Adapting to the End of Oil

After receiving his doctorate from the University of Chicago, Maynard Kaufman taught Religion and Environmental Studies at Western Michigan University. His response to the energy crisis of the 1970s was to become a part-time farmer and establish a School of Homesteading. As a lifelong advocate of local food and organic farming, he organized Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance in 1991. In 2001 Maynard and his wife Barbara moved into their off-grid house that is powered by renewable energy. They enjoy gardening and earth-centered rituals that celebrate the cycle of the seasons.