John Connor, CEO, The Climate Institute endorses The Plan

John Connor, CEO, The Climate Institute, has read the Plan to make a suburb sustainable – the Sustainable Communities Plan – and has endorsed it in these terms: ‘Tackling climate change requires ambition and action from all directions: top down; bottom up, and; from all sides.  Your plan is fresh thinking from the ground up and a few laterals thrown in. It persuasively... Read More

Making units green

Article about making units green, positives, negatives, red tape, solutions and barriers to change: www.thefifthestate.com…   and here:   theplan.sustainablehouse.com…  Read More

Sustainability education courses in Australia

A question popped in my email some time ago but I lost track of it until reminded today: “Hi Michael Hope this email finds you well. In late 2010 I visited your house – thanks again for opening your doors. Since then I’ve read your book and am very interested to know whether there are any tertiary / TAFE courses (or otherwise) which focus on sustainable house design. I... Read More

Making ice without electricity

An ice house in Iran - Image from Gardens of Persia, Penelope Hobhouse, photo by Jerry Harpur, published by Floriligium (yes, the same wonderful gardening bookshop in Glebe) Four hundred or so years ago Persian engineers made ice without electricity. Ice houses (yakhchal in Farsi, or icehouse) kept ice in the burning heat of the Iran plateau.  They’re rarely used today. They’re... Read More

Another turn around the sun

“Getting old is not for sissies”, said my aunt Maude. Why then, sissy that I am, do I mark today another turn around the sun? Enough already. Time to pause, consider what’s important.  Well, another turn would be beaut. Walked out early into the wild, wild wind of this morning.  Branches all over from the night’s storm. As I gathered up some branches to... Read More

And so . . . to chestnuts

A friend, Stephanie, has alerted me to a source of fairly local (near Canberra) chestnuts, and will roast some at afternoon tea this Saturday.  They’re ordered on the Net from Tweenhills Chestnuts:  www.tweenhillschestnuts.com….au  Fresh chestnuts are available direct from the farm duringApril and May.  Their website says: ‘John and Heather Kane established... Read More

Bees and food security

If you’re interested in bees and food security check this out:  www.thefifthestate.com… Solutions are here:  theplan.sustainablehouse.com…  Read More

Cool windows in summer, warm windows in winter

This question popped up in my mailbox this week: Dear Mr Mobbs, I heard your interview on ABC702 this week and you mentioned a glazing film which can be applied to glass to make it more insulated. Can you please tell me what product it is? So far, I have found a film made by Enerlogic and distributed in Australia by MEP films which claims to reduced heat loss through the glass... Read More

Simple compost solution, and a paw paw tree goes North

Chippo paw paw replanted north side of Harbour Bridge Two things from today’s road gardening; a paw paw tree goes north; and a new simple way to compost was swapped. For this Friday’s gardening, Janet and friends came across the Harbour Bridge to join us.  Lots of ‘We do this . . “, and “How do you find this goes . . “, as we swapped stories... Read More

Upon, ‘being there”

Bronte sunrise, May 2012 Warning: this photo has little to do with this post There’s a competition underway which ends this Thursday where people may vote for ‘the top 50 sustainability building leaders’. It’s here: yfhome.wordpress.com… Some questions and answers come to mind. Q. Why is the competition being held? Answer: Follow the money. Q. Will a ticker tape parade... Read More