Texas University Professor Lives in a Dumpster

Professor Jeff Wilson has been living in this dumpster for nine months now and says he may yet stay for another year

A Texas professor, dean of the University College  is experimenting how little you may need in life to be happy.

Huston-Tillotson University professor Jeff Wilson sold all of his belongings, and has opted instead to live in a dumpster.

Dr. Jeff Wilson, a Harvard-educated environmental science professor, has now been housed in the 36-square-foot container for more than nine months.

The dumpster was large enough to fit a bed and a few pieces of Mr Wilson's (pictured) furniture

"I'm standing here in front of my home, which happens to be a 36 square foot, 8 cubic yard used trash dumpster," Wilson said.

But it was just an empty barren space before he filled it with his possessions

For the past 9 months, Wilson has lived in the dumpster on the school's campus in Austin. At first, even members of the sustainable campus group "Green Is The New Black" expressed reservations.

"I didn't believe it at all. I'm like you're really going to live in a dumpster?" said Huston-Tillotson University student Charles Deshaw.

Wilson calls his move an experiment in getting everyone to think tiny.

'Keeping that secret for seven months, especially from the 3 a.m. cleaning staff and 24-hour security, much less the students and my colleagues, was interesting in itself,' he told the website.  

 

He said: 'We hope the dumpster will become a conversation box on subjects as wide as tiny housing, energy sustainability, science education, and higher quality of life.

 

Wilson posted a picture of him and his girlfriend (pictured) with the comment, 'Honey, I'm home. This place looks like a dump' just before he moved in earlier this year

'Ultimately, the hypothesis we are investigating is if a person can have a relatively good and happy life by downsizing.

 

'This is an outlier experiment. The students and university, thought they thought the experiment a bit odd, have warmed to the idea, even if they do stand upwind of me more than they used to.

 

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