Self-watering Herb Spiral – An Idea Worth Sharing

A herb spiral is a great idea to grow herbs on a mound of dirt. However, in hot and dry weather with extra radiant heat from stones even herbs struggle to survive. To keep them alive a regular watering and a fair a bit of water is required. For that reason a self-watering way sounds like the way to go. But how to make it work in a spiral with steeping soil for herbs to grow? Being an engineer I came up with a very clever but simple design idea which should work marvellously. So here is a description how we designed and built our herb spiral.

The spiral has three water reservoir levels as shown on the schematic. Each level comprises of the following layers (described from bottom to top).

• Softening layer (carpet) to smooth ground surface to protect black plastic
• Concrete underlay (black plastic 0.2mm thickness)
• Protective layer (carpet) to avoid punching holes in plastic
• Ag pipe across an entire reservoir and bended upwards to supply and spread water
• Water holding medium (stones)
• Soil around perimeter and in fill soil in the middle
• Stone to build outside wall

The pictures show step by step how we built each water level. The plastic underlay is as high as the stone water storage so the excess can overflow. From the top level it overflows into a middle level, from there to the bottom level which then overflows into the ground underneath. Each level watering pipe has got a float (a wooden skewer in a styrofoam rounded piece) to indicate the water level.

At the bottom the soil is about 10cm deep. When it curves around the spiral the soil depth increases to about 40cm. That’s where the next level starts with 10cm deep soil again. So in that way we achieved continuously raising soil without any interruption.

Our self-watering herb spiral is about 2.5 metres in diameter and 1 metre high. We planted over 20 different herbs around it according to their needs (e.g. mint in shallow soil thus more moist facing east; oregano in deep – less moist soil facing north).

We (two people) built the entire herb spiral project in just over one day with mostly freely available material on our property. It cost us a couple of dollars for the black plastic underlay. We located it in our newly built kitchen garden less than 10 metres from our kitchen. It’s already been well used for every day cooking.

There are more bright ideas to come and share from our Spurtopia Homestead, so watch the space.

ABC Radio Interview: Sustainable garden as a weapon in war on waste

We were privileged to do an ABC Radio interview with Terri Begley on how sustainable garden can reduce waste.

Listen to the interview ABC interview - Sustainable garden

Spurtopia story on TEDx

TEDx talk in Ispwich

What a great privilege to present our eight year sustainable living journey at famous TEDx talk.
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an invitation-only event where the world's leading thinkers and doers gather to share ideas worth spreading and find inspiration.


Watch a 16 minute video of the TEDx talk

Spurtopia progress

Landscaping taking shape

In the last half a year we have been very busy establishing our Spurtopia Homestead. It is ever so exciting especially when you do something you are absolutely passionate about - materializing our vision and creating a beautiful reality and future for our family.

It has taken a lot of planning, sketching and thinking to get it right and make it work. So far we have:

• Installed solar power on the roof (6kW system);
• Solar hot water system ($700);
• Self-watering planter boxes to quickly start growing our food;
• Established several garden beds;
• Planted 25 native trees;
• Landscaping – created a stone retaining wall and levelled a part of land close to the house, prepared a pad for a shed, built swales on contours (about 500 metres) for an orchard and food forest;
• Set up rainwater harvesting – 5000L (five IBC tanks) for a garden irrigation and we are in the process of installing 50Kl of rain water tanks for home use;
• Three free range chickens, 3 beehives as well as 2 worm farms are our day-to day companions;
• 8 large compost bays for preparation of nutrient rich soil;
• House face-lift such as decoration, renovation of a bathroom, laying tiles etc.

We have used a huge amount of materials to improve our unfertile and very poor soil:

Capsicons in Self-watering boxes

• 6 truck-loads of crusher dust and decomposed granite – minerals for garden and fruit trees;
• 2 truck-loads of wood chips, four truck-loads of soil;
• 70 cubic metres of horse manure;
• three ute loads of cow manure;
• and grass clippings and palm leaves from local garden maintenance guys.

As a result we already have an abundance of greens, tomatoes, zucchinis, eggplants, squashes, sweet corn, capsicums and rosellas. In our opinion these are very good results considering such a hot and dry summer (while writing these lines the thermometer shows 42°C in the shade!)

Our home production is in a full swing, making yoghurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, sourdough bread, raw cakes, home brew beer, ginger beer, lemonade and absolutely delicious mead from our honey.

On a day to day basis we do natural parenting and home education of our two daughters which gives us a joy and meaning of life.

