Recently, Director Sean Tounn and Executive Producer Jason Matyas went on Rick Austin’s Secrets of a Survivalist radio show to talk about the Beyond Off Grid documentary and a myriad of topics related to preparedness and getting off the grid.
Rick Austin has been documenting and researching disaster preparedness and survival techniques for over 30 years. “Secrets of a Survivalist” broadcasts on the internet through the Preparedness Radio Network (PRN). Rick is also well known for his survivalist garden book Secret Garden of Survival. Sean traveled to visit Rick this summer and filmed his homestead and gardening methods for the documentary.
Sean spoke about the concept of living off grid, which he sees as living independent of systems that we have no control or influence over. He talked about how the modern systems for food, water, and electricity were all problematic, and how losing access to them can create dependence and need. He discussed some approaches and methods that the film will discuss that enable families and individuals to reduce dependence on these risk-prone system.
Jason highlighted the concepts of community support, and building interdependent communities, promoting individual skill sets and bartering and trading systems. He also spoke about the specific problems that are making the current global systems so volatile.
At the end of the interview, both Sean and Jason were both asked what 5 main things they would like to leave with the audience, this is a sampling of what they highlighted:
- People are far more dependent on the modern economy than they realize.
- People need to take responsibility for their health care by looking to real food and natural remedies.
- Skills, mindset, and strategy are more important than stockpiling supplies.
- Strong relationships in a local community can be your greatest asset!
You can listen to the full interview here and leave a comment below to let us know what you think or if you have any questions.
Here’s Rick Austin explaining his Secret Garden concept: