A FORMER carpenter built his own private island out of plastic bottles and makes a living off of cash from tourists.
After 13 years working as a builder, Richart Sowa decided to delve into ecological building – but his material of choice has raised some eyebrows.
Richart has utilised 150,000 plastic bottles to support his floating man-made island that boasts a full garden and a house.
He told Coolest Thing: "I started this island here in Mexico six and a half years ago, and registered it as an ecological boat with maritime officials."
After planting mangrove trees on the floating palettes, the roots grew threw the bottom and made the structure even stronger.
The island has even attracted sea life, like coral and little fish, who call the unusual boat home.
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Richart also grows hibiscus flowers, ginger, agave and more – and says the island is slowly becoming self-sufficient.
And he pays the bills by hosting tours to his unique island, which has amazing features.
On the roof, he's installed solar panels which power the appliances, such as a refrigerator and stove.
Richart has even installed a sink for water powered by rain, a compost toilet, and a shower that runs through a conch shell.
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On his island, he's created a lot of unique inventions that harness nature's power.
One is a solar cooker, which reflects light and slowly cooks food.
Richart even has a "bottle boat" – made of a thousand plastic bottles, that floats even if it breaks apart.
One Canadian couple have spent 27 years building their own floating man-made island home, growing their own food and building their own supplies.
Wayne Adams and Catherine King have spent over £1million building Freedom Cove, located on the coast of Vancouver Island.
The project started with a small float home that was built using wood that had washed ashore after a storm – before replacing the rotting timber with old fishing kit.
Wayne and Catherine moved into the cove in 1992 and have been building their self-sufficient home ever since.
"When we first started, the first thing of course was to have a roof over our head," Catherine told the FLORB YouTube channel.
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"So we built the house which was half the size of what it is now."
Over more than two decades, they've gradually added new buildings, greenhouses, and an outdoor dance floor.
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