Everything human do
cause pollution to the environment, even we breathe, we expire CO2,
which is a green-house gases. And when we brush our teeth, the chemicals in the
sewage cause water pollution. When we cook our breakfast, we need to use
electricity, which is in fact generated from burning fossil fuels that is
non-renewable resources. Let alone those events we do after we go out from our
apartment, we drive, which emits air pollutants, we work with our computers,
which takes electricity to recharge, etc.. Born in this urban age, is that
possible for anyone of us to go back and SURVIVE without electricity? From my
birth, there were two times that I use least electricity, first is an
electricity outage, second is the site visit last semester.
Last semester I
went to South West Rocks for my studio’s site visit. That was a nightmare to me
during the first two days. There are no lighting devices after 6. After it’s
dark, we cannot do anything except sleeping or playing with our phones. And
there is only one power outlet for a tent that carries 8 people. What makes
things worse is the location of the site, which is a cliff next to a river
mouth connects to the sea. This makes the breeze freezing to us at night. The
tent shakes with annoying noise and the breeze sneaks into our tent through
gaps underneath. This is simply a terrible experience. And after I go there, I
finally realize that I am a patient of terminal Internet addiction. I felt
choking without living with my computer.
I find this a
valuable experience after the first two days. Living without electricity shows
myself how much I rely on modern technology. When I get back, I searched online
how can I live without technologies and electricity, the suggestions are quite
close to the discomfort I experience in South West Rocks. The most important
thing is insulation and lighting. The website remind us that as we don’t have
electrical heating device, we need to insulate our building well. And for
lighting, it advises us to use kerosene lantern. Alternative electricity
generator such as solar panels, hydropower system and bicycle generator are
suggested. For food, livestock is a good choice. We can make can food, dry
fruit and dairy product such as cheese to preserve to redundant food we get.
The website is
quite interesting and useful to some extent.
But for me, what do
I need to do first is to reduce the time I use computer for entertainment as if
I continue wasting time without studying, the materials I consume will really
become destructive and non-sustainable. Making my life meaningful is also a way
to be sustainable.
References:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/witnesskingtides/8378058623/
https://wanderingwrites.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/day-13.jpg
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