Blog

New Tour Dates

February 12, 2012

We have new tour dates scheduled.

Book on a tour of Canberra’s Sustainable House. Come and visit Canberra’s premiere environmentally friendly home. This is an ultra low energy home with maximum comfort and minimal impact on our Earth.

How does this home heat and cool itself? How does it collect all of its water needs on site?

This home has been disconnected from the ACT Water and Sewerage Network for 5.5 years. No sewerage has left the site in that time.

Food and kitchen gardens, fruits, nuts and berries – this home goes well beyond Energy Ratings, compact flouros and solar panels. It has vision and presence.

Tours of Canberra’s Sustainable House are all about education, learning, innovation and providing inspiration to  you to kick start your renovations or new environmentally friendly home.

Sustainable House Tours

October 6, 2011

After a break the past two months, we have just scheduled some new tour dates.

So book in, come along and be inspired by Canberra’s most comprehensive sustainable house. Now in it’s 5th year of successful and environmentally friendly operation.

Click her for dates, times and booking details.

 

 

The Canberra Gardener

November 7, 2010

Canberra Gardening identity and ABC Weather Presenter, Mr Mark Carmody was in fine form today for the launch of the 10th Edition of The Canberra Gardener yesterday. Complete with lapel adorned with the trademark flower – a Rhododendron no less. Mark informed the audience that this was a special occasion and he was both humbled and privileged to have been invited to launch the 10th Edition of The Canberra Gardener. It was a book and a passion that was very close to his heart. I was amongst the audience at the launch and it was indeed a privilege to be present. This was apparently the first time in 63 years that The Canberra Gardener has ever been officially launched!!! And what better person to launch The Canberra Gardener than Mark Carmody!!!!

The Paperchain book store in Manuka generously hosted the launch. The store was full of people passionate about gardens and gardening. Mark engaged the audience with a diverse range of stories and enriched the launch beautifully. Mark lamented that The Canberra Gardener has been an ongoing reference for him since the time he commenced his Gardening career. The audience wholeheartedly agreed with Mark’s suggestion that every household should have a copy of The Canberra Gardener on their bookshelves. In fact, the ACT Government should donate a copy to every Canberra household. What a magnificent gift for those newly arrived to Canberra!!!

There is no other town or city in Australia with a book like this. The Canberra Gardener is unique and has filled the niche in Canberra since 1948. It is fitting that the 10th Edition of The Canberra Gardener should be launched in 2010, a time when gardens, especially edible gardens are becoming so important and popular.

This latest edition is beautifully formatted and laid out. The content is beautiful, clear with a lovely balance of detail. The Horticultural Society of Canberra has also gone to great effort of ensure that The Canberra Gardener was published and printed locally in Australia on recycled paper.

At $25.00 a copy it’s great value. Do yourself a favour and buy a copy before it sells out.

Book Launch

October 7, 2010

Sarah and I were both fortunate and humbled to have received an invite from Michael Mobbs to attend the launch of the Second Edition of his book, ‘Sustainable House’ in Sydney yesterday.

This was a day to celebrate the wonderful and diverse achievements Michael has made and continues to make in sustainability.

It was magnificent to have the former and longest continuous serving premier of NSW, Mr Bobb Carr in attendance to officially launch the 2nd Eddition of Michael’s book. For those who do not know the history, Bobb Carr officially opened Michael’s sustainable home on Monday 9 December 1996, so it was fitting and inspirational for Bobb to again be present at this landmark event.

For me there are no finer examples of leaders and heroes than those that lead by example. When Michael spoke yesterday I felt a great connection with the message he calmly and quietly delivered. “The conversations surrounding food, water and energy are and will be uncomfortable for Australians to hold”.

We enjoyed the beautiful local food, all if it inspired by Michael’s magnificent roadside gardens in Myrtle Street, Chippendale. The sweet clear water we sipped was precious rainwater, collected from the roof of Michael’s terrace house. To my right was the entrance to a bee hive, buzzing with activity. Being allergic to bees I might have been a wee bit concerned were it not for the fact that these were in fact native stingless bees.

