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Our home and garden can be a bottomless pit of resource consuming ecological inefficiency - or a healthy Eden of self-sufficiency. So how do we manage that part of our ecological footprint we most control, our home, and set it on a sustainable path?
Cultivate Energy-Saving Habits
Energy saving habits are easy to learn. Daily behaviours can save resources and money and can reduce your contribution to global warming.
Energy conservation through the adoption of efficient technology and behaviours saves resources and money.
The sun hitting your roof can power your life.
Harvest and Use your Rainwater
Install a rainwater tank to collect and store the rain hitting your roof and use it to water your garden, wash your clothes or fill your toilet.
Install Efficient Appliances and Fixtures
When investing in large household appliances and fixtures, use the government's Energy and Water Ratings (Stars) to guide you to the most efficient, and save money over the long term as you continually conserve energy and water.
Sunlight converts cold water into hot water. No gasses are emitted and no one gets hurt. Life is rarely this simple!
Insulate, Shade and Weatherproof Your House
Insulating, shading and weather proofing your house can save you up to 45% on your current home energy bills while at the same time increasing the comfort and value of your home. Minimising the need to heat and cool your home from the extremes of our summer and winter weather will also reduce your contribution to global warming.
The carbon price is a tax on energy sources that emit carbon dioxide. The Australian Government is introducing a price on carbon, which will commence on 1 July 2012.
Water conservation on the driest continent on the planet is essential, logical and too long in coming. There are lots of easy things we can all do!
Environment
The urban spread of our houses and gardens, and the power, water and materials required for them to provide us with a comfortable living space, account for a very significant proportion of our ecological footprint.
Managed effectively, this integral part of our lives can be a vehicle for the conservation, generation and collection of energy, water and natural resources. It can even supply us with much of the food we need.
Wellbeing
Our homes are our sanctuaries where we bring our dearest, raise our children and spend over half our lives.
Tapping the potential of the house and garden to rejuvenate, inspire and soothe us, as well as protecting and sheltering us, is one of the creative missions of any householder's life.