tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40380790832675902342024-02-07T17:11:05.330-08:00Little Things - A case study in sustainable livingThis is a blog about out little house which we rent in Newtown. Because we rent, there's a lot of things we can't do to reduce our footprint on the planet, but there's a lot we can, so this is a blog about all the little things we've done, the things we haven't, what's worked, what hasn't and why. We hope it gives some ideas of little things we all can do. Little things by a lot of people can have more impact than big things by only a few.The Joneseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100467999662448957noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038079083267590234.post-61273020101825935502008-10-04T02:01:00.000-07:002008-10-04T02:48:32.792-07:00Plastic bottles vs glass bottles vs aluminium (aluminum) bottlesI read an article today that said that it takes 1/5th of a litre of crude oil to make a plastic bottle. I've been wondering about glass vs aluminimum vis plastic so I did a quick scan around the web. This is what I found from the various propaganda out there.<br /><br /><ul><li>Aluminium and glass seems to have higher embodied energy per litre of cotents than PET (plastic bottles) although I found a lot of conflicting information on this. I assume that's because glass is heavy, and that aluminimum is energy intenstive to make. (Embodied energy is a proxy for embodied carbon dioxide.</li><li>Reusing alumnimum cans apparently results in saving around 90% of the energy of producing those cans in the first place. This is only around 20% for glass (assuming the glass is reprocessed and remanufactures rather than reused in it's original shape).</li><li>Only 35% of PET bottles get recycled in Australia. </li><li>PET bottles are suspected to break down and cause nasty neurological and hormonal toxins when they are put into landfill, or resued for an extended period. There is much mixed information and potential misinformation about this, so as a general rule I avoid reusing them.</li><li>CO2 footprint is really driven by the distance travelled by the bottles when they are full because that's when they have greater weight.</li></ul><p><strong>My conclusions thus far</strong></p><ul><li>None of the packaging sounds very good.</li><li>Recycling rates are poor. The real way to avoid toxics and save CO2 is to recycle <strong>everything - </strong>take it home with you if you can't find a recycling bin.</li><li>If you are serious about saving the planet, drink tap water whenever you can intstead of buying the bottled stuff.</li></ul><p><strong>Sources:</strong></p><p><br /><a href="http://www.manningham.vic.gov.au/CA256CE100066A7B/Lookup/CRAGPresEmbodiedenergyandrecyclingpresentJluy24.pdf/$file/CRAGpres_Embodied%20energy%20and%20recycling%20present%20Jluy%2024%20.pdf">http://www.manningham.vic.gov.au/CA256CE100066A7B/Lookup/CRAGPresEmbodiedenergyandrecyclingpresentJluy24.pdf/$file/CRAGpres_Embodied%20energy%20and%20recycling%20present%20Jluy%2024%20.pdf</a></p><p><a href="http://tapdny.com/manifesto/">http://tapdny.com/manifesto/</a></p><p> </p>The Joneseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100467999662448957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038079083267590234.post-23750018967030472752008-08-22T21:15:00.000-07:002008-08-22T21:21:40.831-07:00Trying to prioritiseAn interesting little article about which industries produce greenhouse gases, and then how <a href="http://daily.sightline.org/daily_score/archive/2008/08/11/two-views-of-greenhouse-gases">households</a> produce greenhouse gases.<br /><br />Every little bit counts, but it's useful to know which bits count the most and tackle them first.<br /><br />In the Newtown Cottage we've done a good job of reducing our <strong>direct</strong> greenhouse emissions or buying offsets:<br /><ul><li>Electricity consumption is down and we purchase green energy in excess of what we use (meaning someone else also gets some green energy)</li><li>Car is offset by more than we use (we travel less than 1,500km most years)</li><li>Flights are offset</li></ul><p>So while we've been patting ourselves on the back, this article reminds us that there's still a lot to do in the <strong>indirect</strong> area - primarily the goods and services that we buy. Another area of focus for all of us. Time to watch that Story of Stuff video again.