(pump creaking) (gentle music)
- This'll do.
We don't need nearly as much as we think we do, at all.
In fact, all we need is sustenance
and a roof over our heads, honestly.
My name is Emma Christensen.
I live in the beautiful state of Montana
in the Northwestern part, in a tiny cabin in the woods.
My family has always kind of been into off-grid stuff.
It took about two years.
The opportunity just simply presented itself,
and I had to say yes.
This cabin is 100% off the grid.
(gentle upbeat music)
It is powered by solar panels.
It is heated by wood heat.
Ever since living out here,
my eyes have been opened to how much I don't need,
especially with limited space,
because I just have four little cubbies over here
that hold pretty much everything,
winter clothes, summer clothes, all my clothes.
My solar setup was probably the biggest expense,
and I think it came in, by the end of all of it,
around $1,300.
It was the biggest expense, but it's a one-time expense.
And then you are simply free
to never have to pay a utility bill,
as far as power's concerned, in your life.
In the summer, I'm able to just get up,
get ready for work, make a cup of tea if I want it,
on my little burner that I have.
Whereas in winter, my daily routine
is I have to get up extra early to start a fire,
and then also be able to give myself time
to get all the snow off.
So I have to give myself probably an extra two hours
to accommodate those things in the winter.
And I would say that's the biggest difference
in my daily routine in the summer versus the winter.
The least glamorous part,
and not necessarily the least liked part,
I would say is when I have to go take a shower
I have to pump water into a bucket.
I have to pour that bucket into a pot,
which can be boiled on either the wood stove.
I pour it back into the bucket
and then I have to wheel that bucket
over to the shower area,
where I either scoop the water onto me,
or I have this little battery-powered
rechargeable shower head that can be dumped
into the five gallon bucket,
and I can just kinda shower off regularly.
I would say that's one of the least glamorous parts,
but it's one of my most favorite
because it's so calming and peaceful
to take a shower out in the middle of the woods.
I am so much more able to enjoy nature
and just go outside and listen to birds,
and it's beautiful.
Like listening to birds over car horns
is such an incredible thing
that I didn't know I needed until I moved out here.
I was very unsure in the first couple months
just because I was still
getting used to being in an off-grid situation,
but ever since living out here
and having the hang of it, I love it.
I never want it to stop.
(bright upbeat music)