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

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.