"Live the change you want to see in the World"

I managed to stumble across this web page as I was researching for another topic.  This website is created by a couple (Patrick and Mel) who have dropped everything in their 'normal' lives to go and live in the Apache County Arizona (the high desert) and start a new simple life that requires as little energy as possible and creates a self-sustaining lifestyle.

What Patrick and Mel are doing:

• Currently living in a travel trailer with plans to build their own small, simple homestead.
• Plans for an off grid solar powered house. It is important to them that the house is as energy efficient as possible as this is the major factor in consumption.
• Built a passive solar greenhouse.
• Solar design barn with rabbits and chickens.  They have plans to expand the barn and include goats and pigs.
• They produce their own food with a garden with raised beds.
• Rely entirely on solar power system for all energy needs.
• They manage all their own waste by reusing as much as they can and transforming.
• In the process of building a freshwater well.

Patrick and Mel's guiding principles consist of things that the western world could really learn from.  These principles are outlined on their website as:

• Live simply.
• Be happy and at peace.
• Start with the basics.
• Make do with what's available now.
• Avoid going into debt.
• Keep tax liabilities as low as possible.

Patrick describes in the 'our vision' section of the website why they decided to live a more simple and self-sustaining life: "Our world is rapidly approaching it's capacity for supporting human life. There are many more of us living on the Earth today than there were when I first entered this world. There are more cars, more machines and much, much more stuff to consume. All this requires energy. Lots of energy. Energy to create it. Energy to move it from one place to another. Energy to advertise it. Energy to sell it. Energy to power it. Energy to dispose of it".  We all know this.  But why aren't we doing anything in our own power to stop ourselves?  We all need to live the change that we want to see in the world.

In their website they explain everything in great detail under 'Articles' and have uploaded their plans etc.  Check it out:  http://www.byexample.com/