How to Live Like the Amish With No Electricity
The Amish are a peaceful Christian community formed in 1527, with many Amish people living today in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. Amish people strive for a way of life that reflects earlier traditions. They therefore avoid or greatly limit using electricity and other modern conveniences. Mainstream Americans can learn from Amish people about how to live in a more simple and ecologically sustainable manner, without reliance on electricity. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Candles
- Lamps and kerosene or clear gas
- Matches
- Water containers
- Shovel
- Stove and fuel (propane, kerosene or wood)
Instructions
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Stock up on candles, lamps, fuel and matches so that you will be able to see at night. You can learn to make candles for yourself, but this will not save you much money. Adjust your schedule so that you can accomplish most of your daily tasks during daylight hours.
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Store water in your home for drinking, cooking and bathing, since tap water is filtered and pumped with electricity. According to the Red Cross and FEMA, a person requires a minimum of one gallon of purified water per day for drinking and cooking, with additional water needed for bathing. Identify an outdoor source for water, probably a stream or a well. Consider building a windmill to pump water from outside into your home.
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Dig a hole in the ground that is at least three feet deep. Use it to store foods that need to be kept cold. Or consider building a root cellar in your basement.
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Acquire a stove for cooking that runs on propane, kerosene or wood. Make sure that the fumes from the stove can escape to the outside so that you are only breathing them minimally.
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Tips & Warnings
Amish people aren't the only people living today without electricity. According to MSNBC, 1.6 billion people in the world have no electricity in their homes.
If you want to live without electricity but without emulating Amish people in their total avoidance of modern technologies, then a flashlight and batteries will be useful. Also, for communications, acquire a battery-operated CB radio.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
