We’re taking carbon pollution out of Earth’s air this year

  The drone being used to film installation of the composter   Today was a good day. Waverley Council, wecompost and farmer John Fairley of Country Valley Dairy, along with Bondi businesses are working together to cut food waste, cut business costs and to grow soil on a farm.  wecompost is a joint project involving myself, Jess Miller and Closed Loop. Our project to take carbon pollution out of Earth’s atmosphere started when we installed the big composter at... Read More

ABC Radio – turning food waste into farm soil

ABC Radio 702 Linda Mottram spoke to Mayor Sally Betts of Waverley council and I today about a ‘game-changer’ project at Bondi to turn food waste into farm soil. The 17 minute interview and background is  here: May the food waste, the soil and the hope this project offers bring a smile to your face,   M  Read More

Ask me to garden for you?

Passion fruit, Myrtle St road garden Would you like me to garden for you?   If, “Yes”, then email me here on my website.   I’ve decided to garden for others in inner Sydney who wish to grow food, create an urban farm or to grapple with the garden they have in some way.   When you email please let me know what your situation is and I’ll give you a quote for my gardening: either comment on this blog or to email me from my website go here:  http://archive.sustainablehouse.com.au/contact/   Looking... Read More

Being human is messy

Bowl, Lombok Villa Talking to my friend, Lesley, tonight at the bar at the end of a blank, empty lane where the door, when opened, beckons one inside to Freda’s, a bar on Regent Street with music, old timbers, raw old bricks and freshly opened oysters, and beans that’ve been kind of curdled, and much more, she said, “Being human is messy”. I agreed. Lesley meant ‘messy’, I think, as in ‘ungovernable’ or ‘uncontrollable’... 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 of what works and doesn’t. Together we planted:  chives, vietnamese mint, lemon grass, rhubarb,... Read More

Fejoia is fab

Banana and fejoia I’ve really developed a taste for fejoia; the one I photographed here I bought from Harris Farm, Broadway. The fejoia is the best performing of our street fruit trees; hardy, doesn’t need watering, easy to espalier, and, best of all, not one has been stolen. Try one – you may become a fejoia lover, too; it was a very strange taste the first time, part kiwi fruit, part something entirely new. To eat; cut in half, take a spoon and eat raw... Read More

The Sustainable Communities Plan is on the web

Sydney City Council asked me to make a plan to make the whole suburb of Chippendale sustainable. It’s not just a plan for this suburb; it can be used to make any suburb sustainable – it’s free and you’re welcome to put it to work where you are. Now the Plan can be read on mobiles, kindles and is very easy to search, use and tweet.  Get it here: theplan.sustainablehouse.com… Enjoy. You can see some of the folks who support the Plan. Please sign the... Read More

Great new vid about how to make Chippo Plan real for us all

Mikey Leung tells stories on video.  He’s just made a beaut vid about our plan to make Chippo sustainable and the people who love it so much they’ve spent hours and hours putting it on a new web page for anyone to use to make the place where they live and work sustainable, too: youtu.be/SHkMh8wwlXY…   Thank you, Mikey – you’re terrific and so’s your vid. Join with us to make the Plan happen and watch the vid and go to the link there .... Read More

Mushrooms lead the way

A friend, Jessica, sent me this link; thanks, Jess – its wonderful images and respect for the power, magic and beauty of mushrooms is worth a look – enjoy: bit.ly/H7ux2O…   May the mushies be with you, M  Read More

NSW Minister Humphries gardens with us in Chippo

Photo Left to right: Nathan (about a quarter of him), Bob, Paul, Minister Kevin Humphries, Michael, Greg, Paddy, James (about a quarter of him) Here is a photo taken today of Kevin Humphries MP, NSW Minister for Mental Health and some TAFE Outreach gardeners at a vertical garden in Chippendale. The Minister planted a lettuce and inspected the Chippendale gardens, compost bins and will be in touch soon about how the state may become involved. Great to see a hands on Minister... Read More