I want to build community around the things I love. Living in Canada 5A

Hello fellow humans,

It was in June that I first said my thoughts out loud, and I admittedly thought the words would sprout and immediately die. "I want to live off grid."

I grew up in a small town, but my family didn't garden, or do much of anything that some may consider 'rural'. Like most from my neck of the woods, once I reached maturity I moved to the city (Toronto). And I'm now a 31 year old woman...I have a career, rent a house, have a solid partner, an old dog, and a few cats. I do not have any children, nor do I plan on having any (environmental and socio-economic reasons), but as a 31 year old, I think my life is pretty on-par with my peers. I am comfortable in life.

So what changed (besides extra time for thinking due to a pandemic)? I think three fundamental aspects of my person combined:
One of the things I'm really interested in is socialism. Not particularly Socialism in action, but certainly the theory and mindset. The idea that there is worth in things beyond consuming and making capital.
I'm an environmentalist. I have to say, I'm honestly not sure if humans have gone too far and messed up the planet for every other species, let alone our own.
The third thing is somewhat more vague but tied everything together. I don't want to be known for anything, but I do want to work towards what I feel is most important.

What do I feel is most important? It it isn't wealth, or consumerism, so why am I so enmeshed in that system? What I feel is most important is trying my best to help life survive. Not human specific life.
So the goal then becomes: how can I live my life in a way that both bring me pleasure and joy, as well as doing the least harm (maybe even good?) to our ecosystem.

Absolutely, I know that not everyone shares my thoughts or values about politics or environmental issues, but we can all come together and learn, which is really nice. I really yearn for community and I hope I can make personal connections, learn, and even share.

I'm frankly so new to all this that this site still sometimes feels overwhelming, and I feel panicked that I'm so behind and have so much to learn. But, we all have to start somewhere, so here I am.

Hello. I'm Tonya. It's nice to meet you all.

Hi Tonya, welcome to Permies! It's a great place to learn specific steps toward cooperating with nature in a constructive and healing way. We all start at the same place--the beginning. Permies is the best of the best for asking questions, sharing ideas, and learning new skills. It's is a big place, so explore, share your plans, ask questions, and join in the conversations that interest you.

Tonya Hunte wrote:I know that not everyone shares my thoughts or values about politics or environmental issues, but we can all come together and learn, which is really nice. I really yearn for community and I hope I can make personal connections, learn, and even share.

One of the reason Permies works is because it enables us to separate politics and other controversial topics from the discussion of permaculture. Those subjects are restricted to The Cider Press, a forum specifically for hot button topics. The beauty of this arrangement, is that we can focus on what we have in common rather than what we don't. That's what builds community; working together toward our common goals.

Welcome aboard!

Hi Tonya,
Do you have clear plan on how you want to get to living off grid or are you just starting to explore that idea?
Do you hope to provide your own food, like on a homestead, or are you imagining more of a cabin in the woods?
Do you hope to stay close to family?
I'm going through a similar transition with my wife and young daughter in Manitoba so I find your story interesting.
Nick

Nick Neufeld wrote:Hi Tonya,
Do you have clear plan on how you want to get to living off grid or are you just starting to explore that idea?
Do you hope to provide your own food, like on a homestead, or are you imagining more of a cabin in the woods?
Do you hope to stay close to family?
I'm going through a similar transition with my wife and young daughter in Manitoba so I find your story interesting.
Nick

Hey Nick,

So, it's been over 6 months now, and I still feel I've barely scratched the surface. I would say in the scheme of things, I still am very much just beginning to explore...

Having said that, a plan has shaped about what we might want and how we might achieve it. We do plan currently on growing all our own food, but it will take a lot more experience to get there as this was our first year gardening.

We've actually bought land in Nova Scotia (12 acres) that has a brook and pond. Half of it is wooded and the other half was clear cut about 13 years ago. The plan is to set a yurt up on the property and then slowly make a log cabin once we are able.

Even though the property is bought, and a plan is being formulated though, we don't plan on actually moving to the property for a few years; likely 5 or so. We'll be surviving on what we can grow, and store, and a lot of research, planning, experimenting, and saving will be needed before we can make that leap. We are not particularly driven to be near family as we are to be near the ocean (partially for foraging).

I can obviously go into more detail, as I'm sure everyone can. It's weird because before this, I didn't really have goals, and now I'm inundated with them.

What are your plans? Feel free to share :)

Congrats on the land purchase! That seems like the biggest step in terms of turning ideas into reality. We bought some lakefront pasture land in Manitoba a year ago and have started planting tree seedlings. We've started talking with Kithouse, which is a great company that builds passive solar houses that can be shipped entirely or in components. We'll have many weekend camping trips from the city to the farm this summer to do more planting and then hope to be out there in 2022.

It's great to hear that you're engaged in your future more than ever.  Enjoy your planning and getting to know your land. I'm sure we'll both realize soon that the permie life isn't always as beautiful as imagined, but for now, I think it's ok to let the imagination run wild.