September Sustainabilty Street Newsletter Out Now

The latest Sustainability Street Newsletter is out now. Click here to download your copy.

The newsletter is full of updates on what our six Sustainability Streets have been up to, including:

• Upcoming Street Dates
  
• Mulgoa's Waste Line Looks Good!


• Get a Smaller Bin and Save $$$!


• Sir John Jamison Circuit Reserve Gets a Facelift
  
• Banool Avenue Garden


• Remember the Waste Shortcut


• Website of the Month: Freecycle


• Hawkesbury EarthCare Fair - Living Green


• Magnetic Places Community Cultural Grants Program


• Complete an Online Survey and Win!

If you would like to be added to the electronic mailing list send a quick email to Carmel Hamilton.

Magical Minibus Tour of Green Homes

Saturday 8 September dawned with an overcast and wet morning - never great for a magical minibus tour! Despite the poor weather early in the day a group of dedicated Sustainability Street participants met in Council's car park to board the minibus for a tour of three green homes as part of Sustainable House Day.

First stop was the St Clair Sustainable House with a tour by the friendly owners, Nevin and Linda. It was amazing to see just how much this couple has managed to do in their standard 1970's brick veneer home. Nevin has focussed on do-it-yourself improvements and has spent a lot of time and effort building and refining various bits and pieces.

The group seemed particularly impressed with his organic vegie patch and moving chook tractor, which was designed so that it would fit directly on top of one of the garden beds. This means he can move the tractor around the yard and over the various garden beds to allow the chooks to do their thing - fertilising the soil and giving it a thorough working over!
Nevin and Linda also have a greenhouse where they can raise the seed that they have collected from their gardens. Further proof of their ingenuity is the use of old cardboard rolls as seed raising pots. Once the seedlings are big enough these can be planted straight into the ground as the cardboard will break up over time! An excellent way to reuse waste products and compost them at the same time! Sadly we had to keep moving along to visit the next sustainble house - this time at Rooty Hill. When we arrived there was already a large number of people gathered round and listening to the owner, Rob, talk about his solar panels - so we joined the group. It's amazing to think that most of the time Rob can generate enough electricity from his solar panels to power his own home, and now that the Federal Government has increased the rebates for installing these panels this technology is becoming more affordable. Rob showed us around his yard and home and pointed out the various items that he has had installed to 'green' up his home - he has the solar panels, a passive heating device called a Sun Lizard, rainwater tanks, solar hot water and more! It was then time to continue on our journey and so we headed out to Richmond for a picnic lunch in the grounds of the Hawkesbury EarthCare Centre. We were all desperate for a sandwich and a drink by this stage - although some of the group seemed more desperate for a caffeine hit than others!

After our leisurely lunch we were lucky enough to have a guided tour of the EarthCare centre with commentary provided by one of our own bus tour participants! Andrew led us around the building, showing off the range of passive solar design principles (north facing, eaves, breezeways, thermal mass) and low energy building materials (strawbale, rammed earth and mudbrick) that were used to construct the building. The building also has a greywater reuse system and composting toilets to ensure that no resource is left untapped!

Once our tour of the building was complete we headed off to the permaculture garden, which is looked after by the Henry Doubleday Research Association. The garden has been designed using traditional permaculture principles, and provides a range of aspects within the garden so that a suitable spot for any plant can be found. It looked great and was a lot of fun to wander around! You can visit the EarthCare Centre yourself on any of its open days throughout the year - they have an EarthCare Fair coming up on Saturday 22 September. Next up we were back on the bus again - trusting our friendly bus driver Peter to take us home after a fun and interesting day.

Thursday Thirteen #1 The Eastern Water Dragon

Thirteen Things about the Eastern Water Dragon

1…. It’s the mascot of Penrith City Council’s Sustainable Penrith Program.

2…. The Eastern Water Dragon is Australia’s largest ‘dragon’ lizard with males measuring around 30cm from their snout to the end of their body and females measuring around 23cm.

3…. Water dragons are semi-aquatic lizards that are at home both in the water and on land. Because of this water dragons like to live close to creeks, rivers and other sources of water – like a garden pond.

