Why Are Florida And Texas So Strongly Against Off-Grid Living Practices That They Deem It Illegal?
Citizens of Earth have been cautioned on timeless occasions to control their consumption of fossil fuels and rely more on sustainable and renewable resources. Many countries, including America, openly support the practice of sustainable living. Then why are the states of Florida and Texas trying to curb the good-for-mother-nature practice?
Living off the grid as a lifestyle is being increasingly examined and experimented with by people who feel they can survive by not utilizing the resources offered by the utility companies. It essentially means primarily living independently of the utility companies. Using renewable resources like the sun, wind, and water bodies nearby, people are trying to generate their own power by using rain water harvesting techniques; they have successfully severed the water connection offered by the city. Moreover, many people have even taken additional steps to manage their own waste.
These steps might seem difficult to pull off, but there are communities that have sprung up which are practicing all this and more to support the living-off-the-grid lifestyle. But the states of Texas and Florida clearly aren’t happy. Last year, the state of Texas deployed multiple SWAT teams to shut down a sustainable community called “The Garden of Eden Community.” It was totally self-sustainable, but all of the community members were still handcuffed at gunpoint.
The state of Florida isn’t better. The city officials recently deemed living off the grid illegal. The city council mandates all homes must be connected to an electricity grid. Though not illegal yet, even in Northern California, citizens can be evicted if they do not consume electricity, citing fears about candle-fires.
Living off the grid is clearly viewed as bad practice by law, cited Florida city officials. They were referring to the International Property Maintenance code, which requires homes to be connected to the electricity grid and running water. Using or rather misusing the same, the state of Florida attempted to prosecute Robin Speronis, who was living completely independently of Florida’s water and electric system by employing solar energy, a camping stove, and rain water. Eventually, though the state couldn’t convict her for not having “proper” connection to a sewer or electrical system; she was found guilty of not being connected to an approved water supply.
Supporters of the living off the grid practice allege that the reason these states do not want the people to go off the grid is because large corporations will lose their ability to control citizens. They argue that if everyone employed a self-sustaining lifestyle, nobody would have to work. This would have undeniable impact on the current political and financial system’s status quo.
Utilities have become an inseparable aspect of modern living. But depletion of natural resources is an undeniable truth. Shouldn’t the states and the country encourage people to rely a little less on utilities and reward them for their efforts, instead of attempting to curb the practice?
[Image Credit | Renewable Energy World, Inhabitat]
