What is living off the grid? It’s all about sustainable living and renewable energy. But what does it really mean? Is it just a term? Is there some secret mysterious explanation? Is it simply opinion?

There’s an ongoing debate in the off grid world about what it really means to “live off the grid“. For some folks it means primitive living, cutting ties with all forms of technology, and thumbing your nose at “The Man”.

off the grid meaning is kind of a political statement to move to the wilderness and separate yourself completely from the system. To divorce yourself from a system of materialism, greed, corruption, and debt slavery becomes more of a proclamation of independence and freedom from a system that one deems oppressive. This is really taking things to the maximum and few people view off grid living in this manner.

Other folks look at living off the grid as a necessity for preparedness and survival purposes. It becomes a mode of survival and a way to live and keep your family safe in the event of an emergency situation. An emergency could mean a simple electrical blackout, a total financial collapse, political upheaval, war, or a natural disaster.

People call it prepping or survival, and there are some die-hard preppers out there who feel that living off grid is all about being prepared, making sure they have enough supplies to take care of their families, and survive and apocalyptic scenario.

For most people, living off the grid simply means living a sustainable life, reducing the resources they consume, and in fact producing more resources than they use. It means disconnecting not just from the electrical grid, but also creating your own electricity, growing your own food, and living “green”. Some simply call it living off the land.

Sustainable living is using renewable resources at a rate slower than what you can replace and produce. It’s about finding balance in a lifestyle that gives back to the earth rather than taking from it.

The term “off grid“, or “off the grid” has multiple meanings, and many people have different opinions as to what off grid living truly means. The reason for this is simple. Everyone lives their life differently.

I’d like to point out the obvious before we start clouding the issue with definitions, meanings, interpretations, and more debatable opinions.

Before we attempt to define what “off grid” is, we should clarify what “the grid” is, then we can attempt to define what it means to get “off” the grid.

“The Grid” refers to the electrical grid, i.e. the system or network which delivers electrical power to residential and commercial properties, building, homes, and machinery, etc.