Improvise to Survive on Sportsman Channel’s “America Unplugged,” July 3 at 8 p.m.
OutdoorHub 07.02.14
In a special airing of back-to-back episodes of America Unplugged exclusively on Sportsman Channel, July 3 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, viewers join two men living off the grid – Mark Patrick and Arvo Thomson.. The first episode follows Patrick, who believes preparedness is the ultimate force against major disasters. In the following episode, Thomson shares how he survives in extreme weather conditions on just $6,000 a year. Both men must continuously improvise to survive almost, if not completely, off-grid.
What do pennies, cardboard, and vinegar have in common? Not much – unless you’re Mark Patrick. Living in a home deep in the woods of Saraland, AL, the collapse of the economy forced Patrick to re-examine how he uses what’s around him, so he improvised a way to make his own batteries with the materials he had available. His 13 acres of land provides ample space for livestock, vegetable gardens, and solar panels. Patrick’s home requires more work to maintain than an average household, but his environmental impact is less and he is able to separate from a system he believes is doomed to fail.
“If you want to live off-grid and you want to romanticize about it, just go flip the breaker. See what it’s like for a day, two days, two weeks,” said Patrick. “Where we live, hurricanes happen and it’s very common. The gas station’s not open, the grocery store’s not open. Whatever you have at that time is it.”
“Hope for the best — prepare for the worst.” That’s the idea behind Arvo Thomson’s sustainable lifestyle in Tierra Amarilla, NM. Harsh New Mexico winters call for innovative ways to harness the sun to heat and power his home – what he refers to as “The Solar Ark,” a 2,000 sq. ft. building made out of mud and straw. Thomson finds ways to reuse and recycle everything, including water and energy. He also creates his own food sources, meaning he doesn’t have to rely on a store to provide his daily meals. Unplugged from the system, Thomson only needs $6,000 a year to survive.
“The biggest problem I see is overpopulation, there are too many of us. Right now we are growing at an absolutely unsustainable rate. There are too many people that use up too many resources that produce too many poisons. The thing is just, what can we do about it?” asks Thomson. “Life will always survive in one form or another, but life as we know it, we just might not be able to continue.”
America Unplugged airs exclusively on Sportsman Channel on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
To find Sportsman Channel in your area click here.
