Etta Wilcox-Hughes, 4, runs to go out to milk the goats on the 80-acre farm of the Possibility Alliance in La Plata, Missouri. Etta is the daughter of Ethan and Sarah Hughes, founding members of the Possibility Alliance, an intentional community living without electricity so as to have the least amount of impact on the land as possible.

Phoenix Mitchell and Mark Becker take the draft horses to a greener pasture during the workday at the Possibility Alliance. Becker originally came to the homestead as a visitor, which is common, as 1,500 visitors come to the Possibility Alliance each year. Becker’s father died of cancer a few years ago, a cancer Becker says is commonly caused by pesticides. Becker’s says living with the Possibility Alliance without electricity and farming responsibly is an homage to his father and his life.

Etta Wilcox Hughes, 4, rides on her father’s back through the dining room of the Possibility Alliance community house. Etta’s father, Ethan, believes Etta’s childhood without the electricity will be much different from his own. Ethan sees that Etta, who will not go to a public school, will learn from the land and by doing activities. Ethan’s father died by getting hit by a drunk driver when he was 13, which lead him on a path to discover what is the most meaningful and important in life. The people who come to the Possibility Alliance do so for different reasons. Some find the lack of electricity peaceful; others want to do their service to the planet by living simply; some want a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. But the message of the members of the alliance is simple: simply living so that others can simply live. This intentional community lives without electricity on an 80-acre homestead in northern Missouri, growing their food, biking to where they need to be and relishing in the simplicities of life.

Katrina Gimbel prepares a fresh kale salad in the kitchen that was just picked from the garden outside. The group tries to grow as much food as possible from their farm, but also strives to eat within a 200-mile radius and often shares food and labor with their neighbors, many of whom are Amish.

The members of the Possibility Alliance sit down for a meal of quiche, salad, chick pea soup and leftover polenta at the dining room table. Most meals in the community are eaten together for efficiency and sustainability. Because there is no fridge, the meals have to be closely portioned for the amount of people present so there are no leftovers and no waste.

Etta Wilcox-Hughes sweeps the floor as Ariel Shapiro leaves the pantry during “beautification day,” a day of cleaning. Before her baby sister, Isla, was born two weeks ago, Etta was the only child in the house and therefore spends a lot of time with many of the different members of the community.

Sarah Hughes does the laundry on the porch of the community house for the alliance by hand with a washboard. All laundry is washed by hand then hung up to dry on the line outside.

Mark Becker and Etta Wilcox-Hughes return the goats to their shed after milking them in the evening. Becker will soon become a full member of the Possibility Alliance after two years on the homestead, which means he and the other full members, will pool all of their money together into one. The group lives in intentional poverty at under $30,000 a year, and according to founding member Ethan Hughes, often has an extra $2,000 left over to donate to charity.

Ethan Hughes reads to his daughter, Etta, before dinnertime in their library. Because there is no television or video games, most of the entertainment in the community revolves around reading books and poetry, making music and creating art.

Mark sings and plays the banjo as he waits for other members and friends and neighbors to come to the porch for “porch night.” During porch night, people come together to read, share poetry, sing songs, tell stories or perform puppet shows. Entertainment is important to the members after their long work day on the farm, and many of them read often or learn to play an instrument.

Etta Wilcox-Hughes adjusts objects on her nightstand around the candlestick before someone reads her a bedtime story. Candles are stationed around the house on portable candlesticks to be carried from room to room as needed, but oftentimes bedtime comes around the time the sun goes down, as that is when one becomes naturally sleepy.