</p>The Joneseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100467999662448957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038079083267590234.post-12131256531150112472008-06-21T20:08:00.001-07:002008-08-01T06:38:46.465-07:00Tackling this issue at scaleNewtown Cottage is a site designed to share a few ideas that renters can do to reduce, reuse, recycle etc.<br /><br />I've now embarked on a much more ambitious undertaking which looks at giving people tools and thinking models to be resilient and lead resilient organisations. If you're conciencious and looking for something meaty to sink your teeth into, I'd recommend having a look: <a href="http//:www.resilientfutures.org/feed">http://www.resilientfutures.org</a><br /><br />I've also set up a feed in the right hand column of this site to pull recent stories out.The Joneseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100467999662448957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038079083267590234.post-6413774088274139702008-06-21T02:30:00.000-07:002008-06-21T02:33:09.217-07:00The story of stuffAn incredible useful video which explains a range of things which get people thinking more deeply about sustainability. It's about 20 minutes of short segments, and well worth the time and effort to watch.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqZMTY4V7Ts">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqZMTY4V7Ts</a>The Joneseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100467999662448957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038079083267590234.post-18720187132460254362008-04-13T05:14:00.000-07:002008-04-13T05:19:04.515-07:00Worth a lookI found an article about a couple in Christchurch New Zealand who are attempting to live for an entire year without contributing to landfill. It's an interesting concept, and logistically very difficult to the point that I can't imagine myself being able to pull it off in an urban environment. Worth a <a href="http://www.rubbishfreeyear.co.nz/">read</a>.<br /><br />Also from their site, I found a brilliant 20 minute video called The Story of Stuff. This is one of the best pieces I've seen on this - although it's a little skewed, it definitely makes things very clear and is worth a <a href="http://www.storyofstuff.com/">look</a>.<br /><br />Enjoy<br /><br />TThe Joneseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100467999662448957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038079083267590234.post-13814290779269054252008-01-26T19:49:00.000-08:002008-01-26T20:33:17.980-08:00Retrofitting your old Weber to run on gas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6uZ9zF4X4t8-lrE4jwOaWdctgJJM5fI5w_BmsCmYNQlVLjueNANd9UcBVuaAy61TSQIHJii0WZm0sZo5FBqXeoDx2n22aBJX_pnsROa1zg56SD-w_6_gn0tkuHQXTOFIqPI5YC1O3Pntf/s1600-h/24012008+-+The+webber+2+nights+before.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160004808166793682" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6uZ9zF4X4t8-lrE4jwOaWdctgJJM5fI5w_BmsCmYNQlVLjueNANd9UcBVuaAy61TSQIHJii0WZm0sZo5FBqXeoDx2n22aBJX_pnsROa1zg56SD-w_6_gn0tkuHQXTOFIqPI5YC1O3Pntf/s200/24012008+-+The+webber+2+nights+before.jpg" border="0" /></a>You can't have a backyard in Australia without a BBQ... in fact I'm not even sure if you can have a apartment balcony without having a BBQ.<br /><br />About 6 or 7 years ago I got given a used Weber steel kettle. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Webers</span></span> are great things - I had one on my roof in New York - when the twin towers came down and parts of steel <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ibeams</span></span> knocked down our fence, the Weber was still waiting ready to go - like <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">cockroaches</span> they'll survive the next <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Holocaust</span> - marvelous... as I understand it Henry Ford created the charcoal briquette from the wood scraps and sawdust from his car factory which then ended up being the precursor to the Charcoal Kettle.