For a yoga teacher with a passion for permaculture, building a tiny home from recycled materials became the perfect way to connect with her family and community.
Thirty-one-year-old Jess Hay grew up near Townsville, Queensland, with a large vegetable patch, free-range chickens and plenty of homegrown tropical fruits. But it wasn’t until she spent time living abroad at the end of high school that she became interested in permaculture.
‘I was living in the south of France 12 years ago with a retired couple who had created a permaculture food forest,’ explains Jess. ‘There were 10 or so houses that specialised in growing different foods and they all bartered with each other to sustain themselves. It was very inspiring.’