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Why Electricity Free Day?On Thursdays our family engages in a practice we call Electricity Free Day. What that means is, if it plugs into the wall, we don't use it. This may sound like an unusual way to spend a 24 hour period, and you're right... it is for us here in America. However, for billions of people across the world, electricity free day is everyday. Several years ago, my wife went on a mission trip to Uganda. Our church has a track and field camp rather than a standard vacation Bible school, and was invited by the village elders of Hoima to do a "Runner's Camp" in their location. Mitzi wanted to go, so we sold some stuff on eBay and raised enough money to pay for her plane ticket as well as several other people. For some of these children, my wife was the first muzungu they had ever seen. One girl repeatedly licked my wife's hand. When Mitzi asked the interpreter why the little girl was licking her, he replied, "To see if she can lick the white off your skin." Mitzi returned home from that trip on a crusade to rid our family of excessive American consumerism. She said that the people in Hoima-town were dirt poor, and some of the happiest people that she had ever met. She also said that electricity was in short supply and only available for a few hours every day. If you had something to do that required electricity, you waited until the power was on to do your tasks. It is a way of life in Uganda, and our first introduction to the concept of doing without electricity. If you ever find yourself in Wake Forest around late afternoon, drop in at the house. Chances are good that you'll find yourself invited to dinner. That's exactly what happened to Donitza and her daughter Ana. They were from the Czech Republic and wanted to see our livestock. Over dinner, I asked Donitza what she found most unusual about the United States. Her reply shocked me. She said that it was very difficult to get to know Americans because they never come out of their houses. After mulling this over, it made sense to me. American lifestyles are set up in a way that we never truly have to interact with other Americans. Everyone wakes up in the morning. Mom and dad shuttle the kids off to school and then drive separately to their jobs. After school, the latchkey kids come home and watch TV or play XBox 360 Live online with their buddies on the other side of town. (I forgot to mention that the kids were bussed to school in a different community.) One of the parents picks up a frozen lasagna at Stuff*Mart, and pays with a debit card at the self-checkout line. They get home and set the microwave to defrost the lasagna. After insta-dinner, the kids update their Facebook accounts on their personal computers in their rooms, while mom and dad watch cable movies on demand in the basement. Everyone goes to bed when they get tired. Repeat ad infinitum. Would Little House on the Prairie be nearly as entertaining if it was set in the modern day world? Laura and our favorite little beast Nellie would never pull pigtails in the mud. They'd be too busy verbally jousting with each other on some prairie life webforum. Mr. Edwards would be managing his company's database in a cubical and might have the opportunity to help Charles build the house on the weekends. And of course, Mr. Edwards would have to shave that beard if he wanted the database manager's position in the first place. Imagine Victor French without a beard! IMPOSSIBLE! Is this really the land of the free, if we're slaves to owning and maintaining our stuff? Our electricity free days are always productive. Meals are cooked on a gas stove. Our fireplace provides warmth and some light at night. After their lessons, the girls go outside to play in the thicket or with the chickens. That's my most productive day of the week in the gardens. I'll talk to the folks in the neighborhood as they walk past and inquire about the load of Christmas tree mulch that smells so wonderfully festive, or the big pile of horse doovers that doesn't. Our evenings are candlelit and quiet, without the racket and catterwalling of the TV or radio. After the dishes are handwashed, dried, and put away, we may play our musical instruments. That's when the catterwalling begins. Anna plays the piano. Kate flails away on the ukulele. I'll pull out the recorder or banjo and try to match them. None of us are very good; the Darling family we ain't. But it's fun! Then we may play a card game like Uno, Go Fish, then charades. By 8:30, the kids are ready for bed. I'll read an article in Acres USA, Mother Earth News, Countryside, or National Geographic by the light of our Coleman gas lantern. By 10:30, we're all in bed. Our electricity free days have been successful enough that we're considering moving it to two days a week. Eight days a month, electricity free, will reduce our municipal bill by nearly 25%. That's a significant savings. Living without electricity brings people and families together; sometimes in a mudhole or crick as with Laura and Nellie, other times building a relationship like Mr. Edwards and Charles. It creates lasting bonds between neighbors. It creates community when people have to rely on each other and know each other's strengths and weaknesses. And if electricity becomes rationed, like in Hoima due to economic reasons, we may not have much of a choice in the matter. I highly recommend that you make at least 2 days a month Electricity Free Days. I feel that it's better to get accustomed to it now, and know
what you need as far as supplies and creative ideas, than to be left in the dark.
