It's impossible to live completely without relying on other people. But there is a remote place in Canada where one can sort of get that experience, as barely any people live there and those that do make it their mission in life to keep strictly to themselves.
Lasqueti is a "secret" 19-kilometre-long island just an hour from the coast of Vancouver. It's home to a small population of 400 or so residents who live entirely off-grid. The roads are unpaved and there is no public transportation on-site. The island has very little industry, economy or carbon footprint - the people who live there are self-sustained, getting by as "poets, artists, physicists, fishermen, loggers, tree planters, designers, professional musicians, published authors, some small scale manufacturers, some commercial agriculture as well as professional consultants in education, engineering, forestry and alternate energy.”
Some residents use energy sources like solar panels, wind turbines and watermills, while others choose to live without electricity altogether. Overtime, the Lasqueti community has come to the consensus that life is supposed to be that way; that humans should strive to live as harmoniously with nature as they can. Their adherence to this principle is demonstrated through their unique dwellings. For example, a resident named Robert, a skilled carpenter with knowledge of six languages, had converted an old school bus into a cozy living space for himself, rather than cutting down trees to make his own house.
Living in Lasqueti is no easy ride. The island only has one bar, one cafe and one free store for collecting and exchanging items. There are no grocery stores, so many residents raise their own chickens, grow their own produce or hunt and forage in the wild. There are also no washrooms... Just composting toilets.
That being said, it's definitely not for everyone. The Lasqueti website makes that point strong and clear with this statement:
Lasqueti is not some utopian paradise, it is not an "intentional community", and it is probably not whatever you think it is - it is just a relatively remote island, populated by a small, tight-knit community of quirky, independent-minded people, with its own unique culture and identity. Come with an open mind, a willingness to discover something a little different, and without rigid expectations. Resist the urge to project upon us your vision of what this place "should" be. It is what it is, and we like it this way, warts and all. If you can get with that, you too may find a place here.
Would you move to Lasqueti to live off the grid?
