Life in an alternative energy home:
An adventure in pursuit of sustainability
BY HELEN STEINER SMITH AND DAVID SMITH
Why would anyone in their right mind choose to design and build a home that is ?unplugged? from the power grid that delivers almost all the electrical energy in our country? We like to believe we chose this path as an expression of faithful stewardship for God?s world.
Over a period of two years, our initial dream matured into blueprints incorporating design features contributed by each of us including our four children. Before moving ahead, we asked ourselves if we were really ready for this adventure.
What if the solar and wind equipment didn?t work as we expected? What lifestyle adjustments would be necessary? What if watching watts was just too much trouble? It was a very deliberate, conscious, and in the end a unanimous family decision to take the plunge and build a home powered on renewable energy ? solar and wind power.
Looking back 12 years later, we have been very pleasantly surprised at how well the systems have worked.
Needless to say, not having a monthly electric bill is also a nice feature. During regional storm events that leave friends and neighbors without electricity, we have been able to provide a haven of sports coverage, Internet access, showers and other electricity-dependent connectivity. At other times when we have had technical problems with electrical equipment, our neighbors and friends have come through with showers, heat and light, but most of all fellowship.
But even more meaningfully, we have become much more aware of the world around us and of our role in God?s creation. We value sunny days more than most people. We value the wind in a new way. On a day that is both sunny and windy, we do laundry. Checking the voltmeter and adjusting our electrical appetites is no longer a chore, but a way of life. We feel much more in touch with and interdependent on the world around us. And, in fact, the laws of ecology affirm that we are all linked and interconnected.
We can now note after having lived in our home for 12 years that what seemed to be strange and unusual to family and friends has become more rational and understandable. The rising price of energy in all forms is making alternative energy more competitive.
For many, including us, the pursuit of a more sustainable lifestyle has been or is becoming a spiritual matter, not simply a matter of economics or conscience. Teachings of the Christian faith declare that all of creation is a loving gift of God.
As God?s chosen caretakers we are mandated to work in covenant with God and creation. We are not separate and apart from God?s creation: we are part of it, and more responsible for it than any other life form. The choice of being good stewards, caring for creation, being conscious of using resources wisely and planning for long range sustainable living is being faithful to our creator God.
With the growing awareness in the United States of the inescapable implications of continuing human population growth, anthropogenic climate changes and the looming worldwide competition for resources, the imperative for our collective search for sustainability has never been so pressing. It is not only an economic and social issue of global proportion; it is also a personal moral issue central to disciples of Jesus Christ. For all the benefits we enjoy from living in a home powered by the sun and wind, we also are taking at least a small step toward a more sustainable lifestyle and reducing our footprint on God?s earth.
The Rev. Helen Steiner Smith is pastor of Benevola UMC in Boonsboro.
SIDEBAR:
The Smiths will be leading ?Creation Keeper, a Spirituality and Sustainability Seminar? at
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