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTAEqr8H2CgE91DunCdE4mg66ONo78QqaYuDrxI3dvw0jFNReDSoGjI12Mo9uzTa9OfkRlilNAnUohOs6kkwnwm_lXP5EvsX1G131DsylcWVUVDQD16HEnYY-FOwRpkhXWuSnRCL-RDZK/s1600-h/26012008+-+Step+1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160005091634635234" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTAEqr8H2CgE91DunCdE4mg66ONo78QqaYuDrxI3dvw0jFNReDSoGjI12Mo9uzTa9OfkRlilNAnUohOs6kkwnwm_lXP5EvsX1G131DsylcWVUVDQD16HEnYY-FOwRpkhXWuSnRCL-RDZK/s200/26012008+-+Step+1.jpg" border="0" /></a>Anyway, after lending my Australian Weber to a bunch of randoms a few years ago I'd ended up with it back in my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">possession</span>, by which time it occurred to me that briquettes are really painful to work with (which must explain why I still haven't had a housewarming BBQ), but also must be really bad producers of CO2. The end result is that I should really switch over to gas.<br /><br />These days you can get a new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">fangled</span></span> BBQ in steel with a range hood and all that good stuff for around $200-300, which is great, but it means you are consuming more steel, and have to worry about what to do with your old Weber. Will someone else use it as a charcoal consuming CO2 machine?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ha5XbHWhBt_eKpQ6750gJyIB8Mz4-R44TQaXhHfyYBJqet4sX7KA1zpsx_x6DdmhNjrXxJ656fdwxGt62vMteEvL2ErdTYYM6ZL7GD3OyHjQ_akteGWKgBMhajlpZhKZHrRPOiejA3kV/s1600-h/26012008+-+Step+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160005267728294386" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ha5XbHWhBt_eKpQ6750gJyIB8Mz4-R44TQaXhHfyYBJqet4sX7KA1zpsx_x6DdmhNjrXxJ656fdwxGt62vMteEvL2ErdTYYM6ZL7GD3OyHjQ_akteGWKgBMhajlpZhKZHrRPOiejA3kV/s200/26012008+-+Step+2.jpg" border="0" /></a>A quick bit of research showed me you can buy a tailor <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">made</span> gas kit for about $100, which had heaps of appeal, so I went out and bought one of those at my local <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">AGL</span> shop instead. Installation was easy, with about 4 screws holding the whole thing in place. They say that you get a similar flavour to the heat beads, so I'll try that out later and post the results.<br /><br />A few pics of the installation are shown below for posterity and anyone thinking about buying a new gas BBQ. The whole job took me about 15 minutes, most of which was spent scratching my head needlessly, and it was all done on Australia Day - how appropriate.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OFcRTRY4EiLaA4UmZWc7490zp6f57mwX9hKQzzDqYF6ed1qgJtvWjqRUMGF5alt9alUuQPk4Cu1w5FMNjE4oM_zGk7T-f5FdC4QCQooG6Rw8cJItFZ-sFAe2rkYNsiN-o4QOfj88EOp6/s1600-h/26012008+-+Step+3+-+how+Ocker+is+that.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160005409462215170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OFcRTRY4EiLaA4UmZWc7490zp6f57mwX9hKQzzDqYF6ed1qgJtvWjqRUMGF5alt9alUuQPk4Cu1w5FMNjE4oM_zGk7T-f5FdC4QCQooG6Rw8cJItFZ-sFAe2rkYNsiN-o4QOfj88EOp6/s200/26012008+-+Step+3+-+how+Ocker+is+that.jpg" border="0" /></a>Picture 1: use up the the last of your toxic heat beads<br />Picture 2: leave it for a few days then throw the gas burner in<br />Picture 3: work out which screws to use, and realise they're all the same and it's impossible to stuff this up - secure your bits<br />Picture 4: done deal, anyone got a full gas bottle?The Joneseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100467999662448957noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038079083267590234.post-19478695177841710362008-01-23T00:14:00.000-08:002008-01-23T00:26:12.279-08:00Sustainable agricultureA bit over 200 years ago, Mathus predicted that the world's food supply would not be able to keep up with population growth. To date he's been proved wrong but a number of things are now threatening to change all that - including climate change, less predictable weather patterns and now the use of crops for fuel instead of as food. <br /><br />This was a lead story on the national broadcaster last week: <a title="ABC story" href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/17/2140619.htm?section=world" target="_blank">http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/17/2140619.htm?section=world</a> and if you follow this sort of thing is worth a read.