17 Years Living Off-Grid on a Self-Built Island Homestead – Built with Salvaged Materials
Shadow built this incredible floating island with salvaged and reclaimed materials. The island comprises a 2-story float home, a floating chicken coop, floating gardens, and even a floating compost shed! He's been living on the water for 17 years and working hard to protect the Widgeon Slough area in BC, Canada. He gathers wood from the river to use as firewood, he grows some of his own fresh food in barrel gardens, and he collects fresh water from a nearby spring. He filters his greywater on a floating raft with multiple plant and husk filtration layers, and he composts his food and human waste to ensure that nothing goes overboard.
You can follow Shadow on Instagram and YouTube here:
https://www.instagram.com/shadowsnowhereisland/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEX9ThVbOfXLWD-IO4aRJ_w
Each part of the island is floating independently with its own off-grid solar panel to provide electricity. This way, if the island breaks apart during a storm, the power system won't be damaged.
Shadow uses a skiff to collect wood from the river and to get around his island. For longer journeys into town, he uses his kayak to get to the road, and from there, he uses a bicycle to get to town for supplies. He also has friends and family who help him with obtaining supplies.
Shadow says the main threats to the area are poachers, pollution, film crews, and the local government spraying pesticides to control invasive species and opening the area to be a park. The government has been trying to evict him for years, but he feels that his presence is needed to keep people accountable for the harm they're inflicting on this delicate ecosystem.
Thanks for watching!
Mat & Danielle
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Blog: www.exploringalternatives.ca
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COMMENTS
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CREDITS
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Music & Song Credits:
All music in this video was composed, performed, and recorded by Mat of Exploring Alternatives.
Editing Credits:
Mat and Danielle of Exploring Alternatives
Filming Credits:
Mat of Exploring Alternatives
That’s surviving. Social Distancing at its best.
cant call that Surviving, Thriving would be the right term
@Roger Elzenga yes and helping to keep the lical environment clean.
His weed plant is doing great
5:33
On the bottom right side of the screen.
6:44
On the hallway, next to the yacht.
8:00
On the front deck of the yacht.
Well, this one is fluffy as fck! 😂
@Hakuna Matata best comment
@Hakuna Matata i clearly saw them thank you, now im craving..
So thats how he get supply “free” money. lol
@hanna wilder lol…me too! 👍😂
This dude built an island that he lives on, and he doesn’t live for money. A+ bro, A+
He is luckiest guy ever in the world
@Albertine 21 it seems he collects cans people toss in the water and metal to recycle for money as well as storm debris so he actually keeps the area clean. He has a work area so he may be a graphic artist or other thing, but i doubt he does a 9 to 5 job..
If he didn’t he wouldn’t post it on youtube all about money
Hmm !…..and local govermant want to get rid of him……i wonder why ? Because he reveal how incompetent and corrupt they are ???
@Albertine 21 Could have veterans benefits or something like that? How much does he get for a YouTube hit? All in all, you are right, it would take plenty of money to live like this. Being a farmer and gardener, there is no way that little garden of his could sustain life.
May God bless him and keep him safe.
@Kristofer Milhauser yeah that goes against YAH and his Torah
@Kristofer Milhauser be careful listening to the dogmas of man, that cannot be gods word because man has modified any original truth presented in it, if the initial writings weren’t fabricated in their entirety.
@Kristofer Milhauser god ain’t real pal
Which God?
God may keep him safe while he is useful. He may even bless him on occasion to maintain the status quo, but he is plateaued. This is his best
Thanks for watching! You can follow Shadow’s journey here:
https://www.instagram.com/shadowsnowhereisland/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEX9ThVbOfXLWD-IO4aRJ_w
@Lucia Tiña Cariño +++
!
,
,
You are an inspiration☺
This guy took a chance on some 2bhours Utley so got seen urly they called left now I’m home sweetie
This guy took a chance ovesly it was worked for him ya he mite use use some money nut dont knock this down cuz he took the chance on something he wanted since outher cant do wat they want……dont put this guy down 17 years ovesly it works for him and that a blessing smart man only if outher think about evarment and recycling picked up trash thing be differnt
A well done, tasteful, sympathetic docu series for publicity will help keep local government off Shadows back.
Great episode guys!! Love it!! 😎🤙🏼🇿🇦🇬🇧
Is he a professor? If not, he should be. He would be a great instructor on environmental, biology, etc. issues.
@Erik Dahl that’s a good point, my quote was incorrect, and i apologize for that…but i think my point remains: dude is *not* educated enough to be a “professor”, and his beliefs in magic only further disqualify him. he is a smart guy, and extremely respectable, but to work in academia required more than that. it requires pedagogic discipline, and real demonstrable excellence. peace
Douglas Harley
Capitalization is also appreciated in academia.
“Kinda”. Lol
Well to be honest…. Hes trying his best to get as much knowledge as he can but hes lacking alot….. For an example : hes not drinking water cause he know it can cause him disease but little does he know that using that same water for his plants can cause him disease too….. Like salmonella that can colonize crop plants and appear in his vegetables that he eats…..
@Douglas Harley she’s just being a typical Karen ROFL
@ademite is the gut your uncle?
He’s like Batman, but from the other side of the wealth spectrum…
Lol beaver man
Elf kind
“I’m shadow”
Okay fifty year old guy who still uses the “street” name he took when he ran away from his parents suburban enclave that one time….smh
@Mr Lopez Or his parents are hippies and that’s his actual name
Absolutely incredible! So organized and clear. He did the impossible. Much kudos.
Not impossible. Easy, Just do it. I lived off grid for thirty years. Easy.
🙏🏽 I pray for no-one to disturb this gentleman”s existence. He is truly living his life without harming anyone or anything
queen of swords – He doesn’t owe property taxes, he doesn’t own any property.
Don’t think the Fraser Valley has ever experienced a hurricane but there was a typhoon in 1962 apparently.
Pretty safe area.
@Ravenesque One which laws?
TruthSeeker – I’m aware. My family have been here since 1862. I was born in 65’.
Никто – Why don’t you look them up. We have thousands of pages of ACTS.
Mans got a room for every hobby
I love this guy and his philosophy, and his home. He’s an Earth warrior! I couldn’t catch what state it was in?
I’m sure he’d appreciate a girlfriend, to participate in the same ideas
From what I saw it looks like a state of tranquility.
@JockoV So you think a girlfriend living there would ruin that? XD
@Noukz Neither was said nor inferred.
State of mind
I noticed he’s cultivating some nice herbs
The ganga 👍
ayyyyy…. ma man. lmao
His medical herb, dude has even covered the doctors visits, no need for anything. Top man
And lots of Aloe plants wonder what he uses them for ?
The good old reefer.
Someone commented here that Shadow’s life here should be a series. I agree! Very interesting and educational.
He seems to be quite knowledgeable
Would watch, subscribe or whatever.
This guy is very interesting! I hope we can all be like him in the future
If u see the 1st comment by the channel owner… they have put a link 2 his instagram(if I remember that correctly) & YouTube channel…
They should be paying you as a ranger or something not chasing you off
This man is a genius. He’s living as we all should
He literally set out to study how to save the environment and built an offgrid accomodation. Amazing
I love that argument, if the local government wants him to leave, all they have to do is step up and become good stewards of the land. 17 years later….still waiting.
Facts 💯 the government obviously don’t wanna step up and protect it. But they just gotta control absolutely everything anymore.
That guy would be the last man standing in a zombie apocalypse
Unless he’s patient zero and the zombie outbreak is due to toxins from the environment.
Perfect unity with nature.
I want a movie about this man’s life.