4…. Male water dragons get a red patch on their chests when they mature which makes them easy to distinguish.

5…. Male water dragons are territorial and will defend their territory. They can do this by:
- sitting with their red coloured chests out to warn off other water dragons;
- pushing other males off logs;
- lying alongside each other and then turning rapidly to bite their opponent; or
- bobbing their head which communicates to other males that this is their territory.

6…. Water dragons eat insects, frogs, yabbies, water bugs, fruit and berries. They are clever things – they grab the insects out of the air with their mouths and manage to catch other food, like frogs and yabbies, while swimming under water.

7…. Their scientific name is a bit tricky to pronounce – Physignathus lesuerii.

8…. Water dragons can be preyed upon by snakes so they often sleep on branches overhanging the water. If they sense danger they can drop straight into the water - you will often hear the noise of water dragons jumping into water as you walk along a creek or river bank.

9…. Females can lay up to 20 eggs at a time during October through to December with the hatchlings appearing from January through to March.

10…. Water dragons can live for a surprisingly long period of time – 25 to 28 years!

11…. Water dragons have very sharp claws.

12…. Water dragons can remain underwater for up to an hour and can be seen ‘sleeping’ submerged in the water with only their nostrils protruding.

13…. In Chinese mythology the Water Dragon is a symbol of well-being and prosperity.

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


thursday thirteen

Kurrajong Eco Fair Coming Soon

You might have seen an article in the Penrith Press this week about the Be Green eco lifestyle fair that's coming up very soon. If you are in the area on Saturday 1 September why not drop in to the fair which is being held at Kurrajong Memorial Park in Kurrajong Village between 9am and 3pm.

The fair promises tips on sustainable ways to build and renovate the home, as well as general eco lifestyle options. There will also be a series of speakers on sustainability topics including sustainable design, how to apply for government grants and how to live green and within your means.

Students from UWS will also be on hand to showcase their projects and demonstrate what they have been up to, along with workshops, food and drink stalls, entertainment and that old favourite - giveaways!

For more information visit www.kurrajong.org/begreen.

Free Tickets to Sustainable House Day 2007

Sustainable House Day is an annual event organised each year by the Australia New Zealand Solar Energy Society (ANZSES). This year the event is being held on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 September with around 100 homes across the country opening their doors to interested people for a sticky beak!

Penrith City Council is sponsoring the event in 2007 and has 20 free tickets to give away to residents interested in visiting a local sustainable house at St. Clair (value $5). To get your free ticket contact Council on 4732 8050 or email Carmel Hamilton.

Sustainable House Day is a great opportunity to visit the homes of and speak with ordinary people who have done some extraordinary things in their homes. For owners of the local St. Clair property, Nevin and Linda (below), the day is a chance to showcase their projects and let others know just how simple it can be to live more sustainably.

Nevin and Linda's home is a standard 1978 brick veneer house that has an emphasis on low cost retrofits and DIY projects. They have installed ceiling insulation, external window shading, a 300 litre solar hot water system and a low voltage photvoltaic system to power all their lighting and some appliances. Their yard also bears testament to their sustainability efforts, and includes a permaculture garden, greenhouse, mobile chook tractor, compost system and worm farm - all together pretty inspirational stuff!

Why not pop along on Saturday 8 September between 10am and 4pm and check some of these features out for yourself?

Other homes across Western Sydney will also be opening their doors including homes located at Rooty Hill, Richmond, Glenhaven and East Kurrajong. For a detailed listing of addresses and information about theses homes email Carmel Hamilton. Tickets to all homes can be purchased at the door on the day for $5.

For more information visit the Sustainable House Day website at http://www.solarhouseday.com/.

GreenPower a Household Hit

There are a number of news stories out today about the encouraging GreenPower statistics that have just been released. It seems that Australians are switching to accredited clean GreenPower in ever increasing numbers - at a rate of about 1000 Australians per day!

