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00:00:00
How it's possible to live in the future or  to live now without destroying our earth?  This house is my solution. One of the main characteristics is that it's   made out of natural materials like clay, wood, cob  So all the materials can go after the  life circle, the natural circle again. 
00:01:00
When I tell the people that I live  now in these 18 square meters,  mainly the reaction is: “Oh small is ok,   but 18 square meters no, that’s too small” But then when they come in through the door,   they look around and think: “Wow,   this doesn't feel like 80 square meters.” You don't need many things, you don't own  
00:01:26
the things, but are the things that own you. Because you have to spend money to buy them,   you have to find them a place, and at the end you  have to throw them away. So if you don't have too   many things, you have more time to live. And all the energy which I'm using is   produced by myself, not by myself,  but by the cells on the roof. 
00:01:52
So even in winter time, when the days are  not so long and even if there is no sun,   it's just enough energy for me, for my  technological stuff like my laptop, my lights,   ventilation and not much more than that. And I don't need so much electricity and I  
00:02:17
don't have to be connected to the grid. I have my own energy, I'm using   only Direct Current from my electricity system,  only 12 and 24 volt. I'm really independent!  Here is my energy storage, here three batteries  and on this side also three batteries. So I have  
00:02:44
altogether six batteries, each one with 85 Ah. This has been my hot water system for 5 years.   Then it got a small hole over here and  now I have to repair it and you make fire   up here and the fire tube goes through the  water and is heating the 100 liters water. 
00:03:11
And I have used it to heat my  house and to have warm water.  And so when I burned it for one hour in  the morning, the 100 liters of water have   been reaching around 80 degrees and it's  enough for 24 hours to heat the house.  You can have a double system. If you  have a heating system for electricity,  
00:03:37
you can use both, because now I have  more than enough energy from the sun.  And I don't know what to do with it. So I could heat the water but only   in the wintertime. I am already  very old but you are still learning.  Over here you see the plant cleaning system. I collect all the grey water in a tank, and then,  
00:04:04
once a day, I pump it up to pass through  to another tank on the other side, from   where it is then redirected back into the house. I can use as much water as I want without worrying   about consumption. It's not only convenient but  also allows me to do so with a clear conscience.  Every day, I use about 50 liters of water  that cycles through the system. Over the  
00:04:36
last five years, I've used 125,000 liters of water  without needing to draw from any external sources.  “So it’s an infinite circle” The system isn't infinite, as some water is lost,   specifically the water I drink. To compensate,  I have a secondary system and a third tank that  
00:05:01
collects rainwater, which is about 2500 liters. Some people often ask me, “Klemens, how is it now   with very dry summers? Do you have enough water?” and I can smile and tell them: “If all the   people around run out of water, I can  promise you that you can come here,   and I'll offer you fresh water.” Because even if it doesn't rain for  
00:05:29
an entire year, I still have enough water. In Germany, you're required to connect   to the grid and the water system. It took  about four years of discussions before the   government finally said, “Okay, you can do it.” However, I believe there's a shift beginning  
00:05:55
even within the government as they  start to recognize the reality.  There are numerous technological possibilities  at our disposal; we just need to embrace them   and move away from our traditional practices. In the future, this will be the normality,   but in the old system you are  separated from the circle of life. 
00:06:22
You're unaware of the water's origin and  its destination after use. Similarly,   the source of your energy remains unknown. This disconnects you from the circle of life.   You find yourself separated from life itself.  Here, however, you become a part of the circle,   feeling deeply integrated within natural cycles,  which leads to a completely different perception. 
00:06:51
You feel that you're connected to nature. The glasshouse in front of the house serves   a dual purpose: it generates warmth in the  winter that can be used to heat the house,   and in the summer, it's a vibrant space  where lemons, tomatoes, and various other   vegetables thrive. So come in!  This is a unique type of plastic,  polytetrafluoroethylene, notable for allowing  
00:07:27
ultraviolet light to pass through. Because of  this property, it can last for more than 50 years.  And it's not giving up microplastic, so it's  healthy for the people and for the plants,   but you’re not allowed to put  it together with other plastic.  It's really a special material and after its  lifespan, it can be recycled back into the  
00:07:50
same material, distinguishing it from regular  plastic by its durability and longer life.  And, you know, this is known as the 'Kraut der  Unsterblichkeit' or Jiaogulan, which translates   to 'the herb of immortality.' It's  said that consuming one leaf each   day ensures you never die. I will tell you in some years  
00:08:16
if it's really working or not. Oh, look! Here's another thing:   my washing machine. I prefer not to wash  my clothes by hand but rather with my feet. 
00:08:46
We need to wait until it stops  before I can open it. Of course,   it's not a large washing machine, so it has  a capacity of about three kilos of clothes.
