John Wells - a frugal friend profile

I’d like you to meet John Wells, a friend of mine who can only be described as a unique and rugged individual living in West Texas. John is a former resident of the State of New York, and if you ask him about it, he’s likely to say that it’s a nice place to be from as much as he’d likely say that West Texas is a nice place to be.

I first learned about our frugal friend from another friend of mine in Texas. She thought that I might be interested in the story of Mr. Wells since we appeared to be cut from similar cloth. She was right.

John and I are brothers of sorts, and I’m glad to know him.

The term “individual” is a good way to describe John. He and his lifestyle are self-made. That is clear. I don’t know anyone who has moved into such an extreme environment and thrived with such pleasure. John calls his place the Field Lab, and you can review his adventures there at the website.






This photo shows John's home, his solar power panels and his system for catching rain water.






From building his own home to constructing his own water catchment system, John Wells is focused on frugality and living green. He’s built his own solar shower, put up a small wind generator, and is working on a greenhouse and enclosed patio area. He uses scrap and recycled materials, and construction techniques that are suitable to his environment.

In addition to his focus on solar power for electricity and hot water, he’s into the most basic and personal form of recycling – humanure.

I view John as a modern day pioneer, making use of technology as well as some hard-to-find common sense. What I like most about John is that he’s living deliberately and in a self reliant manner. I think a deliberate focus on self reliant living is a wonderful approach to life – you are the hero in your own story.

Aside from the adventures in sustainable living, I like another part of John that "shines" so well. It's his disdain for corporate media, American popular culture, and lame political beliefs that make us more dependent on others instead of being self reliant as we should be.

John maintains a field lab blog as well as his website, so if you’re interested in staying up on his adventures, you know exactly where to find out more.

The following video gives you a good look at the spirit and talent of John Wells as he tells us about his view of the west.

I imagine that John and I share a similar view of our homesteads - a lifetime of projects. If you look on YouTube, his website and blog, you'll find a wealth of information about this modern day pioneer and you'll get a good idea of what he's up to on a daily basis.

Join me in wishing John Wells continued success as he creates his own frugal and green living oasis in the desert of West Texas.

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