Living off the grid: financially, spiritually, and environmentally responsible

Our modern world has jaded the population into believing we need certain things in order to survive. The internet, for one.  A cell phone. A car. But what if I told you a person could have all of these things, and still live off the grid?

It’s a trend that’s becoming increasingly popular in developed countries like the United States, where an estimated 750,000 Americans have been living without governance and dependent public utility for the better half of a quarter century. They grow their own food. They harvest their own energy. Cash means nothing to these people who’ve sworn a pact to uphold communal harmony. And so they trade. They cooperate and share and live off of the land. Some may call this way of life, ‘primitive,’ yet these self-reliant pioneers continue to lead free and happy lives.

Why break away from the government, you ask? Why live off the grid?

Financial, spiritual, environmental– people are driven to escape the norm for any number of reasons.  Nick Rosen, author of Off the Grid: Inside the Movement for More Space, Less Government, and True Independence in Modern America, says: "You can't get off all of the grids all the time. It's a question of which grids you choose to get off of and in what way and for how long. [But] going off the grid is not a game. It’s real life and a real choice for real people."

From a few months to a lifetime, people choose to break away from basic utilities, stay attached to what Rosen refers to as the "car, supermarket, or bank grid."

Sure, these people may escape society for personal reasons, but ultimately, they have a positive effect on the environment. A majority of off the grid communities are in areas where nature plays an integral role in social sustainability. "You become much more aware of the sun and the wind because you need it to power yourself," says Rosen, who goes on to explain that the average consumer is “consuming too much. One of the big motivations for off-grid living is a weariness of the consumer society. It's not necessarily anti-consumer, but post-consumer."

Think of all the unnecessary luxuries we enjoy. Three-car garages. Big-screen TVs. Air-conditioning. Even heated steering wheels in our cars! Rosen estimates that the average off-gridder uses about 20% less energy than the average U.S. household.

However, some people go off the grid to get away from the stress of urban living. Rosen claims that the “biggest motivation is a loss of trust in the government and the ability of social networks to look after us.”

That’s because the government is monitoring our emails and text messages. They’re patrolling the skies with killer robots. They’re forcing fossil fuels down our throats, not for the greater good, but because fossil fuels offer the highest return on consumer investment.

The best part is – you’re capable of much more than you give yourself credit for! In fact, you could escape the government’s stronghold with as little as a half an acre, "as long as it's the right half-acre,” says Rosen. “The era of 40 acres and a mule has been replaced by the era of a half an acre and a laptop and a solar panel.” Just enough to grow a few crops and harvest a few kilowatts. But ultimately, “the best way to get off-grid is to go off with others in a group of families, so each have half an acre and share resources and skills. One is tending livestock and one is growing vegetables, while a third is looking after the power supply for everybody else."

Many off-the-grid communes are actively seeking new members willing to relocate. "There's a huge generation of 1970s back-to-the-land movement people who are now getting pretty old and they're sitting on these huge tracks of land that can't be broken up,” says Rosen. "The idea of land trusts is being used as a way these older people can get some new residents to help look after them and then work on the land or take over part of the land as the older generation dies out."

NRGLab provides those looking to live an alternative, environmentally friendly lifestyle with the opportunity to own a carbon-free electrical generator. Weighing only a few pounds, the SH-Box is the most affordable and efficient option out there today. You don’t have to give up your Wi-Fi or iPhone or Benz after all.

If you’re interesting in going off the grid, or just joining in the independent energy revolution, visit nrglab.asia for more info on how you can come to own an SH-Box.