How to have an eco-friendly christmas!!

Some advice on “how to have an eco – friendly Christmas!

1. Don’t forget to recycle old Christmas cards or gift wrap by picking up a free card recycling bag from Australia Post.

2. Be inventive with wrapping ideas such as using comic book pages, get the kids to colour in the pages in their recycled paper colouring in books and use that, or use un- coloured colouring in pages to wrap presents for kids and let them colour in the wrapping later in the day to stay amused.

3. Perhaps car pooling with neighbors or family members to do Christmas shopping or make a conscious effort to use public transport on that day,

4. For Christmas decorations, use solar powered Christmas lights, and why not decorate a favorite indoor plant as your Chrissy tree instead of chopping one down for a week or two’s use.

5. Support local produce providers for Christmas food, get creative with Christmas left over’s and use them in salads, bakes or casseroles, buy food with minimal packaging, donate unwanted decorations to charity.

6. Get involved in creating your own Christmas masterpieces from your craft bits and pieces at home (i.e. painted pine cones, twigs and candles sprinkled with glitter make great centre pieces for tables.

7. Battery re-chargers are a simple yet sustainable gift, or give seedlings as gifts (possibly vege or fruit bearing), gifts that promote physical activity for children are great (i.e. push bikes, binoculars, magnifiers – all help kids get outdoors and involved with nature)

8. Why not include a family bush walk on Christmas day or Boxing day to enjoy the outdoors for free and perhaps walk off those extra Chrissy calories.

9. And try and holiday locally!

Sustainable Man at Mt Gravatt Plaza this week!

We have a stand at Mt Gravatt Plaza this week so pop in and say hi! We are promoting our $300 Westfield shopping vouchers for Solahart sales this month. Thanks Angela for handing out lots and lots of lollypops!

Sustainable Man Moves Premises!

This week we have moved from our shop at Seven Hills into a much bigger office with warehouse in Morningside! The whole team is very excited about our new (did we mention bigger?) office area. Our new address is 4/59 Riverside Place, Morningside.

Sustainable Man Staff Go Green at Melbourne Cup Day!

Our wonderful Sales Assistant, Hollie, decided during our Melbourne Cup Celebrations this week to make a fascinator for our Office Manager Kristen whose head was the only one noticeably missing some festive decorations! Hollie made a fascinator out of brochures we received in the mail that morning. Very eco Hollie! This one could have been a winner in fashions on the fields!

Are you an urban greenie?

Are you an urban greenie?

Do you qualify as an Urban Greenie? Check your status below!

Do you shower with a bucket?
Do you have less that 4 minute showers?
Have you installed a rainwater tank?
Do you catch public transport more than you used to?
Do you Reduce, Reuse, Recycle ?
Do you pick up litter or make sure all rubbish ends up in the bin?
Do you have native plants in your garden, which may use less water than a traditional garden?
Have you swapped to energy saving globes and turn off lights when you leave the room?
Do you bucket out the kids baths onto the garden?
Have you purchased energy or water saving electrical appliances?

If you answered yes to a lot of these, you are officially an Urban Greenie and you’re on your way to saving the planet.

Want to learn how to become an urban greenie? Follow Sustainable Man’s blog!

One in two to consider switching to solar hot water

Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are set to be dramatically cut with new research showing one in every two households in Queensland is considering making the switch to solar water heating over the next two years, probably due to a combination of the generous federal government rebate, the financial squeeze of rising electricity prices and concerns about the environment.

The national Newspoll survey of 1,062 home-owners aged 18 to 64, commissioned by Solahart showed that 56% of home owners in Queensland who don’t currently have solar hot water were likely to consider installing solar water heating over the next two years, which is a significant increase on the 9% of households currently enjoying hot water free from the sun.

Environmental expert Tim Flannery said the results were exciting.

"Australians are among the highest greenhouse polluters on a per capita basis in the developed world, caused largely by the burning of fossil fuels for energy. Residents in Brisbane have a role to play in reducing carbon emissions and it's promising to see that people are keen to take action," said Mr Flannery.

