CSR: Living Off The Grid Way
In today’s world where everyone leads a symbiotic life, considering to live off the grid sounds like an impossible faraway dream. However, this dream can be easily real.
50 kilometres away from a bustling city of Bangalore lives the Janardhan family. Once a city-dwelling couple moved to the suburbs 6 years ago in a farmhouse that they constructed to raise their children amid nature. The family of four leads an ideal life in order to raise their children to be environmentally conscious and animal loving citizens of tomorrow.
Vishnu Janardhan, the man of the house is an engineer. His wife Devika is a paediatrician. The couple has designed a house that runs 100% on solar energy. The house consists of all the devices including air conditioning, geysers, microwave, refrigerator, LED lights, TV and everything required in a modern household. However, there is no grid connection. The electricity is produced by the solar panels on the terrace. The water is pumped from a borewell, which also gets its energy from the solar panel. The family grows their own fruits and vegetables around the house, making them completely independent from outside food except for grains.
“My idea is, that in order to live off the grid realistically, we need to build technology and infrastructure in a way which is so durable, that it does not require maintenance for a long time. The battery that stores solar energy should last easily for 8 to 10 years. If it is anything less than that, it means you are not using quality stuff,” said Vishnu Janardhan who owns his own solar firm.
Going off the grid may need a bit more investment initially, but in a long run, it saves a lot of money. And it is a big favour to the environment.
“One does not have to compromise on luxury to be environmentally conscious. We only have to make a few efforts, which will reap ripe fruits later. And being able to lead an ideal and healthy life is a cherry on the cake of living off the grid.”
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The CSR Journal Team