Vegi garden

Also establishing a local community in our neighbourhood is essential for us so we share our experience and produce which is starting some very nice relationships.

We already have a lot of people coming to see how we have been transforming our one acre property into a sustainable paradise. This year we are planning to have our place open to the public for visits, education, workshops and internship programs. We do what we are passionate about, we live our dream and in that way we’re creating our reality and shaping our future in which we want to live. 2017 will be another amazing year, full of joy, prosperity and happiness.


Your Spurtopians

The Spurtopia Cottage

We had to move out of our rented place in inner city Brisbane. Our very good friends who are like our “Australian parents”, offered us the opportunity to live temporarily with them on an acreage close to Jimboomba until we find a new home to buy.
So “the deal” is we can live in a shed for free in exchange for some help on their property. This, to us, sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn’t it? There are so many people who own a property with a lot of space but do not have the time or strength to look after it, while there are many people who are young, willing to work and have time in their hands. So combined together it is a win - win situation and everyone benefits.

Our intention is to prove the case and show it is possible to achieve, also that converting a shed into a liveable shed does not need to be expensive. The existing shed (6m x 6m) comprises of concrete floor, three windows, an entrance door and a roller door. It is connected to the electricity supply and a rainwater tank with a water outlet on a corner of the shed.
The majority of the materials we used for the conversion are reused, recycled, donated or unwanted items such as:

•  Kitchenette comprising of a bench, a sink, tap ware and cupboards is a “throw away” from a private hospital
• Large (2.1m x 2.4m) glazed sliding doors with a crim-safe screen and a kitchen oven from a kerbside collection
• Wall and roof insulation from the manufacturer off cuts (30cm wide off cut rolls 24m long) about 120 square metres.
• Camping compostable toilet and gas cooker are donated by our friends
• Brand new hand basin, tap ware and laminated floor as leftovers from a construction site
• Plywood wall boards and flyscreens are reused
• Shower cubical in exchange for a couple of jars of our honey
• Wooden stove in exchange for three bottles of our home brew mead
• Recycled garden and swimming pool hose
• Some minor materials used from the property

So all we had to buy were a few metres of pine studs, plaster board, reflective foil, a sliding door rail, a tiny instantaneous hot water heater and some screws.

First, we insulated the walls with 6cm of thermal insulation and lined with plywood. The kitchen was reassembled and cupboards used as an L - shaped partition to create the bathroom. There are pine studs, a ceiling grill was fitted with two layers of thermal insulations and a reflective foil then lined with plaster boards to create a flat insulated ceiling. The existing roller door was dismantled and replaced with sliding doors which provide a great view at greenery and connectivity with nature. Finally, the plumbing of the existing water supply outlet at the corner of the shed is connected to our shower, kitchen sink, washing machine and an instantaneous hot water heater via a recycled garden hose. Drainage of these outlets is done by reused swimming pool hose.

So now our “Cottage” is spacious open plan space with plenty of daylight, functional, fully liveable, and sustainable, using a minimum amount of rain water and electricity. We collect grey water to irrigate the garden and using the compostable toilet (without chemicals) to fertilize the soil before planting trees.

We look after the existing veggie garden comprising of two shade houses, which produce herbs, greens and veggies which we share with our friends who live here. The existing fruit trees bear a lot of fruit. Our compost heap, which we moved from the old place, became a productive food source with self-seeded tomatoes, thorny cucumbers and other volunteer plants. Lately we built three water efficient, self-watering bath tubs and styro-boxes to extend our growing space. We are also, looking after 7 chickens, of which 3 girls moved with us, laying an abundance of fresh eggs. We keep our bees in our friend’s place in Mitchelton as they are more productive in the city, just recently we harvested over 100kg of honey from two beehives.

The entire conversion of a workshop shed into a “cottage” was done within a couple of months while living there. It cost us less than $600. Our ongoing expense is less than $1 per day for electricity and internet access.

This is a prime example of sustainable existence, where we help each other. It costs nothing extra and there is no need to waste resources, money, time and effort to sustain a family while living a wholesome, frugal and fulfilling life.

Your Spurtopians

Self-watering Bathtub - Easy to Make, Easy to Grow Food

Self-watering bathtub 

When I found a bathtub on the side of a road, a bright idea came to me - it could be a great self-watering garden bed! The challenge would be to create a raised floor for holding soil above and storing water below while allowing water transfer between the water storage and the soil. I have come across a lot of different bathtub designs using woodchips, gravel or sand for water storage but they significantly reducing water holding capacity and at the same time are bulky and fairly heavy. So I came up with a design using a few recycled materials to create a self-watering bathtub with a massive water storage capacity of  about 100litres.

