Australia
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Around with world people are finding ways to turn the destruction caused by major storms into something beautiful. Hurricane Ike struck Galveston, Texas, in 2008, bringing with it a 6 to 15 foot surge of salt water the led to the death of around 35,000 trees, including some 50-100 year old live oaks. Most of the…
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The tiny house movement continues to expand in Australia as more people are exploring smaller house options. The interest comes from a variety of factors, including a lack of decent affordable housing for those entering the housing market for the first time as well as an interest in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Australian houses are…
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What an interesting world we live in. On the bus today the man across the aisle from me spent the one hour ride to the Australia Zoo looking down at this phone texting. Granted there isn’t a lot to see on a motorway, but you can still look out and appreciate the trees, flowers and…
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Healthy housing is an issue of concern around the globe. The Healthy Housing 2016 conference in Brisbane provides an opportunity to share research on the indoor environment and sustainable design. This is the 7th International Conference on Energy and Environment of Residential Buildings (ICEERB 2016) and my colleague and I were pleased to share our work…
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The Great Barrier Reef is truly amazing, even on a cloudy day. According to the guides, viewing was not at its best due to a number of natural occurrences – overcast skies, high tides, and coral spawning. Once a year, the coral release sperm and eggs over several days. They float to the surface, fertilize, then…
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In a few days I am flying back to where this blog had it’s beginning in 2012 – Australia! Over the past years we have grown and changed. My fellow blogger is retired and now it is just me, but I still maintain the same goal – to provide trustworthy resources to help people live healthier…
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Spring is a great time to celebrate the earth in all its splendor. There is truly #NoPlaceLikeHome. Celebrate today and every day. I have a hard time picking my one favorite place, so I am sharing a collection of some of my favorite places. More info on the NASA Earth Day celebration.
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Every year 72,330 women die from lung cancer. Lung cancer has killed more women than breast cancer since 19871. Of those who survive, only 18% survive five years2, meaning lung cancer has one of the highest mortality rates of all cancers for women. So, why is it that only 1% of women consider lung cancer…
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As we left Australia I found myself looking down on the Sydney harbor and recalling all of the interesting things we learned and the wonderful people we met. I learned that my image of the country did not match reality. Australia was more impressive than I imagined. I especially enjoyed the temperate climate that gave…
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Lenah Links brings together community members from Lenah Valley, New Town and the surrounding communities to share their ideas on sustainability, transportation, local food production, and community dialog. The community members say the most important part of Lenah Links is that people are getting to know their neighbors. Lenah Links is a subgroup of Lenah Valley Community Association. The community…
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At the Hobart cohousing development there were designated “chicken barons.” What this means is that a single family was in charge of taking care of the chickens – everything from feeding them to gathering the eggs. Residents are encouraged to bring vegetable matter to feed to the chickens, and the chicken barons then sell the…
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Cohousing and ecovillages are one of the ways Australia is addressing the housing crisis. Issues such as affordability, ecological impact of new (and existing) housing developments and creating communities that embrace the human need for connecting with whom we live with and nearby are important elements of sustainability. Cohousing and ecovillages embrace the small home movement, and encourage homes that…
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Lest we think Australia is free from trash and debris, take a look at this photo of a screen on the river in Melbourne which is designed to catch trash. Like many large cities, they have trash on the streets too, especially cigarette butts. I am not certain that smoking is higher in Australia than…
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We visited so many spectacular spaces throughout our trip, and this Community Garden in Hobart, Tasmania was certainly one of them.
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While in Tasmania, we visited a honey-making family from Huan Valley, outside of Hobart. Their farm is near Huonville and they have a little store called The Honey Pot. The Honey Pot is owned and run by local Huon Valley beekeepers and it has a wonderful range of delicious Tasmanian Honey. The proprietor is the…
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I just couldn’t resist sharing some of the simply beautiful photos we took while in Australia. Enjoy!
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While visiting with four colleagues (Kate Archdeacon, Che Biggs, Jessica Bird, and Kes McCormick) from the University of Melbourne we were able to learn about their efforts to achieve sustainability at the University. Their goal is to develop guiding principals, which will frame the Environmental Policy and outline environmental sustainability strategies for the University – students and faculty. For a…
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What happens when you produce such little waste that the majority of what you no longer need is recyclable or compostable? This trashcan: This is the trash can employees at the University of Melbourne have for all things that are not recyclable or compostable. Now that’s something to be proud of!