<br /><br />As part of my ranting and occasional campaigning on this sort of thing, I've become involved in a business which rejuvenates degraded landscapes and implements sustainable agricultural techniques to dramatically increase the productivity and drought resistance of that land. Irrespective of where your interest lies in the subject, it's worth a look, particularly if you are an active property investor or farmer: <a href="http://www.agricominvestments.com.au/">http://www.agricominvestments.com.au/</a>.The Joneseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100467999662448957noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038079083267590234.post-86071844711849107042007-10-18T17:50:00.000-07:002007-10-18T17:53:45.945-07:00Who on earth cares - election campaign<span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;">I just received this link this morning and got on board straight away. I've got to say of all the campaigns on the subject, this one is great because it makes it really easy for you to do something and to stand up and be counted. Definitely worth a look:</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.whoonearthcares.com/"><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;">http://www.whoonearthcares.com/</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;">This was the customised bit I put into my letter, in the context that I sit in a safe ALP seat:</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;"><em>I am also concerned that the ALP is directing it's preferences to Family First instead of the Greens. I understand the practicalities of the preferencial voting system and why the ALP may consider this necessary, but it sends a very odd signal to send preferences to a party which normally would be diametrically opposed to the ALP's traditional values. I would have through that the Greens were more ideologically aligned with the ALP's core values.</em> </span>The Joneseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100467999662448957noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038079083267590234.post-27264763791750449212007-08-11T18:22:00.000-07:002007-08-11T18:37:27.299-07:00The worm farm<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">About 12 months ago, possibly more, a mate of mine showed me his worm farm and the idea really caught my imagination. Since then I’ve been giving people worm farms as Christmas presents… Once people get over the initial shock of it being an odd gift, it’s something they really get into and appreciate and share with the kids/grandkids. Check out the look on Wolfy’s face at Christmas 2006. He came around.<br /><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewspg7kxtq90k_u3RZedb98d2TADY4g76dbqPefUIISvLGwj10csImhdh8Mi7tqLWvDI6vKuBKTo4W_Nve7dOp305Q2F2azeWz6_IIzARg-55uWCxvp3ocwkeOv1piP5Cx1yw-AzllJCG/s1600-h/IMGP0180.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097620111486466546" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewspg7kxtq90k_u3RZedb98d2TADY4g76dbqPefUIISvLGwj10csImhdh8Mi7tqLWvDI6vKuBKTo4W_Nve7dOp305Q2F2azeWz6_IIzARg-55uWCxvp3ocwkeOv1piP5Cx1yw-AzllJCG/s200/IMGP0180.JPG" border="0" /></a></strong></span><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><strong>The problem </strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">No matter how prudent you are with what you buy and what you eat, there’s always something left over. Whether it’s the ends of vegetables, the limp or dirty lettuce leaves, coffee grounds, tea bags, eggshells or when you’ve cooked too much, there’s always these bits and pieces of scraps and off cuts which would normally be on their way to landfill. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">The problem of course with all this is that in Australia, fertile land is not particularly plentiful and every time a farmer crops, you’re taking valuable nutrients out his soil which he then has to replace, probably with chemical fertilizers. And any residual nutrients in your leftovers go into landfill to be lost forever rather than being recycled back into that productive land. And you pay Council rates and transportation for the privilege, while generating greenhouse gases in the process. Doesn’t sound particularly sustainable does it? </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><strong>The solution</strong> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Worm farms are amazing little things. Essentially you put your food scraps into a container with worms, they chomp away on it and give you a by product of pH balanced castings (like a top grade potting mix, but probably better) and pH balanced liquid fertilizer. And all of this happens without taking much space or any offensive odour. My first worm farm was on my balcony in the Surry Hills! With topsoil such a precious commodity, the ability to create your own is quite dazzling. Charles Darwin reckons worms are the most important species on the planet for this reason. