After helping with the humanitarian effort in New Orleans, Curtis' father returned to the West, telling of families who had lived 2 years without electricity under the auspices of some sort of return to normal.
Inspired by this glimpse into a critical future, Curtis committed to a week without electricity in his home - a week that quickly grew to a month as Curtis learned the joys and wonders of eating fresh cheese by candlelight in armchairs turned to face moonlit windows.
The initial inspiration for the experiment was a gut reaction to the contrast between want and excess. The experiment, however, grew complicated - as Locally Sourced Raw Food, a Wind-Up Radio, and Ambient Lights became paramount.
Television was hid away, plugs were taped over, light switches were secured, appliances were stowed, and beeswax candles were set in place.
As we all approach a near deafening roar of "the dangers of this" and the "crisis of that," the salience of experiments in zero impact is clear. Curtis did not save anything, perhaps, in his month without electricity - except for a few dollars off his electric bill.
Perhaps there is no perceptible ecological benefit to what Curtis has done? This, Curtis replies, is not the concern. From the depths of a more tethered soul, a dynamic relationship to a broader community which is unleashed through experimentation with scarcity, voluntary simplicty, and zero energy solutions is the result, if not the goal.
Curtis is now in the middle of a month without "news." His experiences remind us of the importance of experimentation - for if we do not experiment, we will not know what it is we may want to change.
Image by bawpcwpn.
