1 00:00:00,254 --> 00:00:02,466 Welcome to the off the grid tiny house 2 00:00:02,466 --> 00:00:04,565 built from the land and from 3 00:00:04,565 --> 00:00:06,298 second-hand materials here at 4 00:00:06,298 --> 00:00:08,646 Le Rêve de Gaïa in southern France. 5 00:00:08,646 --> 00:00:10,963 This tiny house serves as a 6 00:00:10,963 --> 00:00:12,732 demonstration site for 7 00:00:12,732 --> 00:00:14,447 sustainable and simple living to 8 00:00:14,447 --> 00:00:16,414 help you be able to live more 9 00:00:16,414 --> 00:00:18,182 sustainably and simply, wherever 10 00:00:18,182 --> 00:00:19,262 you are in the world. 11 00:00:19,262 --> 00:00:21,364 Today, I'm going to give you a tour 12 00:00:21,364 --> 00:00:23,034 of the house and the set-up, and 13 00:00:23,034 --> 00:00:25,082 show you how you can adapt these things 14 00:00:25,082 --> 00:00:28,065 at home, wherever you are, to live a 15 00:00:28,065 --> 00:00:30,408 more simple and sustainable life. 16 00:00:40,659 --> 00:00:43,374 In my last video, I already showed the 17 00:00:43,387 --> 00:00:46,028 whole building process, from tree to tiny 18 00:00:46,028 --> 00:00:48,121 house, so you can watch that video. 19 00:00:48,121 --> 00:00:50,729 Just to recap on that a little bit, all of 20 00:00:50,729 --> 00:00:53,579 the wood for this tiny house was actually 21 00:00:53,579 --> 00:00:55,328 from trees that were harvested 22 00:00:55,328 --> 00:00:58,228 sustainably right here on-site and then 23 00:00:58,228 --> 00:01:00,677 milled right here on-site as well. 24 00:01:00,677 --> 00:01:03,678 The other aspects are all second-hand. 25 00:01:03,678 --> 00:01:08,061 The doors and the windows were leftover. 26 00:01:08,061 --> 00:01:10,213 Companies that install new doors and 27 00:01:10,213 --> 00:01:12,463 windows throw out the old ones when 28 00:01:12,463 --> 00:01:14,663 they replace them. Everything else pretty 29 00:01:14,663 --> 00:01:16,880 much is second-hand material, stuff that 30 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:18,645 was laying around at the farm, stuff 31 00:01:18,645 --> 00:01:20,962 salvaged from the landfill, and this 32 00:01:20,962 --> 00:01:24,047 entire thing cost under $100, including 33 00:01:24,047 --> 00:01:26,336 the little bit of materials that we did 34 00:01:26,336 --> 00:01:29,976 need to buy, the gasoline and the screws, 35 00:01:29,976 --> 00:01:31,543 just some very basic stuff. 36 00:01:31,543 --> 00:01:33,796 I want to take you inside and show you 37 00:01:33,796 --> 00:01:35,846 everything else. 38 00:01:39,252 --> 00:01:41,721 Here I am, on the bed inside the tiny 39 00:01:41,723 --> 00:01:43,992 house and the lesson here is that we 40 00:01:43,992 --> 00:01:46,870 don't need a lot to live sustainably. 41 00:01:46,870 --> 00:01:49,706 In fact, the less we need, the more we can 42 00:01:49,706 --> 00:01:52,606 simplify, the easier it actually is to 43 00:01:52,606 --> 00:01:54,923 live sustainably. So, this place is about 44 00:01:54,923 --> 00:01:56,723 really stripping back to the basics, 45 00:01:56,723 --> 00:01:59,005 showing a way of simplifying and being 46 00:01:59,005 --> 00:02:01,055 happy with what we have, rather than 47 00:02:01,055 --> 00:02:03,639 always wanting more. There's a simple, 48 00:02:03,639 --> 00:02:06,472 comfortable bed here. Then, on the other 49 00:02:06,472 --> 00:02:08,840 side, here, there's going to be a second 50 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:10,987 bed as well. The shelves are all made 51 00:02:10,987 --> 00:02:13,857 from wood here on-site, really simple, 52 00:02:13,857 --> 00:02:16,423 just screws and wood and some small 53 00:02:16,423 --> 00:02:18,780 shelves here as well for some basic items. 