Chapter 3
The Raft, like so many social revolutions, was only made practical by a seemingly unrelated technological innovation.
In 2026, after the government embargoed diesel sales to the various unaffiliated Rafts that had sprouted up on the many inland waterways of the United States, the movement appeared literally dead in the water. Without fuel, living disconnected from dryland would be totally impossible.
If it had not been for the recent introduction of cheap, high-strength, flexible solar cells, the Raft would have sunk before it even really cast off from the shore. Clean, cheap solar energy arrived just in the nick of time to offer the Rafters an alternative to the government-controlled fuel monopoly. The Raft stayed afloat and has remained predominately solar powered to this day.
Of course, many original Rafters, old hands at sailing, opted to live aboard their sailing craft. This too provided them with a source of power. On a blustery day, they could happily sail to and fro to their heart's content. But wind was a finicky power source. Such vehicles normally depended on diesel motors to maneuver when the wind was poor, or when close to land. Solar cells, however, stitched into the fabric of their sails, allowed for the best of both worlds: wind power when the breeze was favorable, and electric motor power when it was not.
So quite by accident, the Raft became the poster child for green, eco-friendly living. It was hardly by choice, but a necessity forced upon the Raft by government pressure. For what the government could control, it could take away from the Raft, and was more than happy to do so. The sun and wind, however, belonged to everyone. And that the Rafter could count on.