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Will Olson
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Hello ! Just a quick note of gratitude regarding these design plans for the 'Urban Coop' It worked out great and I write an article about this with a picture. Thanks again ! http://www.examiner.com/x-42244-Spokane-Sustainable-Agriculture-Examiner~y2010m3d29-How-to-raise-Urban-Chickens-in-a-safe-and-humane-way Will Olson |
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Missy
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Thanks for sharing about your electricity free days. Our family has never participated in that; however, we have had "media" free weeks where TV's, computers and game systems were off limits for everyone. It is amazing how the adults and kids struggle with that at first. It's like detox, I guess. But it definitely promotes quality family time, and we all need it. We would never have peace and quiet where we can just enjoy the creation and each other's company otherwise. We are bombarded constantly. Maybe we'll try an electricity free day next. Thanks for the inspiration. |
John
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David, Thanks for the time you gave me on Saturday morning during my run in the rain. You mentioned you meet on Fridays to discuss some pretty interesting topics and I wanted to learn more. My email is \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it '> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Thanks again, John House |
Dave Bissette
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One final comment from me on the matter... Mitzi and I loved PBS's reality show Frontier House. It was a very cool experiment in placing modern day familys in 1880's Montana. We saw the family members doing a lot of things that we would have done differently. Rent the series on NetFlix if you get the chance. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/frontierhouse/ |
Dave Bissette
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Les, I suppose that my concern is not that my family will return to the 1700s, but that millions of families throughout the US and Western Europe, and the rest of the civilized world for that matter, are about to find themselves unwittingly returned to the 1700s, whether they like it or not. Here in North Carolina, if a hurricane is about to strike, we never know exactly when or where it's going to hit. People stock up on water, batteries, bread, milk, eggs, etc. It's a way of life in the Southeastern states. And, every 10-15 years or so, we might have to go for a week or two without power. In a way, it is like being back in the 1700s again. Neighbors come out and help clear trees, tarp up holes in roofs, reshingle, and invite each other over for dinner. Tools and food are shared among those who need it. If you're place of business is without power, you find other productive things to fill your time. All in all, I find it inconvenient but refreshing. I like the convenience of electricity as much as the next man. CatawbaCoops.com relies upon it to operate. But the weatherman says that "hurricane's a'comin', and it's gonna be a big one". I hope to ensure that my affairs are in order before it gets here. |
Les Hydle
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I don't see a strong connection with electricity free days, the homeless, jobless, and people in Venice, California living in campers either by choice or need. I understand how a visit to a third world country would change your views on more than just American commercialism. Good luck with your endeavor to return your family back to the 1700's. |
Dave Bissette
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There are some caveats to Electricity Free Day. For instance, we do not unplug the fridge, nor the alarm clocks. We don't use the microwave, but we leave it plugged in so that we don't have to reset that clock either. We will answer the phone, but only use it to make critical outgoing calls. We have conditioned ourselves over the years to become more accustomed to the annual temperature swings. During the winter, we put on sweaters in a 60 degree house. During summer, temps inside may reach 80-85 degrees. Our children's rooms are furthest from the fireplace. We warm ourselves, blankets, and quilts by the fire then put them on the beds. One other thing is that our house is old and drafty and not well insulated. As such, I'm not concerned with fumes from the gas stove or lanterns. I could see where this might be an issue in one of today's weather-tight homes. In this case I would ensure that a carbon monoxide detector remain plugged in. Then you could learn how to adjust the size of the window openings in your house to ensure that CO is vented, but maintaining a minimal heat loss. I agree with the point you make about us having worked hard to achieve the level of energy dependence we have today. It is very convenient simply to walk into a room, flick a switch, and voila! There's light. This is much more difficult to do when you're living out of your car or RV, or in a tent city in Cleveland, OH. Allow me to point out some of today's headlines from Reddit.com: - Tech Layoffs Come Back With a Vengeance: 80,000 In January, Approaching 200,000 Total - Freddie Mac wants another 30-35 billion dollars from treasury - GE profit plunges 46 per cent - California's unemployment rate leaps to 9.3% - Britain Is Officially in a Recession These are examples of people's lifestyles advancing from perceived affluence, to in many cases abject poverty and destitution. I specifically want to point out this article I just read: Special zones urged for people who sleep in RVs, cars in Venice Tough economic times have spilled onto the streets of Venice, which has become a favorite place to park for scores of otherwise homeless people living in cars and campers. The practice has ignited a mini-uprising among residents living in the pricey coastal community. The number of cars and recreational vehicles has swelled so much over the last year that Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who represents the city's coastal areas, has proposed creating special zones away from neighborhoods where people can sleep in their vehicles. "The community has been going ballistic," Rosendahl said. "They can't park their own cars. Some of the folks who live in their cars and in campers defecate and urinate outside and create other issues of quality of life and health." His proposal, similar to programs in Santa Barbara and Eugene, Ore., would allow the cars and recreational vehicles to park in select "municipal properties, parking lots of churches or community-based organizations, industrial areas and other areas that would have minimal impact on residential communities." Current city laws prohibit sleeping in a car or RV on the street. "Let's stop kidding ourselves," Rosendahl said. "People are living in their cars. . . . So let's deal with the reality. In this economic downturn, it's even increasing." I believe in the saying, "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst." My house is paid, so fortunately I will not find myself living in a car in Venice, Ca. However, I now know that if I can't afford electricty (think Weimar Republic), we have the tools and knowledge to still function daily. |
Les Hydle
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Hmmm... So, anything that plugs in, you don't use? Does that also include the fridge and freezer? So everyone huddles around the fireplace all night for winter warmth? What if your children's rooms are farthest from the fireplace? How about emissions from the fire? If you don't have a fireplace, or gas stove? How safe are Coleman-type stoves and lanterns in your home? Personally, this would not be difficult thing to do, especially in the Summer. But why? We, in this country, have worked hard to advance our technology and lifestyle so that we don't have to. Cutting back and conserving is a much better idea. |
David Benfield
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Man you've inspired me! I've thought about this idea for years, for all the reasons you give, but we have yet to implement it. Talking w/the wife tonight. |
