Friday, September 9, 2016

Sustainability And Living Off The Grid

By Harold Stevens


With the high prices of mortgage and rent, many individuals are now looking to become more mobile. As part of the process, a number of individuals are looking to obtain private land. For, if done right, an individual can live off the land while living off the grid. Individuals must decide at any given time, whether one remains off-grid when using tools such as cell phones and other electronic devices.

Individuals residing in this way often share a communal solar source, or live off a generator. One of the most popular terms for people residing in this manner is that of off-gridders. While electricity can be generated through alternative means such as hydro and solar, water is another story. As such, many families and individuals live near lakes, rivers, streams, store water in tanks or dig a well.

While most people enjoy a freer lifestyle, others prefer to subscribe to utilities and services such as water, electrical, cable, satellite and trash service rather than saving energy or money. Still, statistics show that the interest in living this way have increased dramatically over the last few decades. Although, as many other countries do not allow individuals to live in the country without subscribing to utility service, actual percentages can often vary widely among reports.

In places like California, the state is asking citizens to use solar and wind rather than fossil fuels or water. For, the drought has also eliminated a great deal of the water supply in the state. As such, wind, solar and fossil fuels are now the most common alternatives used by California residents. Whereas, hydro fuel cell, and wave are still being investigated as to how big an impact each might have on the alternative energy market.

While the main focus is sustainability, many of these communities are intentional ones. Intentional communities are made up of small neighborhoods built or acquired by a group of like-minded people. For example, there are a number of offline social networks such as Christians, dance groups, magicians, poets, singer-songwriters and others whom desire to live in communities dedicated to a specific interest.

As people in these groups often know each other for years before becoming involved in a new shared community, there is often far less friction than in traditional communities and neighborhoods. For, when people live too close to others with whom one disagrees on major life issues, things can often become intense. Whereas, if everyone in the neighborhood shares a specific interest, then all have at least one thing in common.

Generally, groups of this nature are going to have a focus on climate change, the environment and social justice. In others, there may be religious ties which bring people together. The one common thread among all of these groups is a shared desire to live in a community with like minded people.

Beyond intentional communities, others reside in this manner because of availability, cost and other factors. Some of these factors include reducing carbon footprints, saving money, surviving and preparing for an economic collapse. While this is the case, off-gridders still have to pay camping fees, overnight or monthly RV park fees, mortgage or rent. Individuals providing these overnight fees, rent to a landlord or property management company are generally not considered off-gridders.




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