“Electric water heaters are a major contributor to the problem, accounting for roughly a quarter of household energy consumption. By comparison, using a solar water heater saves about 3 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year,” he added.

Solahart’s National Manager, Stephen Cranch said the recent 15% rise in Queensland electricity prices along with the generous federal government rebate are key reasons why solar water heating will increase significantly over the next two years.

“Higher energy costs as well as the generous $1,600 federal government rebate are enticing people to choose solar water heaters. On top of this more than $500 is also available in Renewable Energy Certificates for the same Solahart system,” said Mr Cranch.

“We expect the uptake will rival the huge spike in growth experienced by both the internet and mobile phones, with solar water heating becoming a part of everyday life for most Brisbane households. It’s also good news for workers as it will create hundreds of new jobs in the industry,” he added.

To find out more about Solahart solar water heaters call Sustainable Man

iNewspoll online Omnibus Survey, 30 April-3 May and 14-17 May 2009, 1,062 Australian home owners aged 18-64

The Sun Shines Bright on Brisbane

We all know that Brisbane is one of Australia’s most liveable cities but it is also the city that the sun shines very brightly on. A device known as the Cambell-Stokes Recorder has been measuring the daily sunshine of Australian cities for well over 2 decades. The device measures the number of hours of ‘bright’ sunshine, revealing that Brisbane has a consistently high average of daily sunshine all year round. In Melbourne the yearly average daily sunshine hours is just 6.0 hours with the least amount of bright sunshine in June with just 3.6 hours. Darwin, due to its monsoon season records an average of less than 1 full day of sunshine in both January and February. Whilst in Brisbane, May averages the least hours of bright sunshine with a respectable 6.4 hours and the annual average is 7.9 hours per day.
A similar picture is painted when we look at clear and cloudy days as determined by the system employed by the Bureau of Meterology which breaks up the sky into 8 sections called ‘oktas’. A clear day is when cloud is seen in 2 or less oktas and a cloudy day has 6 or more oktas filled with clouds. Melbourne sees clear days only 49.4 times per year and is considered cloudy for 179.1 days whilst Darwin has 103.8 days of sun drenching and is overcast for 133.2 days each year. Brisbane on the other hand is once again blessed with an abundance of sunshine averaging 124.3 days per year and just 109.6 days of grey skies.So it is clear that Brisbane is not the place to go into the umbrella business! However Brisbane residents should be putting some of that energy packed sunshine to work on some of the tasks that have too long been the burden of the polluting power station. With just 5-6 hours of sun a day a Brisbane family can reduce its electricity bill by up to 25% by installing a SolaHart Solar Hot Water system. With Federal Government Rebates and RECs it has never been more economical to go solar and save the environment to the tune of removing a small car off the road every year.

By Tod Parker, Sales Manager at Sustainable Man

Cellulose Fibre Insulation – voted #1 by Greenpeace, Planet Ark

The topic surrounding the cause of global warming is constantly debated in corporate and government circles, but there are also simple measures that homeowners can do to reduce their impact on the environment.

Insulation, by reducing the amount of energy required to heat or cool a building, is environmentally friendly, but don’t be fooled into thinking all insulating materials are equal. There are many companies touting that their products are more beneficial or less harmful to the environment than they really are.

Cellulose fibre insulation is proven to use up to 40 times less energy than normal batts and it’s also been voted most environmental insulation available in the world by both Greenpeace and Planet Ark. As an insulation solution, it’s one of the greenest products in the world because its production uses far less energy than fibreglass or foam energy, a process known “embodied energy”, and its high R-Value offers excellent thermal resistance making it a high performance, environmentally-friendly choice. According to the Australian standard, the R-value any insulation product claims should be the one it achieves in the long term, so a reputable installer will quote the R-value of the product when it has settled.