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><strong>Our tips</strong> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">As far as I can tell it’s pretty difficult to get a worm farm wrong if you follow the instructions which come with your kit. You can get a worm farm and your worm starter pack at most nurseries, although they’re probably a lot cheaper at K-Mart. If I recall rightly, my worm farm cost me $79 and my box of worms cost me $39. Most councils in the area have worm farming courses – these probably don’t tell you much more than the instruction book, but you can ask questions or show off to everyone that you’ve read the book.<br />Some suggestions to optimize your setup based on my experience:</span></p><ul><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Make sure you start with a box of at least 1,000 worms. You can start with less, but it will slow you down.<br />Don’t overfeed them – if the food starts building up, let them get through it before you add more. </span></li><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">If the worm farm is out in the rain, leave the tap fully open draining into a bucket. I went travelling up the coast during some heavy rains and thought I’d left the tap partially open. When I came back the active levels had compressed and the worms couldn’t get between levels. They were okay, but it’s slowed them down a lot. (see pic – still going strong, but have got some catching up to do). </span></li><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Your worm farm is a natural incubator for seeds. If things sprout, plant them. If they take, you’ve got free plants. </span></li><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Lastly, in winter, try to keep them warm. Guidebooks suggest putting a Hessian sack over the top. We’ve got a storage hot water system at our place, and putting the worm farm next to the hot water system allows them to tap some of that wasted warmth and also allow me to capture and dilute the fertilizer with runoff from the hot water system as we go (see pic). </span></li></ul><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzQ7_SMU1EIeC4kktP_0vT-Bgxzxng3JKls6wk5VCJyZFll4Df_2ViXpW1oX_nNje9M_xzTjtVoyOSC-TL-8e4tcAreXpFSxJ52f7jZ6V48VjAIyURL4PT7jr42mlU72NpVbbBEgAtJ5P/s1600-h/IMGP1285.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097620124371368466" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzQ7_SMU1EIeC4kktP_0vT-Bgxzxng3JKls6wk5VCJyZFll4Df_2ViXpW1oX_nNje9M_xzTjtVoyOSC-TL-8e4tcAreXpFSxJ52f7jZ6V48VjAIyURL4PT7jr42mlU72NpVbbBEgAtJ5P/s200/IMGP1285.JPG" border="0" /></a> </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfzmWFhGisitSSORnexdjCvluDht9sjPttyo6miRziWnpHlb2daPeVD59PV_dZdK1wX8NKqsy7lftnSBGFoZDena51HzdT72-Hvx0ORP0_3QWnBJRCD6824VCyLJhwkqhvgFDHOrc_puD/s1600-h/IMGP1286.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097620115781433858" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfzmWFhGisitSSORnexdjCvluDht9sjPttyo6miRziWnpHlb2daPeVD59PV_dZdK1wX8NKqsy7lftnSBGFoZDena51HzdT72-Hvx0ORP0_3QWnBJRCD6824VCyLJhwkqhvgFDHOrc_puD/s200/IMGP1286.JPG" border="0" /></a> </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdMAQ2Y6XARZA0w7fIcXRY0wFGlmjN3bkl0z91oOtyR5RB996_lUcVu4g_RMMXY3WgOTLEkk3IOUaBRo7CHNncUS8YShTmC8kXoN619FmrQfDJy4WhOFnwuQkiVpi8Htn3fEuqtpr6q6Q/s1600-h/IMGP1287.