The self-watering bathtub has turned out to be very successful for growing our vegetables specifically water loving plants such as cucumbers and melons. The massive water holding capacity provides a constant supply of moisture to plants (via a wicking effect) with no need for watering for several weeks even months. It makes growing vegetables easy and bulletproof. More importantly, the self-watering bath tub is easy to make from materials readily available.


Materials needed:

• a recycled bath tub,
• three bricks
• a piece of steel mesh/old rigid fence
• a couple of hessian bags/ old towels
• a piece of PVC pipe about 60 cm long

Step by step to make a self watering bath tub:

Raised floor - Steel mesh on bricks 

1. Seal the bath drain with a plug.
2. Place three bricks on their edge into the bathtub (one at each end and the other in the middle of the tub).
3. Cut the steel mesh (a concrete reinforcing mesh or an old fence panel) to fit into the bathtub and rest it on the bricks creating a raised floor.
4. Use hessian bags/old towels to cover the steel mesh with hessian ends reaching down, into the bottom of the bathtub. The hessian will hold the soil and provide wicking from the ends. (You can add a shade cloth under hessian bad which holds soil better and last longer.)
5. Drill a overflow hole into a side of the bathtub level with the raised floor.
6. Cut a piece of pipe (about 60cm long) and stand it so it runs from bottom to the top of the bathtub, to be used to fill the lower area with water.
7. Fill the bathtub with rich organic soil.
8. Plant seeds or seedlings.

Hessian bags on mesh with ends in water

9. Mulch it!
10. Water it well from the top and fill up water storage.
11. Make a float (a piece of styrofoam and a wooden skewer) of a smaller diameter but the same length as the pipe and place it into the watering pipe to indicate water level.


An alternative way of making the self-watering bathtub is by using plastic crates or a wooden pallet.
Cut a PVC pipe of the same length as a crate/pallet height . Glue (adhesive sealant) the pipe into the drain hole at the bottom of the tub with the top of the pipe sticking out into bathtub (about level with the top of the crate/pallet. Make sure it is properly sealed, so water is held in the bathtub up to the top (about 20cm) of the PVC pipe. (If there is more water in water storage it overflows through the top of the pipe and get out the bathtub drain.) Then place plastic crates up-side down to create huge pockets for water storage. Note you can use anything which would create raised floor (eg. wooden pallet). Cut a watering-in PVC pipe so it comes from bottom to above the top of tub and secure it in a corner of the bathtub. Cover crates with shade cloth which goes up and down on the perimeter of the bathtub and between crates creating pockets. Fill pockets up with soil which will become a wick. Fill the entire tub with rich organic soil.

Mulch it on the top to stop any surface moisture evaporation and plant seeds or seedlings. Water it from top for a week or two so soil will settle down and an effective wicking effect is established. Place a bit of styrofoam float with wooden skewer into the watering pipe and fill it in with water until it's full and starts to flow from the bottom.

The trick of growing healthy plants is to keep them stress free. If they have enough nutrition, the right soil temperature (not too hot) and a constant supply of moisture especially on hot summer days, they will thrive. This can be easily achieved with the self-watering bathtub. Nutrition after heavy rain can be recovered from the water storage which also keeps soil cool, via an evaporation effect - without loosing water. The constant on demand, water supply via a wicking effect make plants happy even during hot summer days.

The self-watering bathtub is great to use everywhere: at gardens with bad soil or trees roots sucking all nutrition, concrete yards, balconies etc. We found them great for growing our food as they really, really work.

Happy gardening

Our Publication: Sustainable Living in the Inner City - An Inspirational Case Study

We wrote an educational publication - "Sustainable Living in the Inner City - An Inspirational Case Study and Toolkit for the Urban Farming and Establishing Sustainable Communities in the Cities" which aim to provide inspiration, help and guideline for other people interested in wholesome, simple and happy life.