These are the conversations that need to be held and the conversations are starting right now as we come to grips with the reality of a changing climate and a battered Mother Earth. The truth is there will be implications for the water we drink, the energy we use and the essential food sustains us all.

Michael and his Sustainable House were part of the inspiration for our sustainable home here in Canberra. A well thumbed copy of the Michael’s first edition of Sustainable House takes pride of place on our bookshelf. I vividly remember handing a copy to our nominated plumber John, as we sat in the shade of a street tree at the front of our home discussing details of our water systems.

I now have the First and Second Editions of Sustainable House side by side. I can hardly wait to delve into this the latest edition. Every Australian should have both of these books in their libraries, so do yourself a favour and buy them!!!!

Copies of Sustainable House can be purchased via Michael’s website

Visit the The Fifth Estate for a wonderful article.

Don’t Be Shy

October 1, 2010

Please Join Our Movember Team

Ladies and Gentlemen.

You are cordially invited to join our Movember team, the ‘SustainaBros’.

This is an opportunity to raise community awareness and money to improve Mens health, specifically in the areas related to mental illness and prostate cancer. Men do the Mo Grow, our lady friends do the Mo Shave – we’ll be using solar power and rainwater to remove the Moz.

Don’t be shy – please contact Nick for further details and help raise the profile of these important issues. You know you want the Mo to grow!!!!

Sustainable House Day

September 25, 2010

Sustainable House Day is a whole of community event and goes to the heart of key social aspects in our society, a critical component if we are to become a truly sustainable nation and global community.

Thank You

A big thank you to all the untiring volunteers who made the opening of Canberra’s Sustainable House possible on Sustainable House Day 12 September 2010. At this stage for privacy reasons I will not mention names, but you know who you are and you the visitor may have met and perhaps even know some of these fine people. If volunteers would like their names added here, please let me know and I will do so.

Thanks also to SHMECO, Australian Institute of Architects and the event sponsors. The organisation is a huge task and relies enormously on volunteers, paid staff and financial contributions of the sponsors. Let’s hope the Commonwealth Government reinstates financial sponsorship and support for Sustainable House Day 2011.

I also want to thank various parts of the Media for their contribution to promoting Sustainable House Day in 2010. I particularly make mention is no priority order of The Canberra Chronicle, The Canberra Times, WIN TV, and ABC Radio (666 Canberra).

Finally, I want to thank you, the public, who gave of your Sunday time to visit Canberra’s Sustainable House as you journey towards a sustainable future. Remember the summit of this mountain is well above above the 8 star altitudinal level. Remember to turn your frustrations into fascinations as you grapple with awkward times retrofitting, renovating or building new.

On The Day

Sustainable House Day 2010 dawned frosty, bright and sunny – we knew it would. All the solar aspects of Canberra’s Sustainable House were shining. The solar hot water system was heating at full tilt, our power station with it’s untiring work ethic was busily converting light to electricity. The north facing windows allowed in sunshine, gently warming our home. We opened some windows mid morning as the power of sunlight combined with the warmth emanating from our enthusiastic visitors brought Canberra’s leading sustainable house to a balmy 25 degrees celcius. The kitchen garden was of course showing off and leaves hard at work, magically converting light into gourmet ingredients. The link between Kitchen and Garden is a critical one as we move to the low carbon society.

300 visitors in all. My sincerest apologies to the countless others who were turned away. Guided tours are available everyday at Canberra’s Sustainable House. Sustainability education and learning is a key focus of our tours. It is as though Sustainable House Day is everyday here. Every hour is Earth Hour and every day is World Environment Day at Canberra’s Sustainable House.

Art

I am always inspired to have young people on tours here at Canberra’s Sustainable House. Yes I have to rack the gravel paths after they visit, replant the flower beds and even wait for the next round of raspberries to fruit. But these are the people who inherit the future we leave them and it is a privilege to observe them learning about sustainability. Eating raspberries picked fresh from the vine is sustainability in action. I was fortunate to discover a piece of artwork left behind on our verandah on Sustainable House Day. The woodland trees festooned with mistletoe maybe seen in this artwork? And the sun is shining brightly – brilliant. I know not who the artist is, but I would be happy to both credit the work and return it to the rightful owner. Do let me know if you know more than I do.

