Living “Off the Grid” in Virginia

You know the New Testament account: St. Paul struck by a literally blinding light that knocked him off his horse en route to Damascus in early 1st century Syria – a life changing event that led him to cease persecuting early Christians and to become a follower of Jesus.  It was, in a word, a profound conversion experience.

Fast forward to 21st century Damascus, VA and let me introduce you to Jon and Carole Towers who are also in the business of conversion – low-impact living, energy conservation, and permaculture husbandry conversion that is.

Married for 27 years they’ve had quite the diverse and enriching journey before settling into their present homestead on the edge of Damascus in southwest Virginia.  Carole, who practices as a perinatal nurse, has been a horse trainer in Michigan, and has spent years as a sheep herder in The Snake River Canyon in Oregon, and in the Pyrenees, France.  Jon has worked – among many professions – as a medical social worker, newspaper publisher, and a designer and builder of low cost, energy-efficient homes.

When they moved (from Boone, NC) to their new 1.6 acres property in Damascus, their loose vision at the time was to convert it – as much as possible – into a low technology, waste-reducing, energy-conserving, low-impact homestead that would become, as they discovered, an on-going ‘experiment’ in trust.

Surprise:

Carole describes how she envisioned the land as an open tapestry or ‘quilt’ that she didn’t want to rigidly control.  She was curious and wanted to see what “would appear” if certain sections were left un-mowed with very little tending.  To her ‘surprise’ a whole array of bio-diverse flora sprung up – and with it species of birds and insects that perhaps would not have otherwise appeared.

Jon reflects on the energy saving, cost-cutting features of the property: everything from recycled military sleeping bags they use as window quilts, and the 1700 gallon water-catchment cistern that collects rain water for the animals and land irrigation, to their outside solar shower, weed control Sheet Mulching, and the ways they compost and recycle paper, plastic, and glass – not to mention the ‘converted freezers’ they use as low-energy refrigerators costing less than $10 a year to run!

When I asked them about any spiritual / moral philosophy underpinning their way of life, Carole elegantly stated, “We are One”.  From the billions of organisms in the soil to the outermost regions of the known universe, how we relate to, reverence, and learn from our environment, has a lasting impact on every cell and facet of the whole created order. And as Jon, who periodically shares his wisdom with the Environmental Planning class at a local college, asserts: “It’s all about balance and responsible stewardship.”

In addition to their various ways of living in a low-tech and sustainable manner, Jon and Carole have also opened their home to transient pilgrims like me who can rent a room for a period of time; learn from this endearing couple, and roll up their sleeves to help out in the yard! For a while they were ‘Wwoofers’ – members of Worldwide Opportunities on Oraganic Farms – and had volunteers from around the world live, work, and learn on their property.  And so the adventure and ‘experiment in trust’ continues . . If you’d like to learn more about their way of life, you may contact Jon directly @ jonwtowers@gmail.com

Until our next yarn: tread lightly on the earth beneath you . . and learn to listen, like Jon and Carole Towers, for the heartbeat of creation. Like the variety of birds who now alight on their window sill, it may surprise and enchant you!

Peace Pit Stoppers – G

Image Insert: Chuck Crookshanks & Iva Hilton