We recently launched the “Sustainability at Home” series, a forum for discussing how each of us is tapping into natural resources or finding alternative ways of living in a more sustainable way. Here is one of the stories that our colleague, Mark Hanks shared with us.

For Mark , who owns a home in a remote part of the Cape Cod bay, practicing the 3 R’s–reduce, re-use, recycle–is not just a matter of choice, it is a matter of necessity. His small peninsula shared with 40 seasonal residents has no access to running water or electricity and as such, it exemplifies off-grid living. And as Mark and his family have found, diversifying energy sources makes for a more efficient and comfortable living.

For years, Mark’s family depended on a 10 kWh Diesel generator for their energy. They relied on the generator primarily to power a 240v well pump, several power tools, a bank of batteries and for lighting. However, using this generator was not ideal–the noise level, fuel consumer and waste of power were less than desirable.

So, last winter Mark decided to replace the generator with solar panels (Evergreen tm, Photovoltaic solar cells). By quietly converting the suns energy into usable power and storing that power in a bank of batteries, Mark is able to generate up to 2.5 kwh (kilowatt hours) of electricity per day. On average he only uses half that, as conservation is the key to efficiency when producing your own power.

The immediate advantage: no more generator noise! But, no doubt, the limited access to electrical power has required a lifestyle change. That means living without things like traditional toasters, coffee makers, blow-dryers and a host of appliances we all rely on. This exercise has challenged Mark and his family to become more mindful of the amount of energy they consume and it has also motivated them to explore other uses of natural resources. For example, Mark now has a 2000 gallon water cistern that gets replenished by rain collected from the roof. The water stored in the cistern is primarily intended for fire protection, but Mark is exploring other uses for it, such as flushing toilets and watering the herb garden.

In Mark’s neighborhood, a whole community of alternative energy producers is emerging and together, they are collaborating and returning to a more sustainable way of life.