Why I Want to Live Off the Grid - Introduction

I was talking with my buddy Will today. Will said that he read an interview with an Amish guy who was 100% content with his life. Will hypothesized that amongst other things, the Amish live a simpler lifestyle more focused on the arts and the human situation. In other words the Amish are kind of like conservative hippies that are sticking it to the Man by living off the grid.
Hearing about the independent and apparently content Amish reinvigorated my dream of finally getting off the grid. After I read this article on water/fog harvesting http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/03/water_outta_thi.php at www.treehugger.com I was nearly ready to get Malia and move out to the mountains. (Note good water is one of the more difficult things to obtain when living off grid...but thanks to these guys http://www.fogquest.org not only can you get inexpensive clean water...but so can millions of poor people around the world .... it's as easy as putting up a net and catching water from the air...really!)

So what would it take to live an "off the grid" or nearly "off the grid" lifestyle?

First, what is "off the grid" living? Living off the grid is here defined as living an everyday lifestyle such that:

a.) Public Utilities such as electricity, gas and water are only optionally used as a backup.
b.) Supermarkets, and other food supplies are only optionally used for scarce or non-local food items.
c.) Clothing, tools and utensils have no restrictions; however, they must fit within the energy usage confines of a.) , thus hand tools and handmade blankets/furniture are ideal. If you can't make it, then ideally you buy/barter it from a local craftsman/woman.
d.) No Television (actually if you just want to get rid of your television and disregard a, b and c I will still consider you a half-gridder, or at least a brave hippie)

In short there is one simple question that sifts the "gridders" for the "non-gridders"....Would your lifestyle significantly change given that a mass epidemic wipes out 3/4 of the world's population leaving you and all your friends alive? If you answer no, then you are definitely a non-gridder.

I think that off the grid living is predominantly a mentality, attitude and mindset more than it is a set of rules or ecological ideology. For more information on the mentality of a non-gridder read "Walden" by Henry David Thorough or "Sailing Along Around the World" by Joshua Slocum. In essence, off the grid living is marked by independence, a courageous spirit and a desire to have a constant adventure with the wild. Also sticking it to the Man is a chief concern for non-gridders.

Throughout the next couple of posts I would like to not only share how one might get off the grid...but also take a historical look at the American people who have only recently begun living an on-grid lifestyle. It is this independence that has chiefly characterized the American, an independence which seems to be slowly fading into an urban/Big Business led dependent lifestyle. Let's hope for the sake of the environment, our minds, our children's future and our own that this trend doesn't continue.