To request a free copy of the publication (PDF) please send an email to spurtopia@gmail.com

Abstract:

Liveable cities are those that are healthy and sustainable. Close to 90% of people in Australia live in cities (esa.un.org/unpd/wup) and about one third are renters. There is an increasing number of people who want to grow organic food, live a more sustainable life, and enhance their well-being, but they may not know where to start. Many want to live a more wholesome, simple and fulfilling life. This case study outlines the opportunities and challenges of a five year transformation of an ordinary urban block of rental units in the inner-city Brisbane into a productive urban farm. It became a functional community, and a sustainable lifestyle was achieved. This publication  also provides testimonials from tenants and neighbours as well as a landlord who supported this sustainable urban design initiative. It aims to demonstrate: what can be achieved; to inspire people (homeowners, tenants, landlords and property developers) to be creative; to initiate other sustainable projects; and show how this example of sustainable living can be scaled up or down and be replicated elsewhere.

Living a Simple, Happy and Healthy Life - Article

YOUR VEGIE PATCH magazine in January 2016 issue published an article about our lifestyle. Thank you Tess Holderness for writing such an inspirational story about us and getting our message across.

SpurTopia virtual tour on Google maps

Now you can take a virtual tour on Google maps and be inspired.

Thanks Google for capturing Spurtopia place.

SpurTopia virtual tour

Nature Is Our Teacher

How the garden used to look like....

Brisbane has experienced an extremely long dry winter and spring period when everything became very dry and the lawns, crispy. However our garden, with a lot of tender love and care, looked like lush green jungle as we kept watering with collected rainwater. Everyone was hoping for rain for so long and it came eventually in the form of a massive, unusual storm (cyclone 2 type) combined with a huge amount of rain, strong wind and hail.

Brisbane mega storm 27 Nov 2014

As a result, not only were the windows of our house broken and the façade dotted by the hail but the garden was completely hammered. The entire garden bed was flattened as nothing could withstand hail the size of golf balls. Paw Paw trees were completely stripped of leaves and most of our mangos and avocados ended up on the ground. 

....after the storm 

For some it could have meant the end of gardening (after drought and hail) but to us it is a very encouraging and powerful message. These unpredictable and severe weather patterns are Nature's direct reflection of what is happening with human society. 

So we will start our garden beds from scratch and within 4 weeks we will start enjoying quick growing vegies like red radish and lettuce again. Nature is very resilient and powerful and everything eventually regrows.

More importantly it assures us that our 'Spurtopian way' of living provides great resilient, gives us strength to carry on living sustainably, walking lightly on the planet and encourages us to spread our message among people.

Nature is our Great teacher!

New growth appearing on pumpkin vine

Last surviving paw paws still hanging on a tree

It did not take long to see new live in the garden

Wicking Pot - easy and quick to make

People are talking about up-cycling materials but what can we really up-cycle quickly and have a long lasting benefit? We make wicking pots from a plastic milk container to grow seedlings, herbs and strawberries. You can make and plant such a wicking pot in less than 1 minute. The pot provides a plant with a continuous supply of moisture via a wick which transfers water from water storage to the soil, on demand. You do not need to water it every day as it will last for several days/weeks.
How to make the wicking pot?

Materials you need:
- 2 or 3 litre milk container (or any available plastic bottle)
- piece of "Chucks" cloth.

Cut a milk container in half with scissors. Cut a piece of "Chucks" about 10x5cm. Punch a hole in the lid and push the "Chucks" half way through with a pair of scissors. Make sure that the "Chucks" is fairly tight in the hole otherwise water will leak through and flood the soil.

Plant seeds, seedlings, herbs, greens, strawberries and they will thrive as a continuous supply of moisture reduces plant stress during hot summer days.

Did you know: To stop evaporation,  use vermiculite on the top of the pot. It's light so seeds can grow through. As vermiculite is also light in colour, it reflects sunshine and keeps the soil surface cool. It also holds a lot of moisture, about 7 times of its weight.

SpurTopia - A Small Kingdom of Happiness

SpurTopians

My family and I have been living in a rental property in Brisbane for over five years. We have adopted a sustainable lifestyle becoming less reliant on the system and more self-sufficient.
We created a “farm” that produces vegies, fruit, honey and eggs in abundance. Most of our fruit and vegies come from our garden. Excess is shared and swapped within a functional community of neighbours.

