What would it be like not to use electricity one day a week for a month?

When I’m living on my sloop at sea, the absence of electricity could be dangerous because I need it–sometimes urgently–to start the engine and drive out of harm’s way. But on the boat, I produce my own electricity with a planet-friendly wind generator and a pair of solar panels. Energy is stored in a bank of batteries for conservative use throughout the day. Because of this, I don’t mind the 12-volt refrigerator keeping food cold in the galley, or switching on LED lights after dark. But, my house in the suburbs of Madison, WI is a different story. Although I pay extra to the utility company for a percent of my electricity to come from wind turbines, the power company puts an upper-limit cap on wind as a source. My home computer, for example, is at least partially driven by coal.

So, what if I don’t use electricity in my home for 24 hours each week for the next 4 weeks as a non-violent protest to national policies that perpetuate a fossil-fuel energy dependency?

Instantly I notice my head is of two minds on this challenge. First, I think: “how hard could it be?” By way of an answer, I have visions of coffee-less and toast-less breakfasts, cold showers, missed blog posts, a dead smart phone and inability to navigate roads, and restless nights reading by candlelight. My interior monologue tosses about ridiculous questions like: “Does and electricity-free day include nighttime too?” I try to calculate which day of the week is my lowest power-use day so the experiment is least disruptive to my lifestyle. Then I chide myself: “Don’t I have a responsibility to pick the day of most electricity use?” I also imagine the reaction of others in my household–the grumpiness of a spouse with lots of valid reasons why the project is foolish, unnecessary, doomed from the start, and a cat who will grow confused by my odd behavior. Worst of all is the fear of public humiliation. “Heather,” I think, “you’re putting this on your blog. What if you fail?”

The fact is I cannot fully grasp how dependent I am upon electricity and that alone makes me want to try the experiment. Plus, I am in a mood to shake up old habits and play with possibilities. So here goes.

I hereby declare I will not use electricity on the following 4 Saturdays: August 17, 24, 31, and September 7. I will write about my experiences on the Sundays that follow.

Please join me in this experiment–the more the merrier–and tell me how an electricity-free day goes for you. Also, let me know why this challenge speaks to you and what if anything is the outcome. Let’s make our protest together, learn from each other’s experience, and take another small step to change the world–H