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097620128666335778" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdMAQ2Y6XARZA0w7fIcXRY0wFGlmjN3bkl0z91oOtyR5RB996_lUcVu4g_RMMXY3WgOTLEkk3IOUaBRo7CHNncUS8YShTmC8kXoN619FmrQfDJy4WhOFnwuQkiVpi8Htn3fEuqtpr6q6Q/s200/IMGP1287.JPG" border="0" /></a></span>The Joneseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100467999662448957noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038079083267590234.post-22567276642757644062007-08-04T00:51:00.000-07:002007-08-11T18:42:44.177-07:00Staying warm<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">We moved into the </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7xYeh6aWO_aCGPNmvSvI0gCm-ePbjnHYZUAwx_73VJ3yE51L_6xbXF0iAwvxlmr0ug87Fr1-0bpGnXUN3e3xY4flD2mkFOlWH59zQs9mjCmOmRtIAvsZ-7yl4-ZO3weCTu6i2i1aVwN3K/s1600-h/IMGP1269.JPG"></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Newtown</span> Cottage in Winter. Sydney winters are mild and usually pretty nice during the day, but the heat drops away quite quickly once the sun goes </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFgCykHFZdoDBYYBu1vyg1C5SXiDATnSiz3_EnSUEY9y1IikR43jZAYh24ipDcNcDrSRDE-Fsmr-c6KsrPPRSWDDBiLyZln-QxRljH0Yv3jvZjJbNPJgDNHzYtEkU503-ALqdTwIxQz1kv/s1600-h/IMGP1306.JPG"></a><span style="font-size:85%;">down, and the days are short. </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Because of the mild weather, a lot of Australian houses are not well insulated or well designed to retain heat during winter.</span><br /></span><div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmWzE3PBZXELBrqrtDhSYfhxYFqnJxWn7nByU4Hl48NE4nG71g3NXYUFx8WuqCG8KeeCpp6ttzp5EgkOrk-J2_syvMOhmkJcRbAGIxBRq3IZxKWjnZ2x2nfP4AB1ZKbVf2lzEyhLG-t19r/s1600-h/IMGP1263.JPG"></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Newtown</span> Cottage has a number of good features - it is double brick and it is not open plan, but it has a number of things which work against it :</span></span></div><ul><li><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">it doesn't receive any direct sunlight in winter on any aspect of the house</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">while the main living areas are individual rooms there are no doors between them</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">there is no insulation in the roof</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">there are gaps in the floorboards which are exposed directly to the outside weather</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">the doors and windows are not well sealed which cause a lot of drafts</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">there is no double glazing</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">there's no inbuilt heating, which means heating is dependent on <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">electric</span> heaters.</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">Most of these aspects can't be addressed without <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">significant</span> capital outlay, so on the face of it you would think we'd be up for high heating costs, electricity bills and carbon emissions (most of Australia's power is sourced from coal, which is one of the worst sources of carbon emissions). But it ain't necessarily so. We've been getting a few ideas from the ABC TV show - Carbon Cops, but most are affirmations of what we'd already done. Here's some steps we took.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Making the switch to green power:</strong> We decided to go with Country Energy for our supply of power. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">NSW</span> energy market got deregulated some years ago, thanks to my old boss Fred. As a result there is a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">supposedly</span> competitive market for green power. What we actually found in practice was that information on who was the cheapest and best provider of green power is sporadic, and in some cases biased and misleading. At the time of doing our research, Country Energy was the cheapest provider who also <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">received</span> a blue chip rating on their service and carbon rating. Interestingly enough, when we rang Country Energy they didn't seem to realise this or that they could provide in our area. We pushed ahead and for the measly sum of $4.40 per week now have a clear <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">conscience</span>. The interesting thing about how they do this is they buy offsets against the average household's usage, rather than what we actually use. In theory this means if we get our energy use down, we could actually be carbon negative (making up for other people). This topic might be worthy of a separate blog, I might come back to this.