Living without Lights

Kyle and I decided to live without lights for 1 week to reduce our impact on the Earth.  

Humans have lived without electricity for hundreds of thousands of years. Even today, groups of Amish are still holding strong and continue to live electricity-free in a very wired world.

Kyle and I lived without lights for 1 week. We used candles and an oil lamp. I thought it would be harder than it actually was. There are many activities that we do everyday where we don’t need that much light. We don’t need a lot of light when we are brushing our teeth or watching television. When you are doing simple activities try turning off the lights.

Pros:

1.       We both enjoyed using 1 candle while taking a shower. It was a lot more peaceful and relaxing to use a candle rather than lights. We put the candle right in the shower.

2.       Save money on electricity.

3.       Better ambiance. It’s beautiful and feels good. Candles are warm, mellow and create a sense of intimacy that cannot be reproduced by a light bulb.

4.       It’s eco-friendly.

Cons:

It was hard to cook and clean during the week with no lights. The oil lamp definitely gave off more light than the candles. However, we only own 1 oil lamp. It would help to have multiple oil lamps.

Using an oil lamp:

1.       Fill the oil lamp with oil so that the wick is in the oil.

2.       Lift the globe off. Light the wick with a lighter or match.

3.       Put the globe back on and adjust the flame for the best light. There is a little knob on the side of the lamp that you use to raise and lower the wick.

4.       After several days, the wick gets crusted over and does not burn well. Roll the wick up higher and trim the crusted part off with scissors.

5.       Take the lamp with you when you go from room to room.

*You can buy oil lamps and lamp oil at hardware stores and other big stores.

I challenge you!

Go big or start small. Good luck!!!

1.       Buy candles and/or an oil lamp and use them occasionally instead of using lights.

2.       Do one activity without lights. Try taking a shower with a candle. Turn off the lights when you are watching television or when you are on your computer.

3.       Go one day with no lights.

4.       Go one week with no lights.

5.       Go one month with no lights.