KarunaNews Story

How long would you go without your refrigerator, stove, TV or coffee maker? In May 2022, Joshua Spodek disconnected his New York 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. Mr. Spodek is easy to spot in the neighborhood; on a sunny afternoon in a park he was the guy with four solar panels spread out on the lawn behind him. Nearly every day for the past 30 months, Mr. Spodek has lugged solar panels and a 17-pound battery up and down 11 flights of stairs to his roof to charge them. (Taking the elevator would be cheating, electricity-wise.) With four hours of sunshine, the setup provides enough juice to power his laptop, cellphone and Instant Pot pressure cooker for the day. Spodek believes he is causing ripple effects with his actions, developing leaders of a movement to live more sustainably.