We grow organically over 100 different types of vegetables, 25 herbs and 25 fruit trees utilizing every available space (yard space, block walls, fences, staircase) of a typical urban block.
We continuously improve effectiveness with our new ideas and inventions e.g. vegetable pyramid, self-watering/fertilizing planter boxes, worm farm planter pots, gravity fed irrigation, chicken feeders, maggot tin grower - all made from recycled materials.
Our “farm” is productive, efficient and visually pleasing. It includes:

• Chickens, honeybees, worm farms 
• Rain and grey water harvesting, home-made solar hot water system
• Preparing organic rich soil and fertilizers, seedlings, seed saving, multi-purpose bamboo pyramid
• A bath tub with fish and water vegetables
• A cob and solar oven
• Use of locally available resources
• Sprouting, fermenting, preserving, cooking from garden produce

The low maintenance urban “farm” (under 1hour a day) provides us with fresh organic food, fun, physical and mental exercise and a connection with nature. Gardening is extremely rewarding making life simpler, cheaper, healthier and more sustainable – it is another dimension to life.

We set an example of what can be achieved in a rental property, passionately sharing our experience, knowledge, ideas and inventions with the general public via TV, radio, newspapers, public events and workshops .

We have created the notion of “SpurTopia”, a small kingdom where we are living a fulfilling and happy life.

Aloe Vera – Power Packed Green Gem

Aloe Vera - Power Packed Green Gem

The Aloe Vera plant grows in practically every garden or pot. But do we utilize its full potential? 

Most people use Aloe for skin burns (it is the most effective treatment for burnt skin in the world), scratches or insect irritations. However the plant is believed to be capable of much more. So what do we (SpurTopians) use Aloe Vera for?

Drink it in smoothies. We once used just the clear gel in the leaf but now put the whole leaf along with other fruit and leafy greens and flowers into a blender to make morning smoothies. The clear gel is actually tasteless. The yellow sap right under the green skin is bitter, but does not affect the taste at all, and has a disinfecting quality.

Alternative medicine uses Aloe for all sorts of health ailments - it is good for the health of the digestive system by supporting good bacteria in the intestines and repelling parasites and worms. It reduces blood sugar and cholesterol.

Skin moisturizer. It can be used on dry skin or after shaving. It's also good for skin and nappy rash as well as eczema. It provides healing for sun burn and scald burns and a cooling effect. It also mitigates blisters. 

Toothpaste

Take an Aloe Vera leaf, cut it lengthwise down the middle and scoop out the clear gel which is tasteless. Add bi-carb soda and mix it well. The ratio of Aloe gel to bi-carb soda is approx  3:1. If you want a bit of freshness, add chopped mint leaf into the mixture. You can store it in a fridge for several days.

As Hair shampoo, it is very simple to use. Just scoop out the gel and rub it into the hair like traditional shampoo and then wash it away.

Hope the above has inspired you to use Aloe Vera much more . We are going to write about Aloe Vera cake and garden fertilizer soon, so watch this space.

Did you know that in Egypt, Aloe vera was referred to as "immortality plant" and native Americans referred to it as "Wand of the Heaven." Aloe vera is so powerful, it is used to cure  certain skin cancers and  now there is a lot of research into its use in the AIDS and cancer fight. 

Aloe Vera toothpaste with mint

Organic, fresh, free of chemicals toothpaste

How many planets do you need to support your lifestyle?

We all should aim for One Planet Living

These days people frequently use buzz words like “Climate Change”, “Eco Products”, “Food Miles”, “Energy Efficiency”, “Carbon Offset” etc. but very few of us really understand the true meaning of these terms.
Let’s look at this in a bigger picture. Have you ever thought about what would happen if everyone on Earth lived like us in Australia? The answer would be devastating. If all countries consumed the resources that we Australians do, it would take three Earths to support their lifestyle. Australia has one of the world's largest ecological footprints per capita!
We have been exceeding the Earth's ability to support our lifestyle. Habitats are being destroyed, the soil and waterways are being irreparably degraded. We must get back into balance! And we can.
Each of us can make some simple changes that will add up to a great deal of relief for our increasingly fragile planet.
Would you like to measure your ecological footprint to see how the way you live is impacting the planet and what you can do to reduce it?
You can calculate your ecological footprint. More importantly, by changing inputs you can find out the differences and impacts that we make – the bigger picture.
Our (SpurTopia) ecological footprint is one and half planets. What is yours?

Comparison of different countries. (Australia 3 planets)

We Are What We Eat - Grow Your Own Food

Creating a no-dig garden bed

Empowering people to grow their own food allows them to eat fresh and organic fruit and vegies, be healthier, save money, provide physical and mental exercise, connect with nature and be less reliant and  future resilient.

If people knew how conventional food has been produced and stored, they would not buy it and either grow it at home or purchase it from an organic farmer. With the  amount of "artificial and dead" food people eat it is surprising how the human body can cope continue living.