54 00:02:18,780 --> 00:02:20,839 Just next to the bed here, we have a 55 00:02:20,839 --> 00:02:23,137 little seating area. Then, you can see how 56 00:02:23,137 --> 00:02:25,004 the storage works, just comes right out 57 00:02:25,004 --> 00:02:28,179 from underneath the bed, and it's the 58 00:02:28,179 --> 00:02:30,898 perfect size for some simple crates to 59 00:02:30,898 --> 00:02:33,204 go under. Here, you can see the 60 00:02:33,204 --> 00:02:35,553 shelves that were built on both sides, 61 00:02:35,553 --> 00:02:38,322 very simple to be able to store basic 62 00:02:38,322 --> 00:02:41,753 items. Then, above me, here we have 63 00:02:41,753 --> 00:02:45,102 spots for hanging clothes, some clothes 64 00:02:45,102 --> 00:02:48,444 hangers here. If it's raining outside and 65 00:02:48,444 --> 00:02:50,627 you can't hang dry your clothes outside, 66 00:02:50,627 --> 00:02:52,701 this is a good place to be able to dry 67 00:02:52,701 --> 00:02:54,150 some clothes as well. 68 00:02:54,150 --> 00:02:56,259 It's a comfortable place. It's designed to 69 00:02:56,259 --> 00:02:58,779 have great lighting because this is off 70 00:02:58,779 --> 00:03:01,102 the grid. There's actually not electricity 71 00:03:01,102 --> 00:03:04,281 here, so for light, there is a headlamp, 72 00:03:04,281 --> 00:03:07,285 which this one light lights up the place 73 00:03:07,285 --> 00:03:09,786 quite a bit, then that can be charged back 74 00:03:09,786 --> 00:03:12,068 at the community, and then there are 75 00:03:12,068 --> 00:03:14,400 candles as well. So, that's the inside of 76 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:16,151 the tiny house. As you can see, very 77 00:03:16,151 --> 00:03:18,833 simple, but very comfortable and a 78 00:03:18,833 --> 00:03:21,884 wonderful place to just work on living 79 00:03:21,884 --> 00:03:24,386 simply and connecting to the basics and 80 00:03:24,386 --> 00:03:27,649 just being happy, being outside, being in 81 00:03:27,649 --> 00:03:30,450 nature, loving the world that we live in. 82 00:03:30,450 --> 00:03:32,533 Continuing on with loving the world, it's 83 00:03:32,533 --> 00:03:34,272 about the way that we interact with 84 00:03:34,272 --> 00:03:36,381 the world, so next I'm going to take you 85 00:03:36,381 --> 00:03:38,321 outside to show you what we do there. 86 00:03:44,656 --> 00:03:46,934 Most of the food here is grown on 87 00:03:46,938 --> 00:03:49,245 the farm, in the big fields, where a lot 88 00:03:49,245 --> 00:03:51,619 of food is grown. But here, next to the 89 00:03:51,619 --> 00:03:53,835 tiny house, we have a simple raised bed 90 00:03:53,835 --> 00:03:55,836 garden and I wanted to put this here to 91 00:03:55,836 --> 00:03:58,302 show how simple it is to grow some of 92 00:03:58,302 --> 00:04:01,203 your own food. A raised bed is as simple 93 00:04:01,203 --> 00:04:03,935 as a couple of posts in each corner and 94 00:04:03,935 --> 00:04:07,000 then some planks, some basic wood. 95 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:09,052 All you have to do is be able to hold the 96 00:04:09,052 --> 00:04:12,102 soil in, have soil, have water, have 97 00:04:12,102 --> 00:04:14,417 sunlight and some plants. We can all 98 00:04:14,417 --> 00:04:16,883 grow a little bit of our own food, whether 99 00:04:16,883 --> 00:04:19,450 it's herbs on a balcony or a windowsill, 100 00:04:19,450 --> 00:04:21,518 or turning our whole front yard into a 101 00:04:21,518 --> 00:04:23,583 garden. Or, if we really don't have any 102 00:04:23,583 --> 00:04:26,084 space, joining a community garden. If not 103 00:04:26,084 --> 00:04:28,982 any of that, then seeking out local food 104 00:04:28,982 --> 00:04:30,934 and supporting the people that are 105 00:04:30,934 --> 00:04:33,491 growing food locally. 