0:00:00.254,0:00:02.466 Welcome to the off the grid tiny house 0:00:02.466,0:00:04.565 built from the land and from 0:00:04.565,0:00:06.298 second-hand materials here at 0:00:06.298,0:00:08.646 Le Rêve de Gaïa in southern France. 0:00:08.646,0:00:10.963 This tiny house serves as a 0:00:10.963,0:00:12.732 demonstration site for 0:00:12.732,0:00:14.447 sustainable and simple living to 0:00:14.447,0:00:16.414 help you be able to live more 0:00:16.414,0:00:18.182 sustainably and simply, wherever 0:00:18.182,0:00:19.262 you are in the world. 0:00:19.262,0:00:21.364 Today, I'm going to give you a tour 0:00:21.364,0:00:23.034 of the house and the set-up, and 0:00:23.034,0:00:25.082 show you how you can adapt these things 0:00:25.082,0:00:28.065 at home, wherever you are, to live a 0:00:28.065,0:00:30.408 more simple and sustainable life. 0:00:40.659,0:00:43.374 In my last video, I already showed the 0:00:43.387,0:00:46.028 whole building process, from tree to tiny 0:00:46.028,0:00:48.121 house, so you can watch that video. 0:00:48.121,0:00:50.729 Just to recap on that a little bit, all of 0:00:50.729,0:00:53.579 the wood for this tiny house was actually 0:00:53.579,0:00:55.328 from trees that were harvested 0:00:55.328,0:00:58.228 sustainably right here on-site and then 0:00:58.228,0:01:00.677 milled right here on-site as well. 0:01:00.677,0:01:03.678 The other aspects are all second-hand. 0:01:03.678,0:01:08.061 The doors and the windows were leftover. 0:01:08.061,0:01:10.213 Companies that install new doors and 0:01:10.213,0:01:12.463 windows throw out the old ones when 0:01:12.463,0:01:14.663 they replace them. Everything else pretty 0:01:14.663,0:01:16.880 much is second-hand material, stuff that 0:01:16.880,0:01:18.645 was laying around at the farm, stuff 0:01:18.645,0:01:20.962 salvaged from the landfill, and this 0:01:20.962,0:01:24.047 entire thing cost under $100, including 0:01:24.047,0:01:26.336 the little bit of materials that we did 0:01:26.336,0:01:29.976 need to buy, the gasoline and the screws, 0:01:29.976,0:01:31.543 just some very basic stuff. 0:01:31.543,0:01:33.796 I want to take you inside and show you 0:01:33.796,0:01:35.846 everything else. 0:01:39.252,0:01:41.721 Here I am, on the bed inside the tiny 0:01:41.723,0:01:43.992 house and the lesson here is that we 0:01:43.992,0:01:46.870 don't need a lot to live sustainably. 0:01:46.870,0:01:49.706 In fact, the less we need, the more we can 0:01:49.706,0:01:52.606 simplify, the easier it actually is to 0:01:52.606,0:01:54.923 live sustainably. So, this place is about 0:01:54.923,0:01:56.723 really stripping back to the basics, 0:01:56.723,0:01:59.005 showing a way of simplifying and being 0:01:59.005,0:02:01.055 happy with what we have, rather than 0:02:01.055,0:02:03.639 always wanting more. There's a simple, 0:02:03.639,0:02:06.472 comfortable bed here. Then, on the other 0:02:06.472,0:02:08.840 side, here, there's going to be a second 0:02:08.840,0:02:10.987 bed as well. The shelves are all made 0:02:10.987,0:02:13.857 from wood here on-site, really simple, 0:02:13.857,0:02:16.423 just screws and wood and some small 0:02:16.423,0:02:18.780 shelves here as well for some basic items. 0:02:18.780,0:02:20.839 Just next to the bed here, we have a 0:02:20.839,0:02:23.137 little seating area. Then, you can see how 0:02:23.137,0:02:25.004 the storage works, just comes right out 0:02:25.004,0:02:28.179 from underneath the bed, and it's the 0:02:28.179,0:02:30.898 perfect size for some simple crates to 0:02:30.898,0:02:33.204 go under. Here, you can see the 0:02:33.204,0:02:35.553 shelves that were built on both sides, 0:02:35.553,0:02:38.322 very simple to be able to store basic 0:02:38.322,0:02:41.753 items. Then, above me, here we have 0:02:41.753,0:02:45.102 spots for hanging clothes, some clothes 0:02:45.102,0:02:48.444 hangers here. If it's raining outside and 0:02:48.444,0:02:50.627 you can't hang dry your clothes outside, 0:02:50.627,0:02:52.701 