Year 2, day 365 of my apartment disconnected from the electric grid
On May 24, 2022, I opened the main circuit to the electric grid, disconnecting my apartment from it. Two days before I had unplugged my appliances but noticed the outlets next to sinks have LEDs to show they’re safe. Despite what part-time vegetarians say, I don’t believe that not zero is zero, so to consume zero power, including those LEDs, I disconnected the whole apartment.
My goal was not using grid power for thirty days. I had disconnected the apartment for twenty-four hours once before with no adverse consequences, but I didn’t know how I’d make it past thirty hours.
Now, today is day 365 of year 2. Tomorrow begins year 3.
For the first year or so, I plugged my computer and phone in at NYU, still a major reduction in overall power consumption and therefore hurting people and wildlife less. But then since some people who responded to my Ars Technica article acted like I was using just as much power, just from other sources, I avoided plugging in even at NYU since April 2023, except for one day in September 2023.
Anyway, lots of stories. The big result is that if I can do it, you can too. That’s my takeaway. No one, as far as I know, has followed, though. That will come. At some point a trend will begin. College students will disconnect their dorm rooms. Other groups will follow. Eventually people with mansions will disconnect, at least parts of their homes for parts of the year.
I’m thinking about starting a national unplug your apartment day, or a global unplug your fridge day, like veganuary or dry January. Since finishing foods in some people’s overstuffed fridges may take planning, maybe it would be an unplug your fridge month, where you take a few weeks to finish all the food in the fridge, then unplug.
Stay tuned.
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