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lettuceLeafer wrote

I agree with their sentiment. Tho I will add this. Off grid lifestyles are a lot worse fo the environment than most would think. Being so rural often requires car use to get necessities. Non gridded electricity requires batteries which are very unsustainable and then a source which is either a fossil fuel or a piece of tech requiring very precious metals to make like solar panels.

A lot of less effective methods of doing stuff like cooking which is often more reliant on combustion. And heating which is often far less effective pollution wise than gridded solutions. Less access to recycling and often trash is disposed of in a worse way.

I agree with the sentiment tho I guess I'm a little more critical of how off grid lifestyle isn't necessary and often might not be considered much of a green anarchist praxis..

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Twoeyes wrote

While I'm not sure I'll ever do it, I've thought about setting up on the periphery of a smallish town and basically settings up a "recycling centre", with the hopes that people would bring me stuff to scavenge.

From there a group could slowly build and learn to maintain the technology that they may take with them in a transition away when they're ready.

A kind of hybrid living to become accustomed and plan.

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The_Flyest_Nihilist OP wrote

What would you recommend instead of off the grid living?

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lettuceLeafer wrote (edited )

Well I'm trying to live off grid currently. So my criticisms of it doesn't necessitste me thinking people shouldn't do it.

I'm not exactly sure into the whole trying to live a post civ / solar pink lifestyle. So I wouldn't be the one to ask. Just since I have some knowledge of off grid I figured I'd add my info since it is useful for you in deciding what to do.

I still think I may enjoy living off grid. So dont discount it completely.

Do that or maybe living a green gutter punk life could be cool too. Squatt in buildings. Gain a great understanding of your surroundings, find the best spots to do guerilla gardening. In the city could be good but recently in the US I've been learning about how great a resource for guerilla gardening public land on the side of roads can be. Things such as interstates have a fuck ton of public land closely available.

Maybe like like Diogenes and spend it time doing green stuff.

Tho I feel like I can't answer your question well as I am not interested in trying to build a post civ world. I agree with anti civ critique but I'm mostly just interested in band aid solutions as I don't think hoping for a world where humans don't cause massive pollution is a goal I'm interested in seeking.

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[deleted] wrote (edited )

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lettuceLeafer wrote

I'm not interested in trying to get fervent pro industrialist to be anti industrialists. I would rather spend my time helping vulnerable living things who are being oppressed by the pro industrialists.

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metocin wrote

commune within a city/town

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The_Flyest_Nihilist OP wrote

That would require that I be social. And I’m completely socially inept.

Anything I can do more or less on my own?

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kin wrote

This is the criticism that I was thinking when I said not the "usual" off grid homesteading. You need to start from the AntiCiv premise and then build your way to an anticiv drop out living. What you say is very much present in this mindset that force their way into "simple living", where people trying to recreate all the civilization comfort in a virtual idyllic way. They want to be out there but the don't want to be wild, they want to bring the suburbs with them

The way of treating the trash like you said, people will not stop the old consumption habit, so instead they will justify choices greenwashing their way in. That's the thing about Solarpunk, they are trying to recreate a Communist utopia updated with all this eco paraphernalia attached to it (permaculture, off-grid lifestyle, veganism, plastic shamanism, etc).

Like you said, if we want to live off the grid like these people who are living a cottage dream, or even don't know how we can do better the impact can be worst. But the point is to question our need for technology, for electricity, for civilization... Do we really need vanilla hand soap?

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lettuceLeafer wrote

Yeah I agree that off grid can be quite useful as post civ praxis if done properly.

But the point is to question our need for technology, for electricity, for civilization... Do we really need vanilla hand soap?

While I agree with most anti civ critique I don't see much benefit in rejecting stuff like electricity as I don't see it making much difference. So why should I not benefit from electricity even if I have the capability to live without it? I would enjoy using electricity a lot more and it increases ones capacity to do anarchist activities greatly.

I think rejecting tech and electricity's only real benefit is if you personally don't like using technology and not as some anti civ praxis. Tho my thoughts could be changed on this issue.

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