Couple builds off-grid ecovillage with friends & leftovers 🐎

Kirsten Dirksen19 minutes read

The Canary Islands promote sustainability with water-saving systems, recycled materials in construction, and repurposing waste for various projects, showcasing a green lifestyle. The community salvages discarded food items to feed volunteers and animals, highlighting resourcefulness and minimal waste production in their operations.

Insights

  • Water conservation is paramount in the Canary Islands due to minimal rainfall, leading to innovative practices like using wastewater from washing clothes and showers to grow plants, promoting sustainability and environmental consciousness.
  • The community exemplifies resourcefulness and sustainability by repurposing waste materials for construction, utilizing recycled products, and salvaging discarded food items to feed volunteers and animals, showcasing a commitment to minimal waste production and creative solutions to environmental challenges.

Get key ideas from YouTube videos. It’s free

Recent questions

  • How are the Canary Islands described?

    Dry, volcanic, minimal rainfall, water conservation crucial.

Related videos

Summary

00:00

Sustainable Living Practices in the Canary Islands

  • The Canary Islands are beautiful but dry and volcanic, with minimal rainfall, making water conservation crucial.
  • Washing clothes involves exercise, using ecological products, with the wastewater going to the garden to grow banana plants.
  • The kitchen uses natural detergents, with wastewater going into the soil to grow pumpkins, promoting a green environment.
  • The horse rescue center expanded to include turkeys, utilizing recycled materials for construction to save costs.
  • The showers are heated using horse manure, with the wastewater also going to the gardens, promoting sustainability.
  • Accommodations are built using waste materials like pallets, old doors, and recycled wood, keeping costs low.
  • A cave was repurposed for living, with volunteers digging it out and adding a wooden roof for safety.
  • A Caravan serves as a living space, with a double bed, storage, and recycled materials used for construction.
  • The water-saving system includes a natural pond, biofilters, and a greenhouse for condensation to collect water from the air.
  • The farm produces various crops using waste materials and promotes a sustainable lifestyle with minimal waste production.

17:12

Community Sustains Volunteers with Rescued Food

  • The individuals in the text engage in diving for discarded food items, collaborating with local supermarkets and farms to salvage and repurpose food that would otherwise be thrown away due to minor imperfections, feeding both volunteers and animals with the rescued items.
  • The community relies on waste food to sustain around 45 volunteers, with a dedicated team sorting through the collected items, including dairy products like milk and cheese that are discarded if even one item is damaged.
  • The kitchen operations involve improvisation due to unpredictable ingredients, with meals like "maltasan" being prepared using rescued mushrooms and other free items, showcasing the community's resourcefulness in utilizing discarded materials for construction and creative projects.
Channel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatar

Try it yourself — It’s free.