Where does cellulose come from? Cellulose is one of many polymers found in nature. Wood, paper, and cotton all contain cellulose. Cellulose is an excellent fibre. Wood, cotton and hemp rope are made of fibrous cellulose. Cellulose insulation is made from recycled newsprint and other paper sources – paper that might otherwise end up in landfills, releasing greenhouse gases as it decomposes.

Cellulose insulation can only be used in roof and ceiling spaces, so it is a good option if your roof space is difficult to access. Cellulose can reduce up to 66% of sound between rooms, making your living environment substantially quieter as well!

Locally made and installed cellulose insulation (which we at Sustainable Man only ever use) also has a clear advantage over inferior imported batt-type insulation, which is cut off-site and sometimes doesn't fit as snugly in the spaces between ceiling joists. This installation problem is known as thermal bridging or thermal short-circuiting, which can substantially reduce insulation batts' effectiveness. Fibreglass insulation – which is used in about 70% of all Australian insulations - is sadly an inferior product and widely made overseas (so your rebate actually doesn’t go back into the Australian economy at all). It is also sparking debate in response to health concerns.

Visit the Federal Government's Energy Efficient Homes Package website for more information.

Ceiling Insulation – what’s the best product on the market?

If anyone tells you that batts are the best, they’re wrong. After being in business long enough and researching the latest and greatest products, my pick is cellulose fibre as being the best ceiling insulation product on the market.

Why? Cellulose is a loose product, however with the humidity in the air after a few months it forms a slight crust on the surface and wont blow around inside a ceiling. It can be moved aside for a worker in the ceiling but it’s not going to fly around everywhere (its individual particles are heavy and not so lightweight they will float).

The key reasons why I recommend cellulose over batts (any style) are:

Cellulose has a better performance rating than batts (its 100% coverage as opposed to batts are only about 98% coverage as they are cut into the ceiling), which results in a one to two degree better performance than ANY kind of batts.
Its energy footprint to produce is up to 40 times LESS than any style of batts. It’s the only insulation which Planet Ark and Greenpeace support and it’s all round a much more sustainable product for people to use in their roofs
Fire proof wise cellulose fibre has proven to be the best product on the market – most batts will shrink and melt (most have toxic fumes) in a fire. However, cellulose won’t burn so it effectively adds a fire proofing barrier between house and ceiling (which is where fires get really dangerous and go up quickly), meaning the fire can be contained until the fire fighters can get there
The cellulose fibre products we use at Sustainable Man are produced in Brisbane by a company that has been making it for 30 years.

If you are still not convinced then take a look at the wikepedia entry for cellulose http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulose_insulation

Why batts are inferior

The vast majority of batts available in the current market are imported. The quality of these batts is not as good and in some cases is downright dodgy. For example, fiberglass batts are widely imported from China at the moment (and filling our market in Australia – my guesstimate is that up to 50% of all installations at the moment use this material).

They are the correct size and R rating when they leave China and are issued with their Australian Standard Certificate in China. However, they then get loaded into containers - vacuum ceiled and squashed into the container – arriving in Australia at about 70 to 80% of their original size. Most batts never regain their shape and this means they are no longer compliant with Australian Standards. Further, the batts may not provide the reduction in temperatures expected of them. Worse, they are cheap and nasty and installers are cleaning up with the $1600 on these.

Foil batts aren’t effective either, because when they are covered in dust (which happens very quickly in ceilings) they are meant to reflect heat but they become ineffective when dusty so I definitely don’t recommend them.
In short, cellulose is a great product and if you ever have the chance to go into a home where it is installed, you’ll notice a dramatic temperature difference.

Solar integration - we’re not quite there yet

A customer came to me this week with a question about solar heating. I thought it was an excellent question – one for the R&D departments out there to invent.

She asked, “we are also considering solar hot water heating. Is this the time to integrate them. Are they integrated? Can they be integrated? ie. shared panels on the roof so that we don't double up?”.

Damned good question. But unfortunately, solar hot water, solar panels (power) and pool heating can’t yet be combined into a shared unit and all must be installed separately, using different units.

