#OffGrid #Homesteading #Rainwater
Strolling through what YT was offering me; I came upon the title and clicked [a genuine click bait]. And I was pleasantly surprised. It turned out to be a very philosophical esposé about the possibility of a self sustained living in a bureaucratic society.
Things like rainwater, compost toilets could be regulated [banned] by a meddling government acting out outdated regulation supposed to keep the law abiding citizens safe.
"They Made Rainwater Collection Illegal — What Comes Next?" [13:07 min]
by Project Paradise [New Zealand]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uan3QhHYF9c
Quote by PP:
"Apr 12, 2025
Henry David Thoreau, experiments in living free can't be done anywhere in the world, in many places it is illegal. I instal a rainwater fed washing machine and talk about the law.
In some parts of the world, it’s illegal to collect rainwater.
In others, using greywater from your shower to feed your garden is banned.
Composting toilets, tiny houses, and off-grid living are often restricted, heavily regulated, or outright forbidden.
All in the name of safety.
But when survival becomes regulated, you have to ask:
Are these laws protecting us — or protecting a system?
These questions aren’t new. Thinkers and rebels have been asking them for centuries:
"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone."
— Henry David Thoreau
Thoreau’s definition of wealth had nothing to do with possessions — and everything to do with freedom from them. He believed the fewer things you needed, the richer you became.
He also said:
"That government is best which governs least."
Thoreau famously refused to pay taxes that supported slavery and war, and spent a night in jail for it. His essay Civil Disobedience went on to inspire revolutionaries like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
"One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws."
— Martin Luther King Jr.
"Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the state becomes lawless or corrupt."
— Mahatma Gandhi
These words aren’t just history. They echo loudly today — especially for those who want to live closer to nature, with sovereignty, and on their own terms.
Thankfully, not all places are tightening their grip.
Some are letting go — or at least looking the other way.
Places like Maine, Portugal, parts of New Zealand, British Columbia, and Arizona are becoming more open to off-grid living, tiny homes, permaculture, and homesteading.
Tiny homes are being legalized.
Rainwater harvesting is encouraged.
Composting and solar power are no longer seen as fringe — but as forward-thinking.
Maybe the greatest act of rebellion isn’t protest.
Maybe it’s planting a garden.
Collecting rainwater.
Building a home no bigger than you need.