As the news reports an endless array of chaotic events from summers of record-setting wildfires, heat waves and droughts or winter polar vortexes, Hurricane Sandy convinced many that climate change is real and that catastrophic weather events are the new norm. Many people resolved to be better prepared for the next big crisis and to make a plan to deal with the disruption that will come. The Sensible Prepper provides readers with the tools to make a plan and be prepared to deal with the next storm. The book takes a big picture look at additional challenges such as economic collapse, peak oil and global pandemics that form the zeitgeist of “angst” many people are experiencing. It provides a framework for taking steps to build personal resilience examining such questions as where to live, how to power your home, how to grow and store more food as well as new models of economic exchange. The tools and knowledge exist today for people to be more independent and better able to deal with many of the challenging issues of our time but what has been lacking is a coherent, achievable plan to build that resilience. Unlike the “stock up on guns and ammo” books of the past, this book provides a logical road map to build independence written by people who have lived independently for more than a decade. Michelle and Cam Mather have lived off the electricity grid for 18 years heating and powering their home sustainably and independently with renewable energy while growing food for themselves and for others in their community.
