Fact or Fiction: Living off the Grid Quiz
You have to be pretty committed to the environment to move off the grid. Disconnecting from government-regulated electricity, water, sewer, gas and phone services would be an enormous -- and difficult -- life change for most people.
Question 2 of 11
What is this "grid" you speak of?
... It's the power grid -- the utilities system.
Question 3 of 11
What's the first step in going off the grid?
... The first thing you'd need to do is switch your home to solar or wind energy.
Question 4 of 11
The next step is to think about your water supply. What percentage of American homes supply their own water?
... According to the EPA, about 15 percent of homeowners get their water on their own.
Question 5 of 11
How much does a private well cost?
... Prices vary, but $15,000 seems to be the high end.
Question 6 of 11
What's the best way to live without the grid's sewer system?
... You can install a septic system that returns all of your waste to the ground, where it's absorbed as nutrients.
Question 7 of 11
What's the most common heating method for off-the-grid homes?
... Most off-the-gridders rely heavily on wood stoves for heat.
Question 8 of 11
What happens when you're off the grid and using solar energy -- and it rains for two weeks?
... Most people who live off the grid have a natural gas, gasoline or biodiesel backup generator -- but only for real emergency situations.
Question 9 of 11
Which two celebrities publicly advocate living off the grid?
... Ed Begley Jr. has his own TV show called "Living with Ed" that documents his efforts to reduce his carbon footprint. And Daryl Hannah built an off-the-grid house in Colorado.
Question 10 of 11
About how many people around the world live off-grid?
... According to a World Bank report, about 1.7 billion people live off the grid -- most of them not by choice, of course.
Question 11 of 11
Why did an off-the-grid man in Pennsylvania go to jail in 2006?
... Seventy-six-year-old William Williams has served jail time for repeatedly removing a power line from his property.
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