Living Without Electricity – Off Grid with Doug and Stacy

By Doug and Stacy Colbert

For us, leaving the big city was about living a more sustainable, healthier life by growing our own food and simplifying our life so we could actually enjoy it. At first, we thought about hooking up to the grid; then we considered getting solar. But after more discussion, we decided that the health benefits could not be ignored and the cost and return on solar were not beneficial for us. So we began a journey of living without electricity.

Off Grid with Doug and Stacy

Can we live without electricity?

That is a question we never asked ourselves until five years ago when we moved from a large suburban home with amenities to an 800 sq. ft. log cabin in rural Missouri. Over the past five years, we have learned how to manage food storage and use oil lamps. We have noticed a definite change in our vitality, energy, as well as our health.

The Health Dangers of Too Much Electricity

To begin, artificial light wreaks havoc on our circadian rhythms – also known as our sleep/wake cycles.

Artificial Light

With the use of artificial lighting, we can make the daylight hours last longer (like when you trick a chicken to lay eggs in winter with light). In turn, it messes up our natural rhythms and hormones. In a 24-hour period, we have many hormonal changes happening in our body.

When the sun rises it stimulates a stress hormone called cortisol which gets us up and going for life on the homestead. As the day progresses, cortisol slowly drops and by sundown, it is at its lowest level. Now the body starts to release another hormone called melatonin which helps us to sleep and triggers a release of other hormones like human growth hormone, estrogen, and testosterone.

We need these hormones to help repair ourselves from the day of work and stress. In this modern age, we have been programmed to stay up later with the use of artificial lighting. These growth hormones help to repair your body physically between 10 pm and 2 am and psychologically repairs between 2 am and 6 am. By disrupting these hormones natural cycles, it can cause lots of issues like

• Increased body fat
• Anxiety
• Joint pain
• Lethargy
• Gut issues
• Poor immune systems

We use candles and oil lanterns as our main light source which ensures we’re getting 9-10 hours rest a night. It is funny, when people come and stay with us, they think it is so late in the evening and want to go to bed and it is only 8 pm!

Invisible Electromagnetic Fields EMF’S

Electromagnetic fields include radios, lights, microwaves, computers, electric blankets and the very power lines coming into your home. These currents were once thought to be harmless because they are not as powerful as an x-ray, but new studies are now suggesting that people being exposed to them may run a higher risk of certain health issues such as allergies, fertility issues, cancer, learning disabilities, and cognitive related problems.

According to Dr. Samuel Milham, Author of Dirty Electricity: Electrification and the Diseases of Civilization, the growing demand for electricity is directly associated with the rapid rise of chronic diseases. Dr. Judith Westman, a geneticist and director of human genetics at Ohio State University, conducted an 8-year study on different types of cancer in the Amish community. The results were that the cancer rate was 40% lower than the rest of the population in Ohio.

How You Can Reduce your Electricity Consumption

If you don’t see yourself fully living without electricity, here are a few suggestions that might help you out. Start first in the bedroom because that is where the body heals itself while sleeping. Unplug as much as possible before bed.

• Do not put cell phones or tablets by your head on the night stand; leave them on the kitchen table.
• Use a battery or wind up clock instead of a plug-in clock.
• Don’t have the television in the bedroom at all.
• Studies show you should remove all “dirty electricity” from your senses at least 1-2 hours before bedtime. This includes laptops, computers, tablets, cell phones, and television.
• Also, try to eliminate the use of the microwave. A better option would be a toaster oven or stove top.

Just be more conscious of all the electrical devices in your home and how they are used. Preventing or repairing the damage by the “dirty electricity” can also be accomplished by eating high ORAC (oxygen radical absorbent capacity) foods which are crucial to protecting and healing the body. Great choices are organic: cilantro, dates, blueberries, asparagus, walnuts, pecans, cruciferous vegetables, red beans and broccoli to name a few.

Knowing that everyone will not choose living without electricity, there are many ways to improve the life YOU live in your current environment. We are passionate in helping others understand ways to live a more healthy and sustainable lifestyle, and that is why we write for MollyGreen.com because we see that they value the long standing traditions of family and a healthier lifestyle.

So, I ask you – could you live without electricity?
Doug and Stacy Colbert live in a rural town in Missouri. Stacy is a Holistic life coach with 30 years experience in the health and nutrition field. Doug is a self-taught carpenter and homesteader, building their log home from raw materials in 90 days and studies the ways of the pioneers. They are building a sustainable homestead to teach others so they can embark on their journey. Together they speak around the US at homesteading and prepper conferences and will soon be hosting educational classes on their homestead. Check out their YouTube channel: Off Grid with Doug and Stacy