Living Off Grid with Abundance

Have you ever wondered what you would have to give up to live off the grid? Are you willing to live without some of your daily pleasures? Does this have to be ‘all’ or ‘nothing’, and can technology solve it all, so we don’t have to choose?

Freshly returned from my 7^th annual sea kayaking adventure with my two sisters, I am pondering our experience of staying at an off-grid lodge on Read Island near the coast of British Columbia.

Nestled at the top of Evans Bay, surrounded by rugged coastline and rich sea life, and located several kilometers from the nearest post office at Surge Narrows, Coast_Mountain_Expeditions consists of a main lodge, several guest cabins and a family home. We were hosted graciously by Ralph and Lannie Keller and their grown son Albert, celebrating 24 years of sharing their wilderness adventure lifestyle.

Albert and Ralph provided expert guiding and instruction for our daily kayak trips. Emphasizing safety skills, they refined our techniques to make the paddling experience more efficient and enjoyable. We were blessed with perfect weather (nearby Campbell River on Vancouver Island logs almost 5 feet of precipitation per year). Ralph commented “you don’t appreciate sunshine until you’ve gone camping in the rain”.

Almost immediately, the wildlife sightings began.

A patient Bald Eagle perched atop a tree, waiting for fish on which to prey. The tide dropped, revealing a myriad of starfish, crabs, and just off shore, some graceful jellyfish. A Great Blue Heron circled lazily over an oyster farm. Ralph led us into a tiny island cove where we ‘nimbly’ exited our kayaks and clamoured over the barnacle encrusted rocks to a viewing point where dozens of Harbour Seals sunned themselves, called socially to each other, and then silently slipped into the water to cool off and curiously gaze up at our discreetly distant spot. Ralph cautioned us to never disturb the seals by kayaking too closely.

Meanwhile Lannie and her summer helpers tended Lannie’s magical garden of vegetables, fruit and perennial flowers from a small clearing up the hill to produce exquisite meals for the dining room harvest table. 

We washed up at outdoor sinks while carefully not leaving the water running. Treated to home made breads – pita, focaccia, multigrain, self-milled and expertly baked in Lannie’s propane fired gas oven, we overindulged in her delicious vegetarian plus seafood cuisine and sumptuous fresh raspberry-apple pie and cheesecake. Her hot houses extend the growing season for tomatoes, delicate herbs and lettuce. 

Refrigeration is powered by its own photovoltaic solar panel, located directly below the dining room window. Ralph explained that the refrigerator and freezer operate more efficiently on direct current (DC) than from the AC batteries of the larger solar unit.

Every morning, my sisters gathered warm fresh brown eggs from the 10 hens, and fed them yesterday’s kitchen scraps and peelings. (Chicken favourites are spaghetti and whole grain pancakes!) The chickens previously were ‘free range’, but a Bald Eagle with its ‘eagle eye’ found them and Albert said the hens were thereafter “lunch boxes on legs”.

How were we treated so well? Ralph explained their power and water supply systems. A large photovoltaic (PV) solar panel provides most of their summer electricity needs with 600-700 watts. Only 100 of those watts are required to power the compact fluorescent and LED lighting. The lodge has good daylighting through the south-facing windows, and lights are only turned on when needed. There was never a feeling of compromise or ‘doing without’, merely a consciousness of being thoughtful about our activities. Why not wash your face and brush your teeth before it gets dark at night?

Two 60-gallon hot water tanks are heated by an Apricus thermal solar unit, which faces south to passively track the sun by heating copper tubes located in a series of vacuum glass tubes. The unit sends the hot water by gravity, down to secluded semi-outdoor showers and a fabulously hot sauna beside a cool mountain stream.

It never becomes hot enough in the mountains and trees to make air conditioning necessary, and Lannie manages well without an ‘energy-sucking’ clothes drier. (We were encouraged to bring our own sleeping bags and towels to limit her laundry.) 

In the winter, Ralph drains the thermal solar system because it rains most of the time. The lodge is closed and the family heats their home with local wood and 3500 watts of hydro electric power generated by 2 small turbines from the mountain stream on their property. 

The composting toilets perch on the hill with a fabulous open window on the bay well below. Wood chips collected from chopping are added after each toilet use to keep the odour down and the composting action working efficiently.

Lannie runs the business end of the lodge with internet and telephone transmitted by satellite. What do they do without? One could argue, not much, when they have a Steinway piano in the lounge. Sue, one of the other kayakers, treated us to her musical talents before or after meals. We were invited for an evening paddle to witness a new moon sky, brilliant with stars. Each paddle stroke stirred the Bioluminescent Plankton, shimmering golden droplets emitted by the salt water plankton in the black bay – an experience beyond anything television could ever offer.

Ralph summed it up. “Technology is not going to rescue us from climate change. We need to make fewer demands on the planet.” While not everyone is prepared to live like him, he did encourage us to consider some solar power to reduce our reliance on the grid, as it does not have to be ‘all or nothing’.

For more information on solar power or to book a seminar on sustainable design, please contact the office at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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