Beyond Off Grid is a new documentary that investigates why we should strive to live a more self-reliant lifestyle and away from the antiquated and overly taxed power grid. The power grid was given a D+ rating by the American Society of Civil Engineers, according to a report by Off The Grid News. It will not necessarily take an EMP attack or massive Earth-directed solar flare to bring down the nation’s electrical system, a seasonal storm could accomplish such a devastating act all on its own, if estimates by power grid experts and scientists are accurate.

The documentary tackles nearly all of the same issues that those concerned about a SHTF scenario are concerned about and preparing for on a daily basis. Beyond Off Grid heralds the traditions of our ancestors and points out the joys of living a life filled with appreciation for God and the Earth’s bounty.

An excerpt from the Beyond Off Grid documentary focus statement reads:

“The modern way of living, with all of its conveniences and comforts, is not resilient to calamity, and not conducive to spiritual blessings. True freedom is found by seeking the old paths. By exposing the weaknesses of the modern financial, transportation, and food production systems, and bringing to light the solutions that are available by learning the older ways of doing things, this film seeks to inspire folks to a greater degree of self-sufficiency while trusting in God.”

Sophek (Sean) Tounn is the producer/director of Beyond Off Grid. The husband and father or four has discovered that “true freedom and self-sufficiency can be achieved by returning to the old paths.” Tounn is a supporter of small farms and healthy food. The director feels so passionately about promoting simple lifestyle and alternative energy he has traveled across the United States on his own dime for the past year to shoot documentary footage of those who share the mindset, according to Mother Earth News. Educating the masses about our massive dependency upon the modern economy, food system, and power grid is one of the primary goals of the Beyond Off Grid documentary project.

Executive Producer Jason Matyas is is the Co-Founder of Freedom Film Distributors, a marketing and distribution firm for independently produced movies, and the Founder of True Food Solutions, a community for real food enthusiasts seeking to replace the broken modern food system with a sustainable alternative. Mike Berzins is the writer and a producer on the documentary project.

The historians, agrarians, and various other experts featured in the Beyond Off Grid documentary share their insights on learning the lessons of history, analyzing the modern economy and food system, and why we need to work to replace it with concepts like permaculture, household productivity, and strengthening local communities, just to name a few topics. Executive Producer Jason Matyas explains the goal of the film: “We want to open the eyes of those who are still asleep regarding the reality of our modern economy, reveal how it entraps us and makes us sick and dependent, and point to simple ways that people can go back to the old paths to find the answers that will yield long term sustainable solutions to our current crisis.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=QNjsDC66fYM

Secret Garden of Survival author Rick Austin is featured in Beyond Off Grid. Austin shares his “weeds are good” philosophy once again and urges Americans to adopt a camouflaged style of crop production.

When asked about the benefits of developing a food forest instead of a traditional garden Rick Austin had this to say:

“I have been asked about this during multiple speaking engagements. HOAs may have restrictions against gardens, but not against trees or bushes. People who live under such guidelines should be able to create one guild of plants with fruit trees, berry bushes, and herbs without it violating the garden rule or even looking like a typical growing plot. Then they could put ground cover, like clover and strawberries, around it and interplant annuals with perennials around the crops. Nature doesn’t have pesticides or fertilizers, and we have had berry bushes and fruit trees without any help or intrusion from man for centuries. Turning soil over is another bad idea, because it loses nutrients. Planting in straight rows is also not a good idea. Mechanized farming has been around since about WWII. Chemical companies which made bombs for the war effort grew fast and ultimately found themselves with nothing to do after World War II ended – then along came fertilizer. Chemical companies told farmers that fertilizer would help grow more plants more quickly in the same space, instead of letting nature take its course.”

Best-selling author Michael Bunker is also participating documentary. Bunker wrote Surviving Off Off-Grid and influenced director Sean Tounn to start living an electricity-free life. Bunker discusses food self-production, community interdependence, and hugelkultur permaculture growing techniques, among other topics. Hugulkultur beds are raised earth beds with wood buried inside. The heaps of dirt allow crop growing without the need for irrigation or fertilization and are known to work extremely well in both backyards and desert environments.

The Beyond Off Grid film crew also visited the Northwest US to spend some time with Cody Crone, AKA Wranglerstar. The homesteader and his family have mastered a multitude of old fashioned techniques and skills and use the knowledge in their everyday lives. Crone makes his own hand tools, grows his own food, homeschools the children, and still has time to be a beekeeper.

The off grid living documentary also shares information about the inherent risks involved with our modern financial system and aptly tells viewers that we need to become producers and not just consumers. Financial expert and farmer Franklin Sanders will address the inevitable end of the US fiat central banking system and how families and communities can replace that system now before the collapse comes.

The dangers of developing a dependency upon technology, threats to our food supply and genetically modified crops, and the ways a moral decline in America are negatively influencing our communities are other extremely important preparedness topics noted in the upcoming film. Beyond Off Grid does not just detail the problems we face, but also offers advice and feasible tips about how we can reduce the risks for both our families and our communities.

Director Sean Tounn made this appeal: “Deciding to follow the old paths might be hard at first, but look towards the future, the future of your children, your community, your country. A stronger bond with family and more a peaceful way of life are reasons enough to explore this way of living.”