Have you ever wished to travel to an island away from the world and its ways?
You're not the only one! There are around 400 residents in the island of Lasqueti. In this haven with idyllic seclusion, conventional rules of mankind do not apply. No money, no locked rooms, no paved roads and no power. For the things they need, they barter. Life cannot get simpler than this.
Welcome to Lasqueti!
North of the French Creek (on Vancouver Island), and southwest of Texada Island, Lasqueti Island is home to many poets, artists, physicists, fishermen, loggers, tree planters, designers, professional musicians, published authors, small scale manufacturers, some commercial agriculture, and even professional consultants in education.
A step back in time
Only an hour by boat from Vancouver Island, Lasqueti is not serviced by B.C. Hydro. The entire island is off the grid and the only source of power are the solar panels and micro hydro power generators.
The island has been approached time and again by the government officials to give the land area power connectivity. But the people of Lasqueti strongly feel that it would lead to an encroachment in the eco-friendly way of living that has been continued by the people of Lasqueti.
Survival of the toughest
Every year people witness new settlers in the island who arrive with a bag full of clothes or a mountain bike and decide to bulid a life in this quiet island. But it has been said that the success rate of new settlers here is less than 40%.
Our modern houses we live in are a hub of convenience with utilities and advantages that are built-in. When people decide to live in a cluster of outbuilding in a forest in this island, they face unforeseen problems which are sometimes unheard in our modern ways of living.
The life on this island demands you to spend 3 out of 7 days chopping firewood and most of the islanders have even built their houses themselves in the most sustainable manner.
A pub, a cafe and free store
Lasqueti also has a pub, a cafe and a free store where people barter things and pick up goods every week.
Every week the market set up by the locals is an amazing display of their skills and interests. Seasonal fair are also organized where the residents celebrate the life they work so hard to sustain.
The Earth Ship
While many believe in embracing the resources of the island for sustenance, there are other residents who have translated the luxury of city life in this island through their own efforts. The Earth Ship is one fine example of sustainable engineering in Lasqueti.
The house is owned by a family from Alberta. The residents have taken special care to built the entire structure with natural and recyclable material. The walls of the house are built from old tyres. The equipments within the house are all solar powered and the earth ship has an amazing indoor garden too.
While some have abandoned the conventional ways of living, others have proved the ingenuity of mankind by creating engineering marvels like The Earth Ship on this island.
With the self-sustaining way of life and the simplicity of living within a community, it takes us a century back in time. Lasqueti is a dream home for a dreamer. The residents who once travelled to this island have made the best out of it and now they call Lasqueti halfway between Dogpatch and Shangri-La.
Image Credits: Lasqueti Island
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