Govt tells woman off grid, you're living unsafely

[westriver]

There has been a similar story brewing one town over from me. A couple, now in their 70's, have wanted to downsize their lifestyle and live a more simple (and less expensive) life. Leaving their personal motivations aside, because it's nobodies business anyway, they have been wrangling with town and state officials for 5 years! They had a write up in the local rag's weekend edition.

quoting the article:
the state housing code requires all houses within 600 feet of electric service to hook up to the grid and requires central plumbing, a backup heating source and an approved septic system or sewer hookup.

Now I can see the bit about septic/sewer but........requiring one to hook up to the grid? Or a back-up heating system? Pure BS in my estimation.

link to article, it's the cover story "Couple finds path to building simple living space isn’t simple"
http://www.recorder.com/

you have an interesting perspective on this situation, and it actually disagrees with the article, and the couple's experience to date. Actually, the couple has been working with the local community as they ALL take on the state, and find a way to allow them to create a new dwelling, inside a barn, yet off the grid. Given the extraordinary cooperation, in a hugely overregulated New England state, I would call it an amazing success so far.

 

[James AKA Lynx]

You should obey the law or get it changed.
You will stay out of trouble and be less expensive that way.

James AKA Lynx

 

[Scar]

I'm mind boggled from the post of AltTrans that a city can require that you hook up to electric and city services, when ironically if you can't pay they will turn you off. Seems like a small version of whats been going on with things like Obamacare, mandating you buy something, then penalizing you if you can't afford it. This is not the America I want to live in. Unfortunately, I admit I am already burned out arguing with imbeciles in the government. I have been fighting with anti-gun groups for the last couple of years but thats been hard for me to since I just can't stand talking to idiots anymore. Ironically a big reason I stay away from forums generally. I need a beer.....

 

[Lifemagician]

Surely before living any lifestyle it behoves one to check local ordinances. After all, 'The Local Government' is a respresentation of the local residents who voted them to represent them. Their wishes ought to be respected. If you wish to live in a certain area, be a law abiding citizen. If you don't like the laws, move or lobby enough of the local citizens to make change.

As for Downunder......

My knowledge of the rest of the country is sparse, but here in Melbourne and really in the State of Victoria, going off grid is embraced, if not encouraged. The purchase of solar hot water and solar panels is subsidised for the consumer. The authorities figure that this is cheaper than having to constantly build more generating plants. Reducing the carbon footprint is another incentive.

In country Victoria there is a whole town which is truly off-grid. The town got together, raised the funds, built a small wind farm and put solar panels on all buildings. They even have some factories there. The experiment is being closely watched by other interested communities.

The percentage of homes in the cities with panels on them increases daily. However, these are not strictly 'off-grid'. It pays to remain connected as excess electricity generated is fed into the grid and the home owner is credited with the value. There are frequent stories of folk who have several hundred dollars credit every billing cycle.

Even in the inner city there are homes which have been converted into 'green' houses, where they have composting toilets. These are strictly regulated for obvious reasons. No one wants an outbreak of disease. But from what I have read over the years, are very successful, even though they are expensive to install.

Water tanks too, are encouraged. During the drought the cost of these was subsidised.

My place has a solar hot water service, which gives me more than enough hot water. Even in winter the water is warm enough for a shower. My three 200ltr water tanks supply all water for outside use - garden, car wash, etc.

As I travel each year through North America, it always puzzles me that these technologies are not encouraged and embraced more.

Lifey

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I'm still irritated the tv station looked to see if she had a criminal record, found some dirt and published it.

According to the original article, the tv station was broadcasting supportive articles about her.

A local newspaper then published the story about her criminal background.

I'm willing to bet that somebody in the local government LEAKED that info to the newspaper in a bid to counteract the negative publicity the tv broadcasts were making.

Probably also hoping the embarrasment would cause her to just drop the whole thing.

