An estimated 1.7 billion people live off the grid to varying degrees. In the United States, about 200,000 people live off the grid, which in this case means going without public utilities, without fossil fuels, or otherwise separate from The System. They make up for such abstentions through any combination of solar power, wind power, composting, smart architecture, makeshift shelter, gardening, farm animals, ingenious gadgets, and just generally being really, really persistent. Most of them seem to live in the Southwest (or the ones in the Southwest just have the biggest mouths.)

People go off-grid for various reasons. Not having to pay utility bills; reducing one’s carbon footprint etc. The 2007 documentary Off The Grid: Life on the Mesa shows a community of hippies, ne’er-do-wells, war veterans, drug addicts, rednecks, and teenage runaways living in relative obscurity in New Mexico. They generally live in cobbled-together shacks and abandoned automobiles. They have issues, but they make do by hook, crook, or .357 Magnum. Here is a preview of the documentary: