Mark Davis Senior Portfolio 2010: Idea: Self-sufficiency

Self-sufficient

1 : able to maintain oneself or itself without outside aid : capable of providing for one’s own needs

2 : having an extreme confidence in one’s own ability or worth

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-sufficient

I have been looking at my own personal relationship with nature as of late, and also asking others about their feelings and experiences. While my work will focus on those of us who live in urban environments, Mark made a suggestion that I should research those who live exclusively in nature. I think it’s remarkable that people are able to do this. I am very interested in how much physical and mental strength this must take. Being isolated in the woods everyday must take its toll on the mind and body. Do these people ever miss their old life? Will they ever go back to a so-called “normal life?” Those who live of the grid are fascinating.

Key Quotes:

“I can only speak to myself, but living the way I do allows me more time to digest the news and make sense of the world. I am fully engaged and aware of the world.”

“It’s a matter of temperament. What I see is that I have a more fulfilled life if I limit my stimulation, that’s my personal taste, that’s why I came to the woods. It’s all about what you want your stimulation to be; are you stimulated by running errands and the rush of the city, or watching the trees blow.”

-Jane Dawson

Living Off the Grid in Style: An Interview with Super-Homesteader Jane Dawson

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/living-off-the-grid-in-style-interview-homesteader-jane-dawson.html

“I started figuring this out a long time ago, one piece at a time. I came to it pretty slowly. I came to RE just because I wanted to live in the woods. But the more I learned, the more I felt I couldn't merely be a consumer (of knowledge or energy), I had to help pass it on.”

-Jennifer Barker

http://www.altenergymag.com/emagazine.php?issue_number=08.06.01&article=jenniferbarker

“I grew up on the 47th floor of a building in downtown Chicago, and I was so disassociated and alien to the world. Anyway, that was when I found my center in a way, you know I found my things made more sense to me when I was in nature. Things kind of pinned together and I started feeling more of this world. And I’ve always kept that connection.”

-Daryl Hannah

http://www.off-grid.net/2005/03/04/daryl-hannah-on-being-off-grid/

Lydersen, Kari. “Green living: Off the grid families pioneer sustainable energy

lifestyles.” Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 2010. EBSCOhost. Web.

6 Oct. 2010. <http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.vcu.edu/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid=112&sid=7eed8f5e-3796-482c-8b46-8e5f6587c44f%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLHVybCxjb29raWUsdWlkJnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&AN=52737744>

This article explains “off-the-grid” living without relying on the government or utility companies to provide electricity, heat, water, and gas. Many people are converting to self-sufficient living using sun, water and wind to provide heat and electricity. There are about 750,000 self-sufficient homs nationwide. It has been estimated that this is increasing by about 10 percent each year. Some live on their own, while others form tiny neighborhoods and help each other in their lifestyle. There have even been times when public power outages forced some to visit a man’s self-sufficient home for heat during a snowstorm.

This can be a costly shift in life, but in the end, these people’s investment will be paid off and beneficial. "There's a lot more return on investment than just money," Cirone says. "I believe inside our own basic spirit is the fact we want to do what's correct for the environment and, ultimately, the universe. We hope this proves to anyone who even considers [going off the grid] that if you don't want to give up anything in your lifestyle, you can use alternative energy and still have all the amenities you want." Many of these people have televisions, computers, and other electronics. They live pretty comfortably.

Images from Keliy Anderson-Staley's series Off The Grid