Firstly, off grid housing could be both a long term and short-term economical way of powering a house by sustainable means such as using photovoltaic cells (solar panels) to generate electricity through the sun’s natural UV light. The most common definition for this is the sustainable methods of providing utility services to a home without the connecting to the mains supply on a long-term basis. Alternatively, off-grid housing could be defined as purely living off the fruit of the land with the absence of technology and utility services such as electricity, water and drainage supply and so forth, similar to the ways of the Amish. However, in our modern society this is not the case, as technology no matter how minor is essential to our living as we’re reliant on it for many things such as communication. |
Kevin McClou'ds Escape To the Wild: Tonga http://www.channel4.com/programmes/kevin-mcclouds-escape-to-the-wild/on-demand/58706-001 | Case Study: Kevin McCloud’s Escape to the Wild: Tonga A recent documentary on Channel 4 called Kevin McCloud’s Escape to the Wild, focussed on the lifestyles of those families living completely off the grid away from modern civilization. One particular case study that will be focussed on in the essay is the von Engelbrechten family, a British family who nine years ago left the UK to live a fulfilled life in Tonga, South Pacific. The family in terms of utility services and to an extent food are completely self-sufficient, harvesting rainwater in large tanks using one as the main supply and one as an emergency back-up in case of water shortage. The main water supply into the house is pumped at gravity pressure to all the outlets in the home. This is rather economic as mains pressure, which requires the aid of electrical energy and mechanics, is not used. The emergency tank could be likened to the indirect water system in the UK where there is an extra 115-litre storage of water in the cistern in case of water shortage. Their off-grid lifestyle is directly dependant on their immediate surroundings, weather conditions and resources, which by the modern society could be viewed as unnecessary and risky as we have become so dependent on this. Relying on nature has it’s many benefits such as not having to pay utility bills which accounts for around 35% -44% of the average household bills. (Poulter, S., 2012.) Aside the economic and environmental benefits of living off grid, for many this way of living is to become at one with nature working with your environment to produce and to sustain. Being resourceful is rewarding, challenging, thrilling yet achievable, which is the greatest merit as you’re actually interacting and responding to your environment, not merely exploiting it. (Stow, J., date unknown)
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