Green Power is electricity that has been generated from renewable sources, like solar, wind, hydro and waste. When you subscribe to Green Power your electricity supplier will purchase the correct amount of renewable energy from one of these sources on your behalf. In theory this reduces the reliance of the NSW electricity market on cheap coal, which currently supplies more than 90% of NSWs energy needs.

The attraction of Green Power lies in the reduced greenhouse gas emissions - when coal or gas is burnt to generate electricity significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions are generated, however with renewables the amount of these emissions is negligible.

While purchasing GreenPower does cost more it appears that more and more households and businesses are willing to pay the price (estimated to be up to $400 per year for the average household). What's more it appears that the increased uptake of GreenPower is having huge benefits, with savings of nearly 4.2 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year, or the equivalent of taking 930,000 cars off the road!

If you are interested in purchasing GreenPower remember to look for the accreditation label (shown above). This label means that the product your supplier is offering has been accredited by the Government as coming directly from a renewable source and that the generator complies with stringent guidelines and annual auditing.

To find out more visit http://www.greenpower.com.au/, download our fact sheet or contact your electricity supplier.

Latest Sustainability Street Newsletter Out Now

The latest newsletter from Council's Sustainability Street program is out now. Click here to download a copy.

Stories include:

• New Streets Off to a Great Start!


• Upcoming Street Dates


• First Meeting Wrap Up
  
• Meet Some of the New Locals


• Annual Gardening Australia Expo is on Again!


• Website of the Month: Sustainable Penrith Blog
  

If you would like to be added to our electronic mailing list so you can receive this newsletter automatically email Carmel Hamilton.

Water Dragon Makes New Friends

Penrith Council held their annual Open Day on Saturday 4 August, with the friendly Sustainable Penrith Water Dragon turning up to spread an important message that is close to his (her?) heart - to make Penrith a Sustainable City!

The as yet unnamed Water Dragon made a lot of new friends on the day and was a hit with folks young and old. We are hoping to run a competition to name our mascot in the next couple of months so start thinking of a great name and get ready to enter (you could always include your suggestion in a comment!).

Penrith Council has adopted the Eastern Water Dragon as our symbol for sustainability. The water dragon was chosen because it symbolises all three aspects of sustainability – environmental, social and economic health.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH = The Water Dragon is relatively common and lives along the banks of the creeks and waterways all over the Penrith LGA. Finding the water dragons along our waterways is a good indicator of the health of our waterways

SOCIAL HEALTH= Water dragons are also long-living, sociable animals that live together in communities.

ECONOMIC HEALTH = And finally, in Chinese mythology the water dragon is a symbol of well being and prosperity.

Wordless Wednesday

Nepean River, originally uploaded by penrithsustainabilityunit.

wordless wednesday

Streets Meet for the First Time

It's official - Mulgoa and Penrith City Garden Club are the latest Sustainability Streets in Penrith!

The first meetings of these brand new groups were held on Saturday, with a great turn out for both groups.

Mulgoa was the first street out of the blocks, meeting in the park at the top of The Straight Road. We found at the meeting that there was a lot of interest from people who lived outside of The Straight Road so we are now going to refer to the group as the Mulgoa Sustainability Street to encourage people from other streets who live in Mulgoa to come and join in. There was a lot of interest in learning more about saving energy and water from the members of the group, as well as finding suitable grant funding to apply for, so the next meetings will be covering these topics.

The members of the 'street' have decided to hold their next meeting on Saturday 25 August at Aisha's place to learn about composting, worm farming and cutting down on waste. If you are keen to come to the next meeting or find out more contact Carmel Hamilton on 4732 8050. The meeting will begin at 10:15am.

The afternoon saw Penrith City Garden Club meet in the lovely backyard of Jan and Jon Hennell at Orchard Hills for a quick sausage sizzle lunch before getting down to 'Sustainability Street' business!

A great afternoon was had by all as they found out all about Sustainability Street and mapped out a plan for the next few sessions. Their next meeting will also be held on Saturday 25 August with Janis nominating her house at Emu Plains for the session. The meeting will kick off just after 1pm. To find out more contact Carmel Hamilton on 4732 8050.