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjWRvy6aj03DVIRRi2-2NfRHKdGVeQcoX2lwOTMNk7dZl0nOXdRDsnAyhLV2Gbni08nNQDXdLnJVRl6AtwNqPCUFkhKEl1SS2rhaeMlDUSThO-NalmTlMlTTYnf5PjbQWyV-1XO9L6Ckp/s1600-h/IMGP1262.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094813715430750626" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjWRvy6aj03DVIRRi2-2NfRHKdGVeQcoX2lwOTMNk7dZl0nOXdRDsnAyhLV2Gbni08nNQDXdLnJVRl6AtwNqPCUFkhKEl1SS2rhaeMlDUSThO-NalmTlMlTTYnf5PjbQWyV-1XO9L6Ckp/s200/IMGP1262.JPG" border="0" /></a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Reduce the drafts:</strong> Draft reducing tape (the double sided foamy tape stuff) is available at most hardware stores for about $5-10. You put the tape around the door jams and window frames to eliminate any drafts. This is sticky stuff and sticks everywhere other than were you want it to do, so be careful with it. Also give the surface area a light clean to make sure it sticks - wiping it with your finger was enough for me.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Get a door snake:</strong> $5 from any hardware or junk shop. The cold air can no <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadVSOtIgKCnjNZpBfmB9MsiKPV_xWSgUGk9GHhdgC5FLdjFibnsS72D96kadXBexd1qoXhl3d83Pa8ettOCScOaahYofQs2bnp5heci2XtcdIlI7vJJ5DF-3MbT9Up9t9KFfN7g197y2k/s1600-h/IMGP1263.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094813736905587122" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadVSOtIgKCnjNZpBfmB9MsiKPV_xWSgUGk9GHhdgC5FLdjFibnsS72D96kadXBexd1qoXhl3d83Pa8ettOCScOaahYofQs2bnp5heci2XtcdIlI7vJJ5DF-3MbT9Up9t9KFfN7g197y2k/s200/IMGP1263.JPG" border="0" /></a>longer get in (see photos 1 & 2 - that's a huge gap!).</span></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpz418DqbcieUNujsp2cIxFOQbCwf1yLaWYF6QtdYj4XbC0ubejsspk6m0RX4FFnBayIVOI5PTYG_NuYBHuQvHRYuCQkwlxaHjgw2D_gZuvX9wNTpI61lRICf4DS3eTF4ReEJdNEKsROB/s1600-h/IMGP1262.JPG"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></a></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Only heat the room you're in:</strong> Normally you'd just shut the door, but in this house there are no doors. What we did was buy a self suspended hanging rail (under $15 in most hardware stores - see picture). These things are great, you can put them up and down in under 10 seconds and they don't leave any marks. From there you can make some quick curtains (find someone with a sewing fetish - Gem made ours in a few hours with $20 in calico) and hang them up. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkmHDoE2Tc5N7xDhQqjS83XUWXZaC-X5LAuNAYuSCoVEYvpiieGHrmnUtipyCJ1_0vmnQ9Xjzc_6a01vEgMxYqL1Ri4pZE0eKqXb9Fqp7fhtGSeYvgRa-ehNiPKXa7uTZOtyvjpfJyGsa/s1600-h/IMGP1307.JPG"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094813762675390930" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" height="159" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkmHDoE2Tc5N7xDhQqjS83XUWXZaC-X5LAuNAYuSCoVEYvpiieGHrmnUtipyCJ1_0vmnQ9Xjzc_6a01vEgMxYqL1Ri4pZE0eKqXb9Fqp7fhtGSeYvgRa-ehNiPKXa7uTZOtyvjpfJyGsa/s200/IMGP1307.JPG" width="203" border="0" /></span></a>We've put them on both doors in and out of our lounge room. So for under $50 we've been able to contain most of our heat (it was freezing before we put these in - all the heat was blowing into the other rooms) and cut down our power bills. One of the other things that's interesting is that you can see whether you've got any drafts once the curtains are up because they blow around - you can then track down open windows etc. (see photos) </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Put some curtains in:</strong> We had wooden blinds which helped with some of the cold escaping out the windows but didn't allow any light in. We've put in some cheap roman blinds, but these haven't been very effective as they're thin and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXCD8ZpqB6vLjlkC8U4L2Kf40k7-lXuFXdBkqNyGGnF4Wu2c9Hu5EROMdcFLEbM_Ydm9P4WAfE4WIr-fqAv383txmhKr6G_0TBpIork7mcnD1NBWxFCcyB8SE2Zk1ChKEySngdPQ4gGXY/s1600-h/IMGP1308.JPG"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094813771265325538" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXCD8ZpqB6vLjlkC8U4L2Kf40k7-lXuFXdBkqNyGGnF4Wu2c9Hu5EROMdcFLEbM_Ydm9P4WAfE4WIr-fqAv383txmhKr6G_0TBpIork7mcnD1NBWxFCcyB8SE2Zk1ChKEySngdPQ4gGXY/s200/IMGP1308.JPG" border="0" /></span></a>we don't have any pelmets. Suggestions appreciated on this one.