Free Home Sustainability Assessment with Y Green

Want to make your home more sustainable, but not quite sure where to start? Why not get a free Home Sustainability Assessment done by a pair of fully trained assessors!

The Y Green Western Sydney project is offering households in the Penrith area the opportunity to have assessors visit their home to conduct a Home Sustainability Assessment. The assessors will look at things like lighting, appliances, water fittings, insulation, and the heating and cooling efficiency of your house.

After the assessment, you receive a written report outlining how your house faired, along with some simple suggestions to help save on your energy and water bills. You will also receive information on government rebates for things like water tanks, solar panels and insulation. As an added bonus, residents who participate will also receive a $20 Bunnings gift voucher.

Coordinated by MTC Work Solutions and funded by the Australian Government’s Job Fund, the Y-Green project is a great opportunity for residents to learn more about sustainability and the simple options available to become more sustainable.

If you would like to have a free home sustainability assessment please visit www.ygreen.com.au or call 1300 139 996.

Get on your Bike - Join the Bicycle NSW Commuter Challenge

Whether you are a seasoned cyclist or a Sunday rider, Bicycle NSW has put out the call to join the NSW Commuter Challenge.

The aim of the NSW Commuter Challenge is to reward those who cycle to and from work and for fitness and also to inspire those who are considering cycling as an alternative to their existing forms of transport.

The challenge invites individuals to register and accumulate 500km of cycling. There are great prizes and incentives for taking part and completing the challenge including cycle computers, Bicycle NSW memberships, a range of cycling accessories and free entry to a number of cycling events (including Sydney's largest recreational cycling event - Spring Cycle 2010).

To register simply complete the online registration form. You will be sent a digital logbook in which you can record your rides. Rides of any distance can be included in the logbook. The completed logbook participants will receive a gold medal, certificate of completion and the opportunity to win the prizes on offer.

You can register for the challenge anytime until Friday 26th November 2010. All participants have until Friday 17th December 2010 to complete the challenge.


For more information about the challenge call (02) 9704 0853, email challenge@bicyclensw.org.au or visit the website
http://www.bicyclensw.org.au

Love Food Hate Waste

‘Love Food Hate Waste’ is a new campaign that has just been launched by the NSW Government to provide practical tips and tools to help reduce food waste at home.

We all love our food, but many of us probably don’t realise just how much food is being wasted across NSW. For instance, did you know that in NSW alone, households throw away more than $2.5 billion worth of edible food a year and send an average of 800,000 tonnes of food to landfill.

Not only are we wasting valuable food – and all of the resources that go into producing, packaging and transporting that food - but food sent to landfill produces methane gas. A greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

The good news is that each and every household has the ability to make a difference, and for those of us lucky enough to live in Penrith, the 3 bin system means that we can make an even bigger difference.
In the past six months the amount of recyclable material being diverted from landfill has increased from 20% - 58%.

A-Grade compost, made from the green-lidded organics bin is now being used on the city’s sporting and recreational facilities.

So putting the right things into the right bins is working towards creating a greener future for Penrith.

In terms of reducing food waste, things as simple as planning your meals and your shopping, preparing and cooking the correct serving size, and learning how to best store food, all make a difference.

Loving food is about wasting less every day - saving you time and money, making a difference to our environment and living more sustainably.

For more information about 'Love Food Hate Waste' visit the website www.lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.gov.au