, and Fred uses the web to find customer for the furniture he makes in his solar powered woodshop.
They have lived together in Oregon for 5 years, not far from Crater Lake National Park, in a remote cabin with 95% of their power supplied by the sun, “and the rest from hard work.” Fred worked in high-tech before moving off grid 35 years ago and Susan was as a corporate trainer, a high stress job, until she began living with Fred. Now they have a website selling the furniture and they each have their own Etsy stores (Hers & His), Etsy is a site for homemade or vintage items directly from makers to customers around the world. Fred’s outdoor cedar furniture being their most profitable enterprise, the couple have found, as many do, that living off grid has given them the freedom to follow their interests rather than a pay cheque.
Susan likes to “Farm-sit” and looks after animals, weaves garden items such as fences and trellises from local wild willow, and has even done some writing. They own a vacation rental they hope to start making money from this summer, and Fred takes scrap metal to the yard or puts his carpentry skills to use doing remodelling.
All of this variety means they never get bored. Another thing they have noticed is that, despite the lack of safety nets, medical insurance etc., this way of working gives them a lot more security than someone doing a normal 9-5 job, simply because most companies aren’t loyal to their employees these days. Susan says “No industry is safe from layoffs, cutbacks. No corporation is safe from being bought out and re-organized” and adds “there is no real safety net in having a 9-5 job anymore, if there ever was one. It feels natural to do a variety of work, with the seasons and availability.”
On the other hand it can be hard work being self employed, Fred says that if you want to live this way “you better plan on working harder than you ever have in your life” and Susan remembers “when I first moved to S. Oregon someone said ’Welcome! Hope you brought your own money!’”. Fortunately for these two the benefits of this lifestyle vastly outweigh the challenges, and they have succeeded in pursuing their dream.
They have put some tips on their blog, Oregon Natural Living, which stress that it is as much about what you don’t do as what you do, do. Don’t shell out lots of money for things you can do yourself, don’t put all your eggs in one basket, and don’t forget to enjoy it! Finally they were kind enough to give me their biggest tip “Don’t give up. Hold on to your dreams. Don’t listen to anyone who says you can’t do it, or shouldn’t do it, or can’t afford it. Find land and start making a home. Learn to live with a LOT less. If possible, find someplace where you have access to a community of similar folks and build a life that works for you.”
Brace Yourself: Reality TV Sinks Into...
Be warned – a large number of reality TV companies are jumping on the bandwagon of off-grid – our forum has a great thread where a reader called riverrat denounces the spate of misleading TV series that have appeared in the past year. here is part of what he says:- “I do intend to create a small community of like minded individuals on my property, and I don’t watch tons of TV, but I do watch many Discovery, Animal Planet shows. The reality series that I have seen, especially relating to people living outside of the considered norm are VERY poorly represented, they are misconstrued and there always tends to be a negative spin on things. In other words either complete looneys are chosen to be cast or the whole story isn’t told only leaving the viewer with the idea that the people involved are crazy, angry, unreasonable, paranoid etc. Or the producers stage for them to do things in a way that doesn’t show the real story of what’s going on. There is more focus on the negative and silly than the actual intelligent and positive. It’s almost as if media is trying to demonize or put a negative label on people that choose to be self sufficient rather than praise them for their intelligence, resourcefulness, and self reliance.
American and European TV and it’s representation of reality is positively crap. Allowing a director and crew to come in and influence the activities, actions, and every day flow can’t be a smart thing to do because to them, drama is ratings, and apparently from my understanding is they will not hesitate to create or influence drama to get their ratings. I wouldn’t compromise my ideals, nor the integrity of myself, my family, and my community in any way for the entertainment of the lemming masses who are nothing but brainwashed slaves to “what Americans consider normal” society.
Screwing people over, and misrepresenting the truth for ratings and entertainment value should be considered deflamation of character and punishable by fine and imprisonment.