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Blankets, wheat bags and water bottles:</strong> Fan heaters are terrible things - they chew a lot of power, make the air stale and put you to sleep. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Wheatbags</span> are a great little invention - you put them in the microwave for 2 minutes and they'll keep you warm for an hour. Hot <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">waterbottles</span> are about the same effectiveness... actually this laptop I'm using is doing a pretty good job... why do these things generate so much heat even when they're running off batteries? (see photo 3)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Comments <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">please. Other ideas and experiences?</span></span></span></p></div><br /><p> </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikL7Audcx5rDVfAswsukUvN2GJGL_KpjspFHbh7p_ts3UYKoyEi53pOUCNEud4WKykFGjyl2yk9gyk2wBgH9C09uHNvmlpBQ1bNibbEvHtvaMTyAM86LsdqSOQ49FdCWmwYrqiY_oLCJEK/s1600-h/IMGP1306.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094813745495521730" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikL7Audcx5rDVfAswsukUvN2GJGL_KpjspFHbh7p_ts3UYKoyEi53pOUCNEud4WKykFGjyl2yk9gyk2wBgH9C09uHNvmlpBQ1bNibbEvHtvaMTyAM86LsdqSOQ49FdCWmwYrqiY_oLCJEK/s200/IMGP1306.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /> </p>The Joneseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100467999662448957noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4038079083267590234.post-6921631269811530862007-08-03T23:16:00.001-07:002007-08-04T00:46:28.475-07:00Little things - a case study in sustainable living for renters<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknX6RNA9TPdULJcIN6iq6jHdGXRU8Y8ZTEsGJ9a1a4nLtAaVV5UbEh-ZO6Sm9ryRUqq78Z2henLkUFhlRR7f2094dVwHXdkkshF7ZUkYVoo1vbswdvw-G1runSVjGxs00YVxMeKTOSwe8/s1600-h/IMGP1256.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094748273014061362" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknX6RNA9TPdULJcIN6iq6jHdGXRU8Y8ZTEsGJ9a1a4nLtAaVV5UbEh-ZO6Sm9ryRUqq78Z2henLkUFhlRR7f2094dVwHXdkkshF7ZUkYVoo1vbswdvw-G1runSVjGxs00YVxMeKTOSwe8/s320/IMGP1256.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">About three months ago Gem and I moved into a great little house in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Newtown</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">NSW</span> Australia. We're on a sustainability kick, so we've been slowly changing little things about the house and how we live.</span><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">The house is a 1920's style worker's cottage which has been extended twice as far as we can tell. The place has got a lot of character and a lot to work with, but also a lot of limitations. One of those limitations is that we don't own the place, we rent, so this means that little things are within reach and big things probably aren't. But as Paul and Kev say "From little things big things grow..."</span><br /></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">Sarah from the <a href="http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Environment/TheWatershedSustainabilityResourceCentre.asp">Watershed</a> suggested that we'd make a good case study, so we decided to start this blog. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">The aim of this blog is to summarise our experiences and research on a range of topics with emphasis on little things that can be done by renters, and how we've gone about them. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Our goal is to be well under average for the carbon footprint without reverting to the stone age. This will result at times in continuing to do things which are not perfect, but our aim is not to be perfect, just to share what we've done, how we've done it and perhaps get some suggestions of other things to try.</span><br /><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">There's also a range of things we haven't worked out yet, so <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">suggestions</span> most gratefully received. As we try them out I'll aim to update the blog with the results.</span></div>The Joneseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100467999662448957noreply@blogger.com0