106 00:04:38,069 --> 00:04:39,937 Here we are in the outdoor kitchen, and 107 00:04:39,937 --> 00:04:42,069 this is constructed from wood harvested 108 00:04:42,069 --> 00:04:44,335 here, on site, as well as scrap 109 00:04:44,335 --> 00:04:46,539 materials, things that were salvaged that 110 00:04:46,539 --> 00:04:48,635 would have gone to waste, which is one of 111 00:04:48,635 --> 00:04:51,153 the great lessons here, utilizing wasted 112 00:04:51,153 --> 00:04:53,387 resources as well as sustainably 113 00:04:53,387 --> 00:04:56,720 harvesting from earth that we live on. 114 00:04:56,720 --> 00:04:59,802 I use a plant-based biodegradable soap, so 115 00:04:59,802 --> 00:05:02,352 this goes into what's called gray water. 116 00:05:02,352 --> 00:05:05,652 Here, we just fill up the water from the 117 00:05:05,652 --> 00:05:08,493 spring or from harvesting rainwater. Then, 118 00:05:08,493 --> 00:05:10,588 the water that goes into the sink doesn't 119 00:05:10,588 --> 00:05:12,704 go to a wastewater treatment plant. It 120 00:05:12,704 --> 00:05:15,904 goes down, it's collected in a bucket, and 121 00:05:15,904 --> 00:05:18,920 then that water can be used for watering 122 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:21,287 plants and growing food. If you're at 123 00:05:21,287 --> 00:05:24,118 home, you can actually unscrew the P-trap 124 00:05:24,118 --> 00:05:26,868 under your sink and put a bucket there. 125 00:05:26,868 --> 00:05:28,987 Also, when you shower, when the water is 126 00:05:28,987 --> 00:05:32,020 heating up, you can fill a bucket and use 127 00:05:32,020 --> 00:05:34,503 that for watering. You can set up your 128 00:05:34,503 --> 00:05:37,420 laundry to go directly to your landscape. 129 00:05:37,420 --> 00:05:39,353 That's called laundry to landscape. 130 00:05:39,353 --> 00:05:41,451 So, at home, whether you're on the grid or 131 00:05:41,451 --> 00:05:43,453 off the grid, there's a lot of ways to use 132 00:05:43,453 --> 00:05:45,819 your gray water. We also harvest rainwater 133 00:05:45,819 --> 00:05:47,327 so I want to show you that. 134 00:05:47,327 --> 00:05:49,252 Here is the rainwater harvesting system. 135 00:05:49,252 --> 00:05:51,369 It's extremely simple. Rainwater 136 00:05:51,369 --> 00:05:53,534 harvesting is not complex. It's not 137 00:05:53,534 --> 00:05:55,869 difficult. We have a gutter collecting 138 00:05:55,869 --> 00:05:58,051 the water that falls onto the house and 139 00:05:58,051 --> 00:06:00,302 then it goes into a bucket. Rainwater 140 00:06:00,302 --> 00:06:02,369 harvesting is as simple as that. You can 141 00:06:02,369 --> 00:06:05,234 use small buckets. You can get large, 142 00:06:05,234 --> 00:06:07,719 55-gallon drums or you can have giant 143 00:06:07,719 --> 00:06:10,019 cisterns. Of course, the kitchen would 144 00:06:10,019 --> 00:06:12,768 not be complete without a place to cook. 145 00:06:12,768 --> 00:06:14,519 In communities, one of the keys is 146 00:06:14,519 --> 00:06:16,933 actually cooking together, in a central 147 00:06:16,933 --> 00:06:18,767 location. That drastically reduces 148 00:06:18,767 --> 00:06:21,350 workload. Here, we just have a simple 149 00:06:21,350 --> 00:06:24,283 stove using rocks here from on-site, 150 00:06:24,283 --> 00:06:27,599 then also wood from here on-site. We have 151 00:06:27,599 --> 00:06:31,501 wood that comes from the spruce trees and 152 00:06:31,501 --> 00:06:34,466 then the leftover wood from building the 153 00:06:34,466 --> 00:06:36,716 house. This is a very simple stove that's 154 00:06:36,716 --> 00:06:39,050 designed to be pretty efficient, with just 155 00:06:39,050 --> 00:06:41,349 using a little bit of wood for basic 156 00:06:41,349 --> 00:06:42,973 cooking. That's the stove. 