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Couple leaves city business for sustainable life in the woods
🇦🇷 Argentina /Culture & Society

Couple leaves city business for sustainable life in the woods

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • A couple left their business and city life in Girona for a sustainable existence in rural Jaén.
  • They transformed an abandoned house lacking basic utilities into a self-sufficient home.
  • The family now homeschools their four children and prioritizes natural cycles and minimal electromagnetic radiation.

Dissatisfied with their urban lives, Sandra and José abandoned their business and city comforts in Girona for a radical shift towards a sustainable existence in the rural province of Jaén. The couple, who previously ran their own company and lived a modern lifestyle, felt a profound lack of purpose and experienced frequent family discord.

We lived unsatisfied. There was no vital purpose in our lives and we had many arguments, family dynamics were not working.

— SandraExplaining the couple's initial dissatisfaction with their city life.

Their new home, inherited from family, had been vacant for nearly a decade and lacked essential utilities like electricity, running water, and internet connection. "We didn't seek self-sufficiency; it found us," José explained about their transition. The family has also opted for homeschooling their four children, completely disconnecting from the traditional school system.

To ensure optimal rest, the family uses red light indoors to protect their circadian rhythm, believing blue lights disrupt sleep. Energy consumption is managed by a solar panel system with lithium batteries, minimizing electromagnetic radiation. Their nightly routine includes a complete Wi-Fi disconnection.

We didn't seek self-sufficiency; it found us.

— JoséDescribing the family's transition to a rural, self-sufficient lifestyle.

Water supply remains a significant daily challenge, as the property has no wells or nearby natural sources. The family designed a complex system to collect and store rainwater in tanks. José also transports water using a trailer from a distant source for daily tasks. Despite these difficulties, Sandra highlighted the gratitude derived from their lifestyle, stating, "It makes you more aware of what you spend, of what it costs to get that water and electricity."

The blue lights break the circadian rhythm a bit, so they prevent good rest.

— SandraExplaining the family's use of red light indoors for better sleep.

Sustainability extends to their consumption model. While cutting superfluous expenses, they prioritize quality food and respectful footwear for their children. José finances their project through his programming company, which utilizes artificial intelligence for remote process automation.

The problem of water is a quite serious problem.

— JoséAdmitting the significant challenge of securing water for daily needs.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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