00:09:11
Then, you add a bit of water at your  preferred temperature, close the lid,   secure it here, and start the washing process. If there's water inside, it doesn't operate as   effortlessly; it requires more effort. However,  after about five minutes, if you change the water,  
00:09:39
your clothes will be clean. I believe it costs around €300,   but it's of good quality, produced by a joint  venture between companies from Canada and Taiwan.  It required a lot of development work. It's quite entertaining, much like something   out of a Mark Twain story. People often come up to  you, curious, asking, 'How do you do it?' And you  
00:10:05
can invite them to give it a try, offering  to wash their clothes as a demonstration.  This is the kitchen, and here's my cooking  setup. It features two burners. The fuel I  
00:10:38
use is biological ethanol, however,  I didn't like it due to the odor.  They add substances to ensure it's not  consumed as a beverage, as the alcohol itself   would be too inexpensive otherwise. When burned, it releases an unpleasant  
00:11:01
smell and emits substances into  the air that I found disagreeable.  Consequently, I sought an  alternative and discovered methanol.  Methanol is highly toxic; ingesting it can  lead to blindness and ultimately, death,   which means the government doesn’t require  the addition of deterrents, allowing me to   purchase it in a very pure form. When burned, it converts into CO2  
00:11:31
and water, producing no odor. "Thus, I've opted to cook with   methanol. Interestingly, if you distill  schnapps or ferment fruits into alcohol,  
00:12:00
methanol can be produced. Utilizing it  represents a highly ecological approach. " Alternatively,   biogas is an option. Methanol is readily available  online, primarily used by enthusiasts in motor   sports and model aviation for  its purity and efficiency.  So you can find a website, it's called  Spirit Mixer and you can find Methanol 99.9%.  The floor serves as my storage area. Beneath it,  I store jars of marmalade, books, and children's  
00:12:44
games. It might not appear so at first glance, but  there's actually a lot of space available inside. Yes, this is to relax or if I have visitors and we  are 10-12 people It's not a problem. I can put the   dish up here and then you can sit around here. Typically, an individual uses 15,000 liters of  
00:13:20
drinking water annually just to transport waste  to the next treatment facility. That’s crazy!  I prefer this system; it's called a  dry toilet, or 'Trockentoilette,' where   urine is separated from solid waste. The urine is  directly disposed of outside, and surprisingly,   it's less odorous than traditional water toilets. It's actually quite comfortable. Every four weeks,  
00:13:57
I simply change it. And it’s also sorghum.   It's really hard to get food from artificial  plants, but this is natural nourishment for   plants. If you eat good food but don't take care  of it, the end product will be poor. But if you  
00:14:23
eat good food for your body, eventually,  you'll have the chance to grow new life.  Nearly everything was developed by doing  it. It was never not a ready plan at the   beginning. I had to make the stair in this  place and I did it with 30 cm like this. 
00:14:49
and for me it was ok. But then a friend came  and said: “oh Klemens, you're crazy. That's   very high!” So I said, "Ok, I'll modify it for  grandma." And I covered this part so it became   only half as high. Now, it's a unique type of  staircase. It's called Samba stairs because  
00:15:16
on one level, you actually have two levels. You see, if I open the window, in just one month,   I can enjoy my breakfast beside the  fruit trees outside. It feels as if   the indoors merges with the outdoors. There's  no need to step out into nature because   you're already immersed in it from within. Five years ago, the material costs for  
00:15:42
this, including all the technology and  materials, amounted to around €60,000,   assuming you undertake the construction  yourself with assistance from others.  However, if the construction were to be  entirely carried out by others, the cost would   be about the same again, making the materials  €60,000 plus another €60,000 for labor, but  
00:16:08
that's not the ideal scenario. Shortly after I began construction, many people   became interested in what I was doing. A friend  of mine exclaimed, "Wow, let's start a company."  However, the concept isn't just about the  house. It's about transforming society. If  
00:16:38
you establish a company, you become a part of  the very society you aimed to change. Thus,   you're integrated into the system, and as  a result, you won't be able to change it.  So, I said no. I didn't like the idea of starting  a company. We're not going to sell anything.  All the knowledge is available  for free, similar to open source. 
00:17:04
And if someone wants to live like this, they must  take a very important step. They need to decide,   “Okay, I will build my own house.” This is what you call self-empowerment.   And if anyone says, "No, I can't do it," that's  not true because we've founded an association  
00:17:32
where you can access all the knowledge you need. And if you need help, regardless of the type of   construction, you can get it. There's  no reason not to build your own house.  Everybody can do it. Everybody can do it.  Just do it. VIVA VIVA 
00:18:04
EVVIVA
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