157 00:06:42,973 --> 00:06:44,883 Here I am at the outdoor shower. This 158 00:06:44,883 --> 00:06:46,916 incorporates multiple things. First of 159 00:06:46,916 --> 00:06:49,799 all, it incorporates solar heating, so 160 00:06:49,799 --> 00:06:52,100 these black buckets can be put out into 161 00:06:52,100 --> 00:06:55,882 the sun and then the black absorbs the 162 00:06:55,882 --> 00:06:58,965 heat. If you put out the water from the 163 00:06:58,965 --> 00:07:01,465 spring in the morning, by the afternoon or 164 00:07:01,465 --> 00:07:03,631 evening, you have yourself a nice, warm 165 00:07:03,631 --> 00:07:05,881 shower or even hot shower, depending 166 00:07:05,881 --> 00:07:07,598 on the weather. 167 00:07:07,598 --> 00:07:09,914 This works really simply. There are holes 168 00:07:09,914 --> 00:07:12,231 screwed into the bottom of the bucket. 169 00:07:12,231 --> 00:07:14,497 This bucket comes off the bottom and then 170 00:07:14,497 --> 00:07:17,097 it's able to come out. Something that you 171 00:07:17,097 --> 00:07:19,299 can do at home is build an outdoor shower 172 00:07:19,299 --> 00:07:21,230 for the summer months. You can save 173 00:07:21,230 --> 00:07:22,979 water from your shower to water your 174 00:07:22,979 --> 00:07:25,065 garden or even redirect your shower 175 00:07:25,065 --> 00:07:27,254 to your landscape. 176 00:07:30,836 --> 00:07:33,336 Here, I am at the compost bin. Composting 177 00:07:33,344 --> 00:07:35,872 is very simple, not complicated. The Earth 178 00:07:35,872 --> 00:07:38,167 has been doing it for millions and 179 00:07:38,167 --> 00:07:40,100 millions of years. This compost bin is 180 00:07:40,100 --> 00:07:42,499 just built from wood and screws. In 181 00:07:42,499 --> 00:07:45,067 cities, you can collect pallets, put 182 00:07:45,067 --> 00:07:47,216 three pallets together and then make 183 00:07:47,216 --> 00:07:49,167 a front and you've got yourself a compost 184 00:07:49,167 --> 00:07:51,617 bin. Chicken wire in a circle is another 185 00:07:51,617 --> 00:07:54,166 really easy compost bin. You can also 186 00:07:54,166 --> 00:07:57,204 buy closed rotating containers as well, 187 00:07:57,204 --> 00:07:59,233 if you want to spend some money, or 188 00:07:59,233 --> 00:08:01,499 find them used. One key to composting 189 00:08:01,499 --> 00:08:03,383 well is to make sure you have plenty of 190 00:08:03,383 --> 00:08:06,015 carbon. For beginner composters, 191 00:08:06,015 --> 00:08:08,132 if you have any smells, if you have a lot 192 00:08:08,132 --> 00:08:10,549 of insects, just make sure you have 2-3 193 00:08:10,549 --> 00:08:14,048 times more dry carbon matter than your 194 00:08:14,048 --> 00:08:16,799 wet matter, like food waste and things 195 00:08:16,799 --> 00:08:18,831 like that, that create smells. Composting 196 00:08:18,831 --> 00:08:21,197 is something we can all do to reduce waste 197 00:08:21,197 --> 00:08:23,197 to the landfill. If we don't have a space 198 00:08:23,197 --> 00:08:25,515 to compost ourselves, in cities, a lot of 199 00:08:25,515 --> 00:08:27,349 times you can bring it to a central 200 00:08:27,349 --> 00:08:29,114 location, like a community garden or 201 00:08:29,114 --> 00:08:31,367 some farmers' markets collect it, so 202 00:08:31,367 --> 00:08:33,333 this is a great way to keep stuff out 203 00:08:33,333 --> 00:08:35,730 of the landfill and not turn our waste 204 00:08:35,730 --> 00:08:38,047 into someone else's problem, but instead 205 00:08:38,047 --> 00:08:40,831 make fertile soil for growing our own food 206 00:08:40,831 --> 00:08:42,297 