this is a good place to be able to dry 0:02:52.701,0:02:54.150 some clothes as well. 0:02:54.150,0:02:56.259 It's a comfortable place. It's designed to 0:02:56.259,0:02:58.779 have great lighting because this is off 0:02:58.779,0:03:01.102 the grid. There's actually not electricity 0:03:01.102,0:03:04.281 here, so for light, there is a headlamp, 0:03:04.281,0:03:07.285 which this one light lights up the place 0:03:07.285,0:03:09.786 quite a bit, then that can be charged back 0:03:09.786,0:03:12.068 at the community, and then there are 0:03:12.068,0:03:14.400 candles as well. So, that's the inside of 0:03:14.400,0:03:16.151 the tiny house. As you can see, very 0:03:16.151,0:03:18.833 simple, but very comfortable and a 0:03:18.833,0:03:21.884 wonderful place to just work on living 0:03:21.884,0:03:24.386 simply and connecting to the basics and 0:03:24.386,0:03:27.649 just being happy, being outside, being in 0:03:27.649,0:03:30.450 nature, loving the world that we live in. 0:03:30.450,0:03:32.533 Continuing on with loving the world, it's 0:03:32.533,0:03:34.272 about the way that we interact with 0:03:34.272,0:03:36.381 the world, so next I'm going to take you 0:03:36.381,0:03:38.321 outside to show you what we do there. 0:03:44.656,0:03:46.934 Most of the food here is grown on 0:03:46.938,0:03:49.245 the farm, in the big fields, where a lot 0:03:49.245,0:03:51.619 of food is grown. But here, next to the 0:03:51.619,0:03:53.835 tiny house, we have a simple raised bed 0:03:53.835,0:03:55.836 garden and I wanted to put this here to 0:03:55.836,0:03:58.302 show how simple it is to grow some of 0:03:58.302,0:04:01.203 your own food. A raised bed is as simple 0:04:01.203,0:04:03.935 as a couple of posts in each corner and 0:04:03.935,0:04:07.000 then some planks, some basic wood. 0:04:07.000,0:04:09.052 All you have to do is be able to hold the 0:04:09.052,0:04:12.102 soil in, have soil, have water, have 0:04:12.102,0:04:14.417 sunlight and some plants. We can all 0:04:14.417,0:04:16.883 grow a little bit of our own food, whether 0:04:16.883,0:04:19.450 it's herbs on a balcony or a windowsill, 0:04:19.450,0:04:21.518 or turning our whole front yard into a 0:04:21.518,0:04:23.583 garden. Or, if we really don't have any 0:04:23.583,0:04:26.084 space, joining a community garden. If not 0:04:26.084,0:04:28.982 any of that, then seeking out local food 0:04:28.982,0:04:30.934 and supporting the people that are 0:04:30.934,0:04:33.491 growing food locally. 0:04:38.069,0:04:39.937 Here we are in the outdoor kitchen, and 0:04:39.937,0:04:42.069 this is constructed from wood harvested 0:04:42.069,0:04:44.335 here, on site, as well as scrap 0:04:44.335,0:04:46.539 materials, things that were salvaged that 0:04:46.539,0:04:48.635 would have gone to waste, which is one of 0:04:48.635,0:04:51.153 the great lessons here, utilizing wasted 0:04:51.153,0:04:53.387 resources as well as sustainably 0:04:53.387,0:04:56.720 harvesting from earth that we live on. 0:04:56.720,0:04:59.802 I use a plant-based biodegradable soap, so 0:04:59.802,0:05:02.352 this goes into what's called gray water. 0:05:02.352,0:05:05.652 Here, we just fill up the water from the 0:05:05.652,0:05:08.493 spring or from harvesting rainwater. Then, 0:05:08.493,0:05:10.588 the water that goes into the sink doesn't 0:05:10.588,0:05:12.704 go to a wastewater treatment plant. It 0:05:12.704,0:05:15.904 goes down, it's collected in a bucket, and 0:05:15.904,0:05:18.920 then that water can be used for watering 0:05:18.920,0:05:21.287 plants and growing food. If you're at 0:05:21.287,0:05:24.118 home, you can actually unscrew the P-trap 0:05:24.118,0:05:26.868 under your sink and put a bucket there. 0:05:26.868,0:05:28.987 Also, when you shower, when the water is 0:05:28.987,0:05:32.020 heating up, you can fill a bucket and use 0:05:32.020,0:05:34.503 that for watering. You can set up your 0:05:34.503,0:05:37.420 laundry to go directly to your landscape. 