Electric Vehicle Festival

September 2, 2010

The second annual National Electric Vehicle Festival is on again this year in Canberra.

Saturday 18 September 2010

An inspiring event organised by the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) and the ACT Electric Vehicle Council.

Visit their website for details and location.

Or for further details contact:

Julia McDonald

Email: festival@canberraev.org

M:        0407 060 981

A Bloom’in Spring

September 2, 2010

It is ‘game on’ in the kitchen garden at Canberra’s Sustainable House. Winter is now behind us, the sweet scent of blossum is in the air and the saps moving again. This is the time of year that gardeners relish, planning and planting as the days grow continually longer and warmer.

Tremendous winter rains see the kitchen garden bursting with new life. Late plantings of heirloom carrots are being harvested. Perfect timing. The carrots overwintered and sweetened by the frosts of winter have all but been eaten.

The soil in the kitchen garden is rich and healthy. Old varieties of lettuce self seeded, germinating prolifically to form mosaics amongst the garlic, shallots and parsnips.

Sure, we’ll get some cold snaps in the next month or so, but it’s time to get moving. Sow some seed for tomatoes, capsicum and eggplants. Don’t forget the basil, pumpkins and melons. Stay tuned for the potato planting at Canberra’s Sustainable House – coming soon…….

Animal Visits For Kids

August 31, 2010

Creatures from all over Canberra are flocking from far and wide to see for themselves the environmentally friendly home and gardens at Canberra’s Sustainable House.

Take the beautiful local Canine, Leo for example. He was drawn immediately to the feature concrete floors of Canberra’s Sustainable House. “I just couldn’t resist” said Leo, a beautiful Husky dog from Canberra’s Inner North. “Why are new houses that use heaps of extra energy being built when there is a home like this one that uses none!! And it is way comfy?……..I just had to dash in and feel the luxurious warmth of Canberra’s Sustainable House while I had the chance”.

Fortunately for Leo (pictured here) sustainable house co-owner, Nick and visiting environmental glass guru, Dale were on hand to calmly guide young Leo to a comfortable spot on the verandah. Leo is now enjoying the spectacular views across the productive kitchen garden and into the yellow box woodlands beyond, sipping serenely from a bucket of sweet, cool, rainwater. “The kitchen garden has been such an inspiration”, commented Leo, “I couldn’t just sit here gaining inspiration without getting ‘paws on’, so I broke open a few bales of hay and did some mulching – bloom’in marvelous this garden is!!!”.

And it is not only the Canines, renowned for their intelligence that have made a bee line for Canberra’s Sustainable House. An outgoing flock of Noisy Miners are the latest incomers, having taken up a sroost in the Bay Tree near the verandah. The sustainable gardens at Canberra’s Sustainable House are also well known for their resident frogs and reptiles. A Shingleback couple overwinters each year in the kitchen garden at Canberra’s Sustainable House. The rapidly warming days will soon draw these amazing creatures out of their winter slumber. And we can hardly wait………

A Winter Kitchen Garden

August 19, 2010

The longer days and fantastic winter rains are transforming the kitchen garden at Canberra’s Sustainable House. The onions and garlic are working hard at developing tasty underground treats, bulbs in the case of the onions, corms in garlic.

The flower buds on the peaches are swelling and blushing pink, a key time to step in with some organic fungal treatments to avoid curly leaf disease and more to boot. I didn’t stop with the stone fruit, as plants such as Pomegranate can also succumb to curly leaf. The secret mix I use is also highly effective at reducing key bacterial infections in nashi pears too. And wouldn’t it be nice to get another bumper crop of those!!!

With the turnip supply almost eaten, by us, not the resident rabbit the heirloom Broccoli has decided to step up to the plate, quite literally. It now threatens to overwhelm us. Such are the cycles in this loved and over producing kitchen garden. Have a good hard look at the broccoli I photographed last weekend – fabulous stuff, so sweet you can eat it raw.

The coming weeks and months will be busy times in the sustainable garden and is looking like a bumper spring this year.