right here on-site. 207 00:08:42,297 --> 00:08:44,416 This is the compost toilet and this is 208 00:08:44,416 --> 00:08:46,297 definitely more advanced sustainability 209 00:08:46,297 --> 00:08:48,512 for the average person, but I want to show 210 00:08:48,512 --> 00:08:50,696 it to you. As far as building the compost 211 00:08:50,696 --> 00:08:53,960 toilet, it's so simple. Just some wood to 212 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:56,312 make a box and then have a lid. 213 00:08:56,312 --> 00:09:00,414 For me, the key is a raised stool, also 214 00:09:00,414 --> 00:09:03,230 called a squatty potty, to actually 215 00:09:03,230 --> 00:09:05,679 raise up your legs when you're 216 00:09:05,679 --> 00:09:08,679 pooping in order to have a more natural 217 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:12,029 way of sitting and flowing. Underneath 218 00:09:12,029 --> 00:09:14,711 this, there are two buckets. This one, 219 00:09:14,711 --> 00:09:17,462 which I just emptied, collects the poop. 220 00:09:17,462 --> 00:09:19,794 You put a couple of scoops of sawdust 221 00:09:19,794 --> 00:09:22,694 onto that poop. Amazing how well 222 00:09:22,694 --> 00:09:24,693 a compost toilet works. You would be 223 00:09:24,693 --> 00:09:26,593 amazed the first time that you use one. 224 00:09:26,593 --> 00:09:29,627 Here, the toilet paper that we use is 225 00:09:29,627 --> 00:09:32,960 called mullein. It's super-soft and it's a 226 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:35,127 perennial plant that grows in abundance 227 00:09:35,127 --> 00:09:37,093 here. If you want to learn about 228 00:09:37,093 --> 00:09:39,127 composting human poop, you can check out 229 00:09:39,127 --> 00:09:41,994 The Humanure Handbook, by Joseph Jenkins. 230 00:09:41,994 --> 00:09:44,522 Humanure stands for human and manure. 231 00:09:44,522 --> 00:09:46,541 You can get all the information that you 232 00:09:46,541 --> 00:09:47,498 need there. 233 00:09:47,498 --> 00:09:49,410 I hope that you learned a lot from this 234 00:09:49,410 --> 00:09:51,408 video, things that you can do to live more 235 00:09:51,408 --> 00:09:53,443 sustainably and simply. Keep in mind, 236 00:09:53,443 --> 00:09:55,425 you don't have to live in a tiny house, 237 00:09:55,425 --> 00:09:57,725 you don't have to live on a farm in order 238 00:09:57,725 --> 00:10:00,875 to be able to do a lot to live in a more 239 00:10:00,875 --> 00:10:02,892 connected way with the Earth that gives 240 00:10:02,892 --> 00:10:05,574 us life. In the description, I have 241 00:10:05,574 --> 00:10:08,424 links to many useful guides to help you 242 00:10:08,424 --> 00:10:10,824 live more sustainably and simply. Check 243 00:10:10,824 --> 00:10:13,507 out Le Rêve de Gaïa. Their website and 244 00:10:13,507 --> 00:10:15,958 their social media is there so you can 245 00:10:15,958 --> 00:10:18,091 actually visit this place if you want to. 246 00:10:18,091 --> 00:10:21,091 I spent about five weeks here, five lovely 247 00:10:21,091 --> 00:10:22,974 weeks, and it's an incredible place to 248 00:10:22,974 --> 00:10:24,374 be able to visit. 249 00:10:24,374 --> 00:10:26,273 I really enjoyed giving this tour to 250 00:10:26,273 --> 00:10:28,341 you. I hope you enjoyed it as well. 251 00:10:28,341 --> 00:10:31,272 If you did, make sure that you subscribe 252 00:10:31,272 --> 00:10:33,690 to this channel. Help this video get out 253 00:10:33,690 --> 00:10:35,554 there by liking it and commenting and 254 00:10:35,554 --> 00:10:37,414 sharing it with friends. On that note, 255 00:10:37,414 --> 00:10:39,377 I'll see you again real soon for another 256 00:10:39,377 --> 00:10:41,000 video. I love you all very much.