So if you are tossing up where to devote your energy when deciding on solar, my recommendation is to prioritise solar hot water. It’s the single best thing any house can do to reduce their reliance on electricity. Solar pool heating is great, but it is really considered a luxury as it doesn’t reduce any electricity, but simply increases your ability to use your pool.

Solar power is also a great energy alternative but it is still relatively expensive. We are going to start selling solar pv soon but have been sitting on the fence about it. Its generally quite exensive and to get the equivalent of 1/3 of your electricity bill reduced which is the reduction you can get with a solar hot water system, the cost for a 1 or 1.5kw system is at least 2 – 3 times the cost than solar hot water. Therefore it’s a bit of a no-brainer that the best place to start in greening your home is with a solar hot water system. However we see the benefit coming in with the combination of these products. Solar hot water first and then solar pv second to combine the two. If you combined a solar hot water system with a 2kw of solar pv then you would do a huge amount to reduce or get rid of entirely your reliance on electricity.

So get your solar hot water now and then we can help you with solar pv soon too!

Coulda woulda shoulda…wipe your tears and install a tank

Raise your hand if you’re guilty of belittling the tree huggers in days gone by. Shame on us for dismissing their concerns as quackery! These people were the visionaries and now we’re feeling mighty guilty and paying the price for ignorance.

Truth is, global warming and the depletion of natural resources fuel is a serious problem. But while governments and big business struggle to meet government calculation and carbon reporting guidelines, individually we can stop talking about it and play a real and significant role towards helping to solve the global climate change problem.

As a concerned citizen and commercial operator of sustainable solutions for homes and business, I want to help people become more informed about how we can minimize – and even help reduce - environmental damage to our planet. Practically and cost effectively.

Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world and climate scientists predict that the future is likely to get hotter and drier. (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-climate-change-australia9-2009apr09,0,65585.story)

So it’s all the more frightening that, per person, we’re the biggest water consumers in the world. Yet drinking water is scarce and of the water in the world, only 1% is fresh water available for use. How can we justify wasting hundreds of litres a day on things that don’t really need this good drinking water? Garden watering and toilet flushing swallow up about half of this good drinking water.

Is it really necessary?

No. So using rainwater or recycled greywater from our baths and laundries makes much more sense – both economically and environmentally, and without impacting on comfort or hygiene.

Benefits of rainwater tanks

There are heaps of benefits of installing a rainwater tank.

· A tank will collect most of the rain (around 80%) that falls onto the areas of your roof you have connected to gutters and downpipes into your tank. For example, if 10 mm of rain falls on to an area of 100 m2 of roof you’ll ‘harvest’ about 800 L of rainwater. That’s about as much as an average household of three would use in a day if they made no efforts to save water. If they did, they’d get their consumption down to around 500–600 L a day.

You’ll ‘harvest’ water that tastes better and is generally less salty, which is better for appliances and plants (for example it is less likely to leave residue around the toilet).

Reduce your consumption of mains water and, in the long term, cut your water bill. Your water supplier may be able to give you an indication of the savings you can expect.

Rainwater is “softer” than mains water and therefore requires less washing powder in the washing machine to effectively wash clothes.

Lower your impact on the environment by reducing your demand on mains water as well as the amount of stormwater runoff into our waterways.

Choosing a rainwater tank

Rainwater tanks now come in a multitude of sizes, shapes, materials and colours. You can install one next to the house, under it, on a stand, or on the ground.

Things to consider:

Size: The tank capacity you need depends on what you want to use it for, the size of your household and garden, your roof area and the annual rainfall in your region. Your water authority may be able to help you work out the size you need, or many sellers of rainwater tanks provide calculators on their websites.
I recommend a minimum tank size of 5000 L in an urban environment, if you want to use the water for toilet-flushing, the washing machine and in the garden (but not for drinking water). Brisbane City Council estimates that a 3000 L tank connected to the hot water system, toilet and for outdoor use can result in 30–40% savings of mains water. For the average Queensland home and average water needs, a water tank around the size of 3,000 litres is usually more than sufficient. The National