Regards
John

 

[Scar]

@Lifemagician
The problem is government in the U.S. commonly does not represent the local people anymore. It is all too common for politicians to lie to get into office, then do what they want.
The other thing is not everyone can 'check out' a lifestyle before trying it. If she got too poor then learned to live without electricity then it was not by choice, not saying that's what happened here but isn't uncommon.
I myself adopted this lifestyle after suffering a stroke and becoming homeless, so basically I'm arguing against any governmental entity that would write laws that stopped people from living. There are literally places in the U.S. making it illegal to be homeless. While there are 'professional homeless' that wanted to be that way, too beg etc, someone that loses everything such as myself then has the government try to make them leave town or lock them up or kick them out of their house for not hooking to the grid, is ridiculous.
I'm going to put it simply: I enjoy discussion, but for those of you that think the government did the right thing here, don't respond to me, and don't ever come to honeys park.

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

I'm still irritated the tv station looked to see if she had a criminal record, found some dirt and published it.

According to the original article, the tv station was broadcasting supportive articles about her.

A local newspaper then published the story about her criminal background.

I'm willing to bet that somebody in the local government LEAKED that info to the newspaper in a bid to counteract the negative publicity the tv broadcasts were making.

Probably also hoping the embarrasment would cause her to just drop the whole thing.

Regards
John

Thank you for the correction. Diane

 

[Patrick46]

Scar....

I honestly don't think ANYONE on this board here supports what the government has done to this gal.
I feel bad for her having to go through this ordeal...however, I DO feel that she probably didn't use good judgement for allowing the media to broadcast her story of what she's doing inside the city limits...when she knows this was against the city's laws or ordinances.
...and anyone who thinks that the media is gonna treat you fairly is aweful naive in my book! They're out to sell stories and make a buck...and they couldn't give two sh*ts about who they hurt along the way.


anyway, I heard this story on NPR today, and found it extremely relative to the original posted story...(you can even listen to the broadcast story)...

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/20...ar-blooms-over-front-yard-vegetable-gardening


maybe there's hope yet!

 

[Scar]

Their may be wisdom in keeping quiet, and hiding who/what we are and how we live. But their is no honor in it. I once gave a TV interview on a totally different subject than this (around 2007 or so I think) that the local news butchered up and made it look like I was an id.io.t (got auto-censored) and had implied some things I was totally against. But it was the reaction of a couple of people on this site that took me aback. I realize the world has/is going bad, but being a cheap rv living site I expected nothing but sympathy for her and am further saddened that a few, not specifically Patrick46 to who this was responding, but a few blame her for this.

Regardless of whether you think she should have talked to the news, this to me is about the tyrannical totalitarian dystopia the U.S. is becoming. You can't live on property you own without hooking to government services that they order? This should shock decent people, but especially those living a minimalist lifestyle like a lot of us on this site. And it was to people living this way too whom I was speaking, hence my sadness at the reactions of blaming her.

But I will leave this with a quote that seems especially relevant to the 'she shouldn't have talked about it' crowd...

“First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.” — Pastor Martin Niemoeller

 

[jeanontheroad]

We are missing an awful lot of the details, here. If she has no utilities, how does she flush her toilet? Does she have trash pickup? What shape are her electrical system and plumbing in? How is she heating her home? Is it a danger to her neighbors? There are things you can do out in the boonies where you have plenty of "nature" to absorb your footprint that are not going to work in town. Why not have the utilities hooked up but just not use them if the choice is being evicted?

 

[Lifemagician]

Why not have the utilities hooked up but just not use them if the choice is being evicted?

Not sure if that is necessarily the answer. If it is anything like where I live - my usage is minimal, normally less than 10% of my account. The rest is related to connection charges.

 

[jeanontheroad]

Well, we don't know the full story. Without all the info, it's hard to know what to think. Our utility bills are mostly usage, not connection fees. If she is off grid because of money, what else is happening to the property? Towns have codes that they do not keep secret. If you choose to live there, you have to follow them or keep quiet about flaunting them.

 

[user 423]

Many articles have sketchy details and sometimes on closer inspection the full story is actually quite different. The writer and/or site is mainly interested in publishing the headline to advance an agenda.

 

[Patrick46]

Many articles have sketchy details and sometimes on closer inspection the full story is actually quite different. The writer and/or site is mainly interested in publishing the headline to advance an agenda.

x2

 

[owl]

Codes are often used to threaten and intimidate.

 

[Zil]

small town amerika. i was union rep. code was used by local lord to try to punish me. got lawyer and to court to prove i was legal. but nothing ever said about harassment by officials.

 

[Patrick46]

but nothing ever said about harassment by officials.

they don't consider it "harassment" if they think they're doing their jobs!!