Nevertheless, I opened the main circuit, disconnecting my apartment from the grid and committing myself to solving what problems arose as they came.Before this experiment, I didn’t believe my lifestyle would let me disconnect from the grid for a day, let alone longer.Even though corporate and policy choices matter more than those of any individual, I was still curious to see if I could make my own practices more sustainable.If everyone could stand a few days without grid power, we could build grids that aren't made for 99.9 percent uptime but for 95 percent or lower uptime (with dedicated power for essential services like hospitals, police, and subways).Unplugging graduallyI started my personal sustainability drive almost accidentally, when I challenged myself to avoid packaged food for a week."