Free of the national power grid? : A critique

An entirely new concept to me, I heard of this at the recent LI Conference. Apparently, there are a rapidly increasing number of people, who in an effort to better their environment and act in a truly responsible manner, are disconnecting their homes from the state power supply. This is either manifesting itself in, the conversion of an already enstated building, or a new build. Interestingly, the latter include a small minority, who are not only building new houses, but also without planning permission and in secret on virgin soil. The argument they give is that, whenever an application is made, the borough refuses it. So it is better to build first, start living green and then after a certain length of time has passed, if they remain undiscovered then they have a right to remain. They obviously feel strongly enough about this to do it despite the law, however, I cant help but wonder how sustainable this really is, to leave your home, rather than converting it and then to build a new home on a green field site often in green belt land, (as it is here that they can most easily hide). Surely the more sustainable option, is a conversion, not just sustainable in terms of the environment but also in terms of social responsibility. A great idea to live off the grid, but what better way to do it, than by proving to your average homeowner that it is both possible and worth while. Hiding away in the country sets no such example to the public, but rather exemplifies green living as an unnatainable myth.

http://www.off-grid.net/ http://www.blogger.com/www.offthegrid.com http://www.wikipedia.com/