Jan 07 2009
Usage, Needs and Options
Extricating yourself from the grid is possible…it may become more desirable as the months go by. Regardless of how the economy continues, self reliance is always more desirable than being dependent upon things you really cannot control. Best do what one’s own self can as much as possible.
The most obvious grid to work on weaning oneself off of would be the electrical grid. Take stock of exactly where you use electricity. Lights…cooking…heating…cooling…and of course, internet and television. In case you’ve never looked at such before, on the back of each electricity using device there is a label that will tell you how much electricity it uses. There are spreadsheets and equations out there that will help you crunch up how much you use, and where you use it. For this discussion, just be generally aware of how much each device uses—then start investigating what would meet your needs while using less electricity. Laptops use less electricity than desktops, for instance. Incandescent bulbs use more than compact fluorescent bulbs. Make a list of where you can downsize your usage, and a goal of changing something out every week or two at the least.
The next step would be to start prying yourself free of the grid. It’s not likely that any of us are interested in eschewing the use of all electrical devices, so the next best option is to try to produce or collect our own. The easiest way to go about that is solar. Simple systems can be had for less than many new toys.
There are other types of “grids” that shape our lives and our choices that we hardly even see—unless we’re looking. The transportation grid leaps to mind next, of course, but that’s a topic for another day. Sundays, to be exact. 
