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Who says you can’t live off the grid in Manhattan?

It takes dedication, solar panels and lots of vegetables. And it probably means putting dating on hold

    • Joshua Spodek packing up his solar panel after four hours of charging in Washington Square Park in New York on Oct 22, 2024. In May 2022, Spodek disconnected his Greenwich Village apartment from the electrical grid to see if he could live unplugged for a year.
    • Joshua Spodek adjusting his linear zoetrope at his apartment in the West Village of New York, Oct 22, 2024.
    • Spodek's apartment in NYC's Greenwich Village. The lamp, if it is needed, can be plugged into a battery pack.
    • Joshua Spodek packing up his solar panel after four hours of charging in Washington Square Park in New York on Oct 22, 2024. In May 2022, Spodek disconnected his Greenwich Village apartment from the electrical grid to see if he could live unplugged for a year. PHOTO: NYT
    • Joshua Spodek adjusting his linear zoetrope at his apartment in the West Village of New York, Oct 22, 2024. PHOTO: NYT
    • Spodek's apartment in NYC's Greenwich Village. The lamp, if it is needed, can be plugged into a battery pack. PHOTO: NYT
    Published Fri, Nov 8, 2024 · 05:00 AM

    HOW long would you go without your refrigerator? How about your stove, lights, coffee maker, microwave, television? In May 2022, Joshua Spodek disconnected his Greenwich Village apartment from the electrical grid to see if he could live unplugged for a year.

    Two-and-a-half-years later, he is still off the grid, and has a new book, Sustainability Simplified, that he bills, in its understated subtitle, as a definitive guide to “Solving All (Yes, All) Our Environmental Problems”.

    Going off the grid has long been an appealing fantasy: Plant some solar panels in your backyard next to the hot tub and the organic vegetable garden, and let the energy flow.

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