I’ve gone to some pretty extreme measures to assess how electricity is interwoven into my life. In 2013 I bicycled Off the Grid Across America and vowed to use only electricity generated by the small solar panels I carried with me. In 104 days of traveling across America I managed to not turn on a single light switch and only plug into five outlets. Right now I live off the grid in a tiny house and all of my energy needs are met by two small solar panels.
Through these adventures I learned that my life was truly electrified. So much of what we do involves using electricity. At so many moments in the day we are burning fossil fuels through electricity without thinking about it for a second. To many of us it would seem that electricity is equally important for survival as water. By going back to the basics and unraveling the electrical cords around my life I have a new insight on the day to day actions that are occurring around me.