Maybe you’ve heard of the Survivorman TV series and its creator and star, Les Stroud. The Canadian filmmaker and outdoor adventurer has made a name for himself in teaching survival techniques but it is attempts to “get back to nature” which may end up as his enduring legacy.
After his marriage to his wife Susan in 1994, the two of them spend a year living a back-to-nature existence in the Canadian wilderness, recorded in their documentary, Snowshoes and Solitude. But it is there efforts that began in 2006 to live off the grid – to live with solar and wind power, and a raincatcher – that have been particularly enlightening for those who wish for a more sustainable way of living.
Most people who are keen to live sustainably don’t want to give up everything and live in a wood or mud hut. What Les and his wife have done is show that a more sustainable way of life is within reach, though how far one can go may depend on each individual’s circumstance.
In North America, his approach to living has not only sparked interest in those who wish to minimize the personal impact they have on earth but also amongst the growing survivalist movement.
Sustainable Urban Homestead – Urban Farming, Food Preservation and Renewable Energy Systems
Living off the grid is an expression to describe both a way of life as well as a manner of living. Living off the Grid initially came to mean self sustainable living, without electrical power coming into your habitat from the countries power electric supply system aka the electric “grid”. The phrase Off the Grid is an extension of the term “off grid” phrased by Nick Rose in the mid 1990s. Today, the term Off the Grid is being used in a much more expanded manner and scope and now covers or implies all types of alternative energy and ecological saving systems and life styles.
Young people really can make a difference.