0:05:37.420,0:05:39.353 That's called laundry to landscape. 0:05:39.353,0:05:41.451 So, at home, whether you're on the grid or 0:05:41.451,0:05:43.453 off the grid, there's a lot of ways to use 0:05:43.453,0:05:45.819 your gray water. We also harvest rainwater 0:05:45.819,0:05:47.327 so I want to show you that. 0:05:47.327,0:05:49.252 Here is the rainwater harvesting system. 0:05:49.252,0:05:51.369 It's extremely simple. Rainwater 0:05:51.369,0:05:53.534 harvesting is not complex. It's not 0:05:53.534,0:05:55.869 difficult. We have a gutter collecting 0:05:55.869,0:05:58.051 the water that falls onto the house and 0:05:58.051,0:06:00.302 then it goes into a bucket. Rainwater 0:06:00.302,0:06:02.369 harvesting is as simple as that. You can 0:06:02.369,0:06:05.234 use small buckets. You can get large, 0:06:05.234,0:06:07.719 55-gallon drums or you can have giant 0:06:07.719,0:06:10.019 cisterns. Of course, the kitchen would 0:06:10.019,0:06:12.768 not be complete without a place to cook. 0:06:12.768,0:06:14.519 In communities, one of the keys is 0:06:14.519,0:06:16.933 actually cooking together, in a central 0:06:16.933,0:06:18.767 location. That drastically reduces 0:06:18.767,0:06:21.350 workload. Here, we just have a simple 0:06:21.350,0:06:24.283 stove using rocks here from on-site, 0:06:24.283,0:06:27.599 then also wood from here on-site. We have 0:06:27.599,0:06:31.501 wood that comes from the spruce trees and 0:06:31.501,0:06:34.466 then the leftover wood from building the 0:06:34.466,0:06:36.716 house. This is a very simple stove that's 0:06:36.716,0:06:39.050 designed to be pretty efficient, with just 0:06:39.050,0:06:41.349 using a little bit of wood for basic 0:06:41.349,0:06:42.973 cooking. That's the stove. 0:06:42.973,0:06:44.883 Here I am at the outdoor shower. This 0:06:44.883,0:06:46.916 incorporates multiple things. First of 0:06:46.916,0:06:49.799 all, it incorporates solar heating, so 0:06:49.799,0:06:52.100 these black buckets can be put out into 0:06:52.100,0:06:55.882 the sun and then the black absorbs the 0:06:55.882,0:06:58.965 heat. If you put out the water from the 0:06:58.965,0:07:01.465 spring in the morning, by the afternoon or 0:07:01.465,0:07:03.631 evening, you have yourself a nice, warm 0:07:03.631,0:07:05.881 shower or even hot shower, depending 0:07:05.881,0:07:07.598 on the weather. 0:07:07.598,0:07:09.914 This works really simply. There are holes 0:07:09.914,0:07:12.231 screwed into the bottom of the bucket. 0:07:12.231,0:07:14.497 This bucket comes off the bottom and then 0:07:14.497,0:07:17.097 it's able to come out. Something that you 0:07:17.097,0:07:19.299 can do at home is build an outdoor shower 0:07:19.299,0:07:21.230 for the summer months. You can save 0:07:21.230,0:07:22.979 water from your shower to water your 0:07:22.979,0:07:25.065 garden or even redirect your shower 0:07:25.065,0:07:27.254 to your landscape. 0:07:30.836,0:07:33.336 Here, I am at the compost bin. Composting 0:07:33.344,0:07:35.872 is very simple, not complicated. The Earth 0:07:35.872,0:07:38.167 has been doing it for millions and 0:07:38.167,0:07:40.100 millions of years. This compost bin is 0:07:40.100,0:07:42.499 just built from wood and screws. In 0:07:42.499,0:07:45.067 cities, you can collect pallets, put 0:07:45.067,0:07:47.216 three pallets together and then make 0:07:47.216,0:07:49.167 a front and you've got yourself a compost 0:07:49.167,0:07:51.617 bin. Chicken wire in a circle is another 0:07:51.617,0:07:54.166 really easy compost bin. You can also 0:07:54.166,0:07:57.204 buy closed rotating containers as well, 0:07:57.204,0:07:59.233 if you want to spend some money, or 0:07:59.233,0:08:01.499 find them used. One key to composting 0:08:01.499,0:08:03.383 well is to make sure you have plenty of 0:08:03.383,0:08:06.015 carbon. For beginner composters, 0:08:06.015,0:08:08.132 if you have any smells, if you have a lot 0:08:08.132,0:08:10.549 of insects, just make sure you have 2-3 