Abandoning everything you know to move into a tiny home can be a daunting experience. But it’s certainly worth considering if you’re passionate about the environment.
People who live in tiny homes have the opportunity to live frugal, non-wasteful lives. Not only do smaller homes have smaller footprints, they often use renewable energies and are made from recycled materials.
A tiny homeowner’s own actions, from the foods they cook to their every day hobbies, can also impact their overall way of living.
One man, Rob Greenfield, is a sustainable living expert.
He built his own tiny home for just $1,500, out of reclaimed materials. He now collects rainwater, grows and forages 100% of his food, uses a biodigester to create biogas, and a lot more.
You’d think Rob was situated in the middle of nowhere, but he’s actually based in an urban back yard.
He built his home to fulfill his desire for a simple life, with no bills, debt, car or drivers’ license.
While he has access to only the bare basics – food, water, electricity – he isn’t tempted to make materialistic purchases that he doesn’t need.
The exterior of Rob’s home measures 10 by 10 feet, making it one of the smallest tiny homes we’ve seen.
Having paid less than $2,000 to build his entire home, Rob wants to prove that anyone can afford tiny home living.
To prevent his home from standing out in the urban environment he lives in, Rob built it to look just like a garden shed.
He kept things simple, using pallets as the building’s foundation, and second-hand materials off Craigslist for his windows.
Rob’s bed is made out of leftover two-by-fours, and his flooring was taken from a house that had flooded.
Most of the things that Rob didn’t build, he was able to buy used, like his desk chair, which he bought for $15 in a garage sale.
There’s not much to see in Rob’s home, as he points out himself. He’s kept the layout as basic as possible, using only a single room as his entire living space.
The most interesting thing Rob has to show off is his pantry. He’s currently foraging and growing 100% of his own food.
He has an entire shelf dedicated to pumpkins that he grew last year, and another for ferments, like honey, wine, vinegar, and ginger beer.
Rob has four beehives, and got 75 lbs of honey last fall. Because he does a lot of foraging, he also has fruits like citrus and papayas.
His herb and spice collection is particularly impressive, and he shows off garlic and onion, both dried by him. He also has coconut oil that he made from coconuts that he forages, and salt from the ocean.
You won’t find anyone who lives more simply than Rob when it comes to clothes.
He has a single shelf of shirts and shorts, no wardrobe needed! He also has a shelf of basic hygiene equipment.
Growing and foraging for his own food puts a lot of pressure on Rob to always have a good stock of supplies, and his deep chest freezer helps him to store things for longer periods of time.
There’s storage space hidden away, such as underneath the bed, where Rob can stash his non-essentials.
Rob’s kitchen is outdoors, which is where he spends most of his time.
He has a propane stove, a gravity-fed sink, and an open fire that he cooks on top of.
Rob has proven that it’s more than possible to abandon our material “needs” and live frugally – but it’s unlikely that everyone would be up for it!
You can watch a tour of his home, and an interview with Rob himself, in the video just below.
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