I am an active member of many online communities regarding prepper lifestyles, survival lifestyles, off grid lifestyle, homesteading communities, etc. And after witnessing the type of people they feature in these shows representing “fringe lifestyles”, the presentation of these shows, and the footage that we get to see on TV vs. what I actually know about them these people are in no way reflected in the shows I’ve seen on TV, and I’m very jaded about it. My lifestyle decisions and goal have actually developed into a negative attitude toward me at work simply because of how these shows have represented those of similar mindset as myself. There are literally several people here at work that consider me an insane lunatic because I want to finish building a self sufficient homestead and eventually allow friends of similar mindset to move onto it and assist each other and thrive from the land. One person literally saying “Sounds like one of those cult type militia people you see on Discovery channel.”
I have chatted with two families featured on Doomsday preppers, and what was represented to the TV audience is VASTLY differing from what is represented online and in person. They are almost made to look like militant lunatics or absolute crazies fit for a straight jacket. When they agreed to do the show it was under the understanding that their lifestyle, mind set and goals would be accurately and fairly represented. In the end, their spot on the show ended up showing them as paranoid, scared, militant people preparing for war rather than being intelligent and reasonable people creating a life that is simply as normal of a life as one can build for themselves and their families and still be capable of handling all but the worst case scenario situation that life could possibly throw in their direction. Sure the shows have featured their share of legit lunatics, but the reality is, they are FAR from the norm. They were told in the process that experts would assist and analyze their lifestyle and help them become better preppers. Not everything they did on that show was things they practiced, some of those things were things that the “experts” told them to practice and do, then falsely represented as part of their every lifestyle rather than expert recommendation.
Neither family I have been in contact with is very pleased in the least with how they were presented to the public and more than anything feel that they were made to look like crazy people that were potentially dangerous to the public when nothing could be further from the truth.
Are you willing to immerse yourself into the lifestyle, the culture, the work, the mindset, etc in order to fully understand and represent what it is you are documenting?
These are more often than not good people simply trying to raise intelligent, resourceful, self reliant kids, and get through life knowing that they have spent their lives doing the best they can to ensure the safety, health and well being of their families no matter what happens in life while using minimal resources and having as minimal of a negative effect on the earth and the people around them as possible in the process. This isn’t hippy communes, militia compounds, cult religions etc. It is a lifestyle, one that has been around for thousands of years, this isn’t some fringe new thing, this isn’t some new revelation brought on by global warming, economic uncertainty, etc. It is simply a lifestyle of freedom, independance, and self reliance, the REAL American Dream. Rather than the big nice house in the big nice neighborhood with the nice cars having to answer to their homeowners associating, having to ask permission to add on to their back yard, having to get local government approval for that pool, dependant on super markets, the electrical grid, city provided water supply filled with chemicals, big business chains, bankers, greedy employers, politicians, etc. You know, the illusion of the American dream.
Off Grid Homesteading and survival prepping is the way EVERYONE used to live, and was still prevelant into the 60s and 70s in certain parts of the country, and in parts of Appalachia is still being practiced by entire communities that never bought into modern culture and lifestyle, they view the average lifestyle as wasteful and unecessary. The way we live today is very much NOT the norm for the VAST majority of the world. We are the habit of excess consumption, and convenience at all costs.
The American Indians had it right “When white man find land, Indians running it, no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, clean water. Women did all the work at home. Medicine man was free. Indian man spend all day hunting and fishing: all night having sex. Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that.” ~ Chief “Two Eagles” ~
Live it, love it, protect it, appreciate it. This will very well become a dead art if the world continues in it’s current direction. We’re already being labled with negative connotations, cast in a negative light to the general public, there are already too many laws being passed limiting our ability to live as we choose, grow what we choose, eat what we choose, and in some cases even making it an absolute impossibility in certain areas.
It's like they are building a world of dependant and subserviant consumers rather than promoting true freedom.
