INFO: pump-in insulation and recycled timber

INSULATION
Pump-in insulation (also know as cellulose fibre insulation)is a great insulation choice for ceiling insulation.
Made of recycled paper, into a fluffy fibre form which is pumped into your roofspace by a truck on the road.
I like it becasue it is made from a recycled material, is healthy (especially compared to fibreglass insulation), and is cheap.
It works by trapping air between the fibres of fluffy paper mulch. The only disadvantege of this insulation is over time the fibres settle and the air trapping pockets reduce and finally dissapear so in 5-20 years you will need to have the job re-done.
There is also a brand which adds wool fibres to the mix. They claim this makes it stay fluffy for longer and improves the warmth. It costs a fraction more.
With any building project, it usually pays to get at least 2 quotes. I usually get 3. Measure the area of the ceiling you want to insulate ( the easiest way is to measure the floor!). Then find "Insulation contractors" in the yellow pages and ring afew who offer "pump-in" or "cellulose fibre" insulation. Ask for quotes for the area you want done. Don't commit to any of them until you have made your choice! Sometimes they can be pushy!
RECYCLED TIMBER
One of the best things to do is borrow a ute or trailer for the weekend and look up where the local council pickup is on at. (This weekend it is The Hill area). Go for a
drive and have a scavenge! Other free secondhand timber you could obtain from your local online freecycle site newcastle freecycle or freecycle generally. Also there is a similar site for buy,sell or trade.
Second hand building yards and tip shops ( shop associated with landfill tips) also sell recycled timber at varying prices.
Sadly second-hand building yards are dissapearing. Look them up under "building materials-secondhand" in the yellow pages.

HOORAY: for Newcastle

International Action day for climate change was the 4th November. I ran a passive solar design workshop at Swansea ( which was great!).
Meanwhile on Nobby's beach, hundreds of Novocastrians made this great call for better energy production, despite the climatic condtions of the day...

UPDATE: green electricity watch new report

Well lucky I followed that one up! here is an email from CANA:

Hi,

The 2006 Green Electricity Watch will be launched on 14th November.
You will be able to access the information at
www.greenelectricitywatch.org.au

Regards,
CANA

COMPARE: green energy suppliers

Well maybe you heard me on the radio today, talking about the 100% solar we use at home, without any panels on our roof. Yes we buy 100% solar from our power company. Wondering which is the best option? Have a look at this green power site

DO SOMETHING TODAY: email the prime minister of australia

Today I got grumpy when i heard our Prime Minister's voice on the radio.
I Quote:
"In an age where we're worried about global warming we should be looking seriously at nuclear power as an option, because it's clean and it doesn't emit greenhouse gases and I can't understand why the extreme Greenies oppose it,"
Well Uranium, which is used to make Nuclear energy, DOES HAVE A HALF LIFE OF 760 MILLION YEARS, so I'm not sure about how exactly that makes it CLEAN
Argh argh argh argh
please send my shonky excuse for a prime minister an email to tell him he is a silly goose or something to that effect.

WEBSITE:Earthtrends

As they say "EarthTrends is a comprehensive online database, maintained by the World Resources Institute, that focuses on the environmental, social, and economic trends that shape our world."
What I found was useful is a listing by nation of energy and resouce use data.
http://earthtrends.wri.org/country_profiles/index.php?theme=6

INFO: energy

Here are some interesting facts:

25Tonnes of plant life create 1kg of petrol
good reason to ride your bike!!

and

Newcastle, NSW Australia is the nation's largest coal port.
1kg of coal has an energy content of about 7.5kWh
1kg of coal creates about 3kg of CO2 from combustion.
Coal takes 3 million years to create

good reasons to transfer to the green energy scheme that your power company offers. We buy 100% solar power from Origin energy. It doesnt cost much more $ and it certainally doesn't cost the earth.

WEBSITE: REImaginations

Lovely international art exhibition of beautiful and strange wind generator images. This one is "energy plant" by aleksandar rodic
http://www.reimaginations.com/

TIP: wash your hands then use that water to flush.

This idea has been around for afew years, and has sadly not arrived in australia ( to my knowledge) in the marketplace. Maybe you could import one. There are complete units available in Japan, this item is just a lid that you add. There could be an issue with soap scum buildup in your cistern, I would recommend regular hot flushes to clear off any soapy buildup.
cooltools
apparently costs $89 in the US at real goods

EVENT: Greenbuild & Eco Show Exhibition and Conference 2006

Next Weekend! :
the inaugural National Greenbuild & Eco Show Exhibition & Conference 2006

Fri June 9th - Sun 11th June 2006
Rosehill Gardens Exhibition Centre
Sydney Australia

Greener Homes - Greener Living - Greener Planet

http://www.greenbuildshow.com.au/newsletter04/

EVENT: Passive solar workshop

On Saturday 17th June, from 1-4 pm, I will be running another workshop at the Newcastle EcoHome.(69a Hobart St, New Lambton)
This will be about Passive Solar design for the typical urban home.
The workshop will be as practical as possible, and as specific to the participants as possible.
Some of the topics covered will be:

() Understanding your location and the orientation of your home
() Thermal properties of building materials
() How heat is gained and lost in your home
() Sun shading
() Natural ventillation
() Saving energy and money by improving the passive solar qualities of your house.

