Here in central NY, we have a fair amount of Amish who have taken to living life in a more simple fashion. Horse-drawn buggies, hand sewn clothing, no telephones, etc. It's actually refreshing to see a mode of transportation that relies on true horsepower.

Their avoidance of technology does not mean they see such things as "evil". Indeed, the Amish view modern advances such as electricity or automobiles as items that depend on the outside world, and therefore get in the way of their intended separation from that existence. For decades, they have relied on kerosene or natural gas as a source of light. The rise of solar power over the past several years, however, has created a safe alternative that keeps in tradition with their independence. In Ohio, in particular, there is a great increase in solar arrays on the roofs of the Amish — something that's been drawing perplexed reactions from local residents not used to seeing such advanced technology. From the article,

"Squaring solar panels with the Amish tradition of forgoing the fancy is easy for Jake Raber, co-owner of The Lighthouse of Ohio Distribution in Fredericksburg. 'I am a Christian and I am Amish. But being Amish is not a religion. It’s a way of life,' Raber said. 'Being Amish means being independent.'

Raber and his wife, Betty, ordered $50,000 worth of solar panels last year from suppliers in Michigan and Japan and sold them all. Many of his customers are Amish families who don’t require the amounts of electricity their non-Amish neighbors use."

The Amish approach to life is something I very much admire. Environmentalists always talk about simplifying. Here we have people who most likely have the smallest footprint of any in North America. If peak oil hits, they won't blink an eye. Meanwhile, the rest of America will be struggling to survive.

Still think they're a "backwards" society? Sounds more like "forward" thinking to me….

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