Less reliance on the electrical grid means harnessing renewable energy and changing our mindsets
We experienced some power failures in Maleny late last week that got me thinking about how reliant most of us are on the electrical grid.
Too reliant.
Our lives revolve around coal powered electricity.
I wasn’t too concerned at first when the power went out the other night. I got my daughter Aysha set up with a book and a torch, lit some candles and jumped on the rowing machine.
While I was rowing it hit me: just about everything we do in our domestic lives is so completely reliant on electricity. Having a hot shower. Opening the garage door to get the car out. Cooking a meal. Even with a gas stove, you still need electricity to spark it up, unless you’re prepared and have matches nearby.
And that’s the key: I believe we all need to think about how to prepare ourselves in the event we don’t have power for a few days — or longer.
Mentally preparing to withdraw from our electricity addiction
Being prepared is not just thinking about investing in solar panels, or stocking up on canned food, candles, rechargeable batteries and drinking water (though that’s a good idea, too).
It’s changing our mindsets so that we don’t rely on electricity to fulfill our every need, even for entertainment.
My daughters freaked out when they found out they’d be without their computers for a night. Which in turn freaked me out!
Why not light a candle and sit around a table and talk? How about a daggy (but fun) game of charades, instead of two hours straight on Facebook?
How about spending time getting to know our neighbours? What’s your relationship with your neighbours like? Do you even know them? They’re probably the people you’ll need to turn to first in a crisis.
Have you thought about combining your backyard with your neighbours to create more arable land for growing food? How about teaching your children to grow food — it’s great for them to get their hands in the dirt and connect with nature.
How about turning the lights and computers off, going to bed earlier and waking up when the sun rises? That’s what we did in the past, before we had all this seemingly endless electricity on tap.
It’s not about being scared, it’s about being prepared.
It’s about changing the way we live, so that we begin moving back to a more grassroots, basic level of existence.
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