We are what we eat. It is all about education. And that is why we freely share our knowledge and experience of growing your own  food. In the last few days we have been sharing our gardening and alternative lifestyle knowledge with people to inspire and encourage them to take the first step.

• Filming for Bris 31 TV gardening program Blooming in Brisbane and aiming to have a regular segment – it starts 10 Sept.
• Demonstration of ideas and inventions at DIY Vertical Gardening Workshop at Loganlea Community Centre
• Hands on Workshop – no-dig garden at the Community Garden Bethania Street Wynnum

Talking gardening ideas and  inventions

The TV producer - Lada

10 Top Sustainable Living Tips for Rentals

The majority of Australians live in cities where about 30 per cent of people live in rental properties.
Tenants usually feel restricted in what they can, and mainly cannot, do. Why should they be bothered to adapt their home to be more sustainable, if they eventually have to move on to another property?
Does renting mean that they cannot live sustainably? Even if you don’t have a garden or much room, you can still grow herbs or vegetables, for example.
Though we feel like rulers of the Earth, we are actually a most vulnerable species, as we lost the art of simple living and we take most things in our daily lives for granted. What do we do in the event of a power outage or loss of power supply, for example? We don’t consider these things any more.

SpurTopia Residence - Block of 5 unit with a small backyard

Our family have been living in a rental property in New Farm for more than five years. We have adopted a lifestyle of being less reliant on the system and becoming self-sufficient. We do this by growing our own food, using resources readily available to us and using the urban environment to our benefit. As a result, we have also created a more resilient existence.
Sustainable living to us means an enhancement of life, lowering our living expenses and being environmentally aware without compromising our comfort or incurring extra expenditure.
We have created “A Small Kingdom”, where we are living a fulfilling life in complete happiness. Enjoying every moment of life, having a sense of belonging in our community and achievement in our aims encourages us to take further steps into an amazing future ahead of all of us.

We would like to share with you our sustainable-living tips that any tenant can employ to get you inspired to take the first step along this path.

10 top sustainable living tips

Self-watering planter box

1. Grow your own food – in a small garden bed, a pot, even in polystyrene vegetable box. Create your garden on a balcony or a patio. Focus on herbs and lettuce to start with. These are easy to grow and quick to harvest. Start small and then build from there.

Sprouting on a kitchen bench

2. Sprouting – sprouts are one of the healthiest, freshest and cheapest superfoods you can eat. You can grow them on a kitchen bench in a jar. In just a couple of days you have great sprouts to eat, while sprouts on the supermarket shelf can be several days old. Mix them with muesli or into fruit salad. Add lemon juice to enhance. The sprouting process significantly enhances vital energy, increases digestible protein, provides vitamins and minerals . Try sprouting mung beans, adzuki, lentils, fenugreek, wheat, barley, rye and alfalfa. Soak seeds overnight, then rinse twice daily in an airy container. Once sprouts mature, they can be stored in a fridge for a couple a days.

Worm farm as a planter pot

3. Recycle organic materials – recycle your organic kitchen scraps, newspaper and cardboard in a worm farm which can be made with a bucket with a lid or a styrofoam vegetable box. This saves organic material clogging up landfills and prevents rotten smells in your normal rubbish bin. As a reward you get a nice earthy compost as a potting mix for pots and a high-nutrition worm juice, an organic fertiliser which plants love.

4. Green Power - purchase 100 per cent green power from your electricity supplier. It doesn’t cost a fortune (extra 5c per kWh), and your power comes from renewable sources of energy.

Rosella Jam

5. Home produce – is healthier and more environmentally friendly, it saves money, is usually better quality and you know what it’s been made of. Think home-baked bread and cakes, preserves, cleaning products using vinegar and bicarbonate soda, aloe vera, for example).

6. Freecycle - give stuff away, get stuff for free from web based Freecycle organisation local to your area. Stuff you no longer want can find a home rather than being dumped to land fill. Or even easier, put unwanted stuff on the footpath with a "free" sign. It usually goes in a day!

Our community BBQ night

7. Functional community - get know your neighbours, swap produce, give stuff away, socialize. It’s fun and provides a sense of belonging in your community.

8. Active transport - walking, cycling and using public transport are better for the environment and your health. Think a car costs about $10,000 a year to run, and a gym membership costs about $600. If you bike, it costs nothing and you don’t need gym membership!

9. Five R's - Refuse-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle-Repair

10. Get out and smash it - do not make excuses and start now. Start with the easiest, smallest thing such as a pot of basil. Do that now and then add more as you go.