0:08:10.549,0:08:14.048 times more dry carbon matter than your 0:08:14.048,0:08:16.799 wet matter, like food waste and things 0:08:16.799,0:08:18.831 like that, that create smells. Composting 0:08:18.831,0:08:21.197 is something we can all do to reduce waste 0:08:21.197,0:08:23.197 to the landfill. If we don't have a space 0:08:23.197,0:08:25.515 to compost ourselves, in cities, a lot of 0:08:25.515,0:08:27.349 times you can bring it to a central 0:08:27.349,0:08:29.114 location, like a community garden or 0:08:29.114,0:08:31.367 some farmers' markets collect it, so 0:08:31.367,0:08:33.333 this is a great way to keep stuff out 0:08:33.333,0:08:35.730 of the landfill and not turn our waste 0:08:35.730,0:08:38.047 into someone else's problem, but instead 0:08:38.047,0:08:40.831 make fertile soil for growing our own food 0:08:40.831,0:08:42.297 right here on-site. 0:08:42.297,0:08:44.416 This is the compost toilet and this is 0:08:44.416,0:08:46.297 definitely more advanced sustainability 0:08:46.297,0:08:48.512 for the average person, but I want to show 0:08:48.512,0:08:50.696 it to you. As far as building the compost 0:08:50.696,0:08:53.960 toilet, it's so simple. Just some wood to 0:08:53.960,0:08:56.312 make a box and then have a lid. 0:08:56.312,0:09:00.414 For me, the key is a raised stool, also 0:09:00.414,0:09:03.230 called a squatty potty, to actually 0:09:03.230,0:09:05.679 raise up your legs when you're 0:09:05.679,0:09:08.679 pooping in order to have a more natural 0:09:08.679,0:09:12.029 way of sitting and flowing. Underneath 0:09:12.029,0:09:14.711 this, there are two buckets. This one, 0:09:14.711,0:09:17.462 which I just emptied, collects the poop. 0:09:17.462,0:09:19.794 You put a couple of scoops of sawdust 0:09:19.794,0:09:22.694 onto that poop. Amazing how well 0:09:22.694,0:09:24.693 a compost toilet works. You would be 0:09:24.693,0:09:26.593 amazed the first time that you use one. 0:09:26.593,0:09:29.627 Here, the toilet paper that we use is 0:09:29.627,0:09:32.960 called mullein. It's super-soft and it's a 0:09:32.960,0:09:35.127 perennial plant that grows in abundance 0:09:35.127,0:09:37.093 here. If you want to learn about 0:09:37.093,0:09:39.127 composting human poop, you can check out 0:09:39.127,0:09:41.994 The Humanure Handbook, by Joseph Jenkins. 0:09:41.994,0:09:44.522 Humanure stands for human and manure. 0:09:44.522,0:09:46.541 You can get all the information that you 0:09:46.541,0:09:47.498 need there. 0:09:47.498,0:09:49.410 I hope that you learned a lot from this 0:09:49.410,0:09:51.408 video, things that you can do to live more 0:09:51.408,0:09:53.443 sustainably and simply. Keep in mind, 0:09:53.443,0:09:55.425 you don't have to live in a tiny house, 0:09:55.425,0:09:57.725 you don't have to live on a farm in order 0:09:57.725,0:10:00.875 to be able to do a lot to live in a more 0:10:00.875,0:10:02.892 connected way with the Earth that gives 0:10:02.892,0:10:05.574 us life. In the description, I have 0:10:05.574,0:10:08.424 links to many useful guides to help you 0:10:08.424,0:10:10.824 live more sustainably and simply. Check 0:10:10.824,0:10:13.507 out Le Rêve de Gaïa. Their website and 0:10:13.507,0:10:15.958 their social media is there so you can 0:10:15.958,0:10:18.091 actually visit this place if you want to. 0:10:18.091,0:10:21.091 I spent about five weeks here, five lovely 0:10:21.091,0:10:22.974 weeks, and it's an incredible place to 0:10:22.974,0:10:24.374 be able to visit. 0:10:24.374,0:10:26.273 I really enjoyed giving this tour to 0:10:26.273,0:10:28.341 you. I hope you enjoyed it as well. 0:10:28.341,0:10:31.272 If you did, make sure that you subscribe 0:10:31.272,0:10:33.690 to this channel. Help this video get out 0:10:33.690,0:10:35.554 there by liking it and commenting and 0:10:35.554,0:10:37.414 sharing it with friends. On that note, 0:10:37.414,0:10:39.377 I'll see you again real soon for another 0:10:39.377,0:10:41.000 video. I love you all very much.