16 Year Old Builds Tiny House for a Mortgage-Free Future (Video)

The recent housing and economic crises has many people rethinking what they really need—not least those who are just starting out on their journey into adulthood and independence. Austin Hay, a high school student from Sonoma, has an alternative plan. He's been building a tiny 130-square foot home that he plans to take with him to college, and wherever he moves onto from there.

From a tiny, off-grid home built for $2,500 to an in-depth conversation about life in a tiny house, this is a topic that is near and dear to TreeHugger's heart. But it is especially good to see members of a younger generation, one that is graduating into an economic and ecological mess that is not of their making, considering alternative paths that could well lead them to a more stable, resilient and sustainable future. (It's also good to see he's financed much of the project himself through his work at a summer camp!)

For more great videos, check out Fair Companies—the same people who brought us video of a medieval ghost town turned ecovillage in Spain.