All houses are affected by the sun on its journey through the day, and the year.
We can take advantage of this natural energy by modifying our homes to encourage shade, sunshine, heat and coolness.
Solar passive design is governed by the laws of thermo-dynamics and enhanced by creative thought.
Save energy and money by learning how to apply solar passive design to you new or existing home

If you are thinking of coming to the workshop, please draw a rough floorplan of your house and bring it along on the day. If you have any questions about the workshop, please click the "comments" link below.

BLURB: My explanation of house energy rating

The whole basis of house energy assessment is based on the notion that
During a year, most people will feel at some time, hot or cold in their homes.
This is found by the mean acceptable thermal comfort ranges of 18-24 degrees in living areas and 12-18 degrees in bed rooms.
The home energy assessment assumes that people will turn on some form of heating or cooling as the temperatures in their homes go over or under their thermal comfort range.
SO the NatHERS program determines the temperature inside each zone of the house over certain time periods.
It analyses the living areas between 7am and midnight and bedrooms between midnight and 6am
Every time the temperature falls outside the comfort zone during these certain time periods,
the program calculates the amount of energy which would be used to heat or cool that part of the house.
Which is where the figures come in. They are an amount of mega joules per meter squared per annum. I.e. how much energy is used, per amount of house, over a year.
Depending on the house design and material choice, some homes will meet the thermal comfort levels and not need artificial heating or cooling as often as others. This is why lower figures are better.
If you need your house to be energy rated, contact me: onethousandyearsATgmailDOTcom

WESITE REVIEW: Adobe Loos and Worms

Woo Hoo! One of the simplest, most informative, low-sell sites on composting your poo. Adobe Worms and Loos Info on most types available and also HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN COMPOSTING TOILET !.. to meet NSW heath regulations. Good on 'em.

WEBSITE REVIEW: gas ratings

Star ratings on energy use for all gas appliances
Australian Gas Association

EVENT: Nature Philosophy Long Weekend

Making fire from sticks and blisters, twine from plant fibre and spit, creeping blindfolded through the forest, what a great way to spend the long weekend! A small group of us were taught all this and more by Kate & Sam, students of Tom Brown. It was good to become immersed in the philosphy and spirit which encourages many of us to live a sustainable lifestyle. For information on further courses, email naturephilaustralia@yahoo.com.au

WEBSITE REVIEW: wels

Trying to find water saving taps?
All taps, toilets, urinals, washing machines, dishwashers, showerheads rated by stars for water efficiency have to be registered. This site lists them all and also has a product search feature. Very useful!

WEBSITE REVIEW: Rainwater harvesting

I watered my garden today from water which had collected in my 3200L rainwater tank. It's a great feeling to be growing vegies watered by my own water.
Something to do with becoming more of a linked system. Developing my own ecosystem!
Here is a nice website on rainwater harvesting.

Our front garden tank. The green bit from the roof to the tank is my Lazy Lady downpipe...I have no inclination just yet to plumb it properly...

WEBSITE REVIEW: BuildSmart Sustainable Building Education Centre

I must say, Victoria has really got some good sustainable education facitites.
Holmesglen Institute of TAFE have a Sustianable Building Education Centre at which you can visit their show home, take courses at and get information generally.
Their website has more info and also has some nice easy to read .pdf fact sheets.

TIP: Cool Christmas Pressies

Looking for great christmas gifts? I just found some good ones at the Wilderness Society shop, Newcastle. A company called urban boomerang make awesome bags out of recycled truck inner tubes, recycled billboards, and photo albums, cd holders and notebooks out of old number plates. Yo. And Ho Ho Ho.
The Wilderness Society On-line Shop
Urban Boomerang stuff not available on this site but there are some other good for the earth gifts here.

TIP: Raintap

This is a great idea! I'll think I'll get one!
I quote directly from the EcoShop site where you can buy one for $49:
"RAINTAP:
One millimetre of rain on the average roof generates 250 litres of water. Normally this runs off your property and is wasted. But by fitting a raintap to your gutter downpipe, you can divert that water to your water storage tank, lawn, trees, plants or pool to make maximum use of even light rainfalls. Suits all downpipes by using 90mm adapters (readily available).
Installation: Can be fitted by a home handyperson in about 10mins. You will need a hacksaw to cut your existing downpipe. Simply pull downpipe towards you and fit bell end of raintap to the top cut in the downpipe. Position raintap above the bottom cut of the downpipe and pull down until the bevelled end enters the bottom pipe."