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Take a look at this great campaign aimed at conserving wild habitats and saving trees. The loo! It’s one more place we can use recycled materials and help to cut down on new waste.
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I guess the Aussies like Krispy Kreme too! But we could’ve guessed that… It’s a good thing doughnuts are the same upside down or rightside up!
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Silo by Joost , 123 Hardware Street, Melbourne 3000, is the permanent project of Joost Bakker, eco-entrepreneur, who is a champion for sustainable design and local sourcing of food and foraging movement. This restaurant does not just talk about “zero waste” they are ‘zero waste”. We were lead to Silo, by Kate Archdeacon project director for VEIL (Victorian Eco…
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Biophilic Design suggests that suggests that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems. We heard much at the Healthy Building Conference about the need to rethink our living spaces – beyond community gardens, bike paths, and public transport – though each idea is important it is about an holistic approach…
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We had an amazing time at the Farmers Market in Brisbane last week and I just have to share a pic and some videos that I took while visiting. This friendly farmer took a moment out of the day to pose for a pic with his mum. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_yhsSW1OtI?rel=0] The Brisbane Farmers Market in all it’s…
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“CityCycle is an initiative of the Brisbane City Council to introduce a new form of environmentally friendly personal transport similar in style to European bike hire systems like Vélib’ in Paris and Sevici in Seville. Within 3 km of the city centre 2000 bicycles will be available to pick up and drop off at any of the…
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St. Kilda’s “Veg Out” Community Garden is built on the site of the old St. Kilda Bowling Club in the Port Phillip Council area. The facilities are also home to artist studios, rented on a month to month basis, with garden plots are rented for a $100 annually. The site is overseen by the Local…
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Northey Street City Farm is a non-profit community organisation situated on the banks of Brisbane’s Breakfast Creek in Windsor. More than 1500 exotic and native fruit trees, bushtucker plants, shrubs and ground covers have been planted on the four hectare farm site since its inception in April 1994. The farm has been developed for people…
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The Wildlife Rescue in Brisbane was such a neat place and a really unique experience. There were owls too! Check out the pics:
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Pamela shares a story with us today from a young woman she met in Port Douglas, Queensland: [She] “shared tales about the Curlew, a bird with a call that sound like a woman screaming. In the [country’s] early years…explorers thought someone was in danger. [She] relayed a story about a Curlew bird at the wildlife…
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We were thrilled to present at Healthy Buildings 2012 in Brisbane! A big thanks to our fellow presenters- We hope to see you all again at next year’s conference!
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The community that resides in the Ecovillage at Currumbin has already developed some traditions of their own- One such tradition applies to new life in the community: When a baby is born the community pulls together in support and brings dinner for the new family every night. This beautiful practice exemplifies the support and connectivity that…
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Follow us around Australia by taking a peek at this map: First we flew into Brisbane, Queensland for the Healthy Buildings 2012 conference, which was fantastic. Also in Brisbane we visited a wonderful Permaculture Farm where growth is encouraged in all things. Then we traveled to Currumbin, Queensland to experience the wonder of a sustainable…
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Last Friday, we wandered around the Ecovillage at Currumbin, which is located in a rural area on the Gold Coast, Queensland, just south of Brisbane. This community is made up of around 150 homes on 110 hectares of reclaimed farmland, laid out around a village center that includes community facilities, home offices and retail space.…
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The City of Gosnells, located in western Australia, uses TravelSmart to become healthier in their travel choices and reduce the impact on the environment. TravelSmart is “a successful Western Australian community-based program that encourages people to use alternatives to traveling in their private car.” When we educate people about other forms of transportation, we give people options…
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On the 10th we watched a very powerful documentary titled Underkastesen (Submission). It was disturbing, to say the least. The amount of chemicals in our environment is overwhelming and, the truth is, they aren’t safe. Watch the trailer for a taste of what the documentary is all about- A short description: “Manmade chemicals are everywhere…
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The hotel where we are staying is very interesting! Single beds, low to the ground and a compact shower. I do think folks in the US could look at using one idea that this hotel employs: liquid toiletry dispensers! Not constantly giving out little bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion and such would save a lot…
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