colter said that when living in idaho, he noticed a shift in jordan’s interests and priorities. today even 7-year-olds like jordan can be completely consumed by technology in their surroundings. i cringe a little every time i see a toddler on an ipad in a restaurant, but, to be completely honest, i am addicted to my screens in the same way. when i was in alaska, i had a hard time living in the moment and adjusting to life without wi-fi.

cutting back on internet was just the start for this family. jordan didn’t seem to be missing out on anything at all. as an unofficial tour guide, she was excited to tell us all about her home, her dogs, and the spider she watched crawl around for an hour last week. i think there’s a lot to be learned from this way of life.

it would be easy to say that the life this family leads is simpler, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. they do their best to be self-sufficient in every way possible. the food they prepare is either grown on the premises or caught nearby. they drink rainwater. and the limited amount of energy they do use is generated from a hydropower system they maintain. it can’t possibly be easy to save and repurpose every bit of plastic you come across.

i admire the sheer ambition of this family. they are voluntarily stranded on an island. sure, the nearest town is a 20-minute boat ride away, but at the time this was reported, they didn’t even have a boat. and they don’t need one, so they say.

if they don’t need a boat, then maybe i don’t need to refresh my email every 30 seconds.

around the islands, the inside passage and gulf of alaska mix into upwelling currents, dispersing nutrients to create a productive and diverse ecosystem. kelp forests (top) and steller sea lions (bottom) make up part of this assemblage. 

in the early 20th century, sea otters were hunted to near extinction in the area. after reintroduction in the 1960s the otter population, along with humpback whale (top) and steller sea lion (bottom) populations, have swelled. one major project at the inian islands institute focuses on the impact an increase of large marine mammal populations has on the local ecosystem. other projects include ocean acidification research, the effects of climate change on yellow cedar, and research on a local species: the marbled murrelet.

back at camp, structures literally immersed in the forest reflect the integrative human relationship with nature that is instilled here. in modern times, very few parts of nature remain untouched by humans while dominant social thinking implies that humans remain untouched by nature. the inian islands institute recognizes and teaches the connection between social-system and ecosystem—and the fragile nature of this relationship.

the land is not connected to another town by road, and therefore must be almost entirely self-sufficient.

visiting researchers’ responsibilities are not bound to the lab; they must also contribute to tasks that accompany surviving off grid. this includes firewood and rain water collection, fishing and hunting, managing a hoop-house farm and hydro-electric system, and constant structural improvements.

a conglomeration of rusty propane tanks are the ghosts of energy’s past. the new hydroelectric system creates so much energy the institute does not know what to do with the surplus. one idea being thrown around is a hydro-powered floating research station in the middle of the lake.

empty beer bottles find a recycled home on the property. finding creative ways to give a second life to single use items of luxury fills the property with quirky details.

tibetan prayer flags, hummingbird feeders, old wind bells and buddha statues make the institute less of an institute, and more of a home.

layering scientific research upon a foundation of community instills a deeper connection to science and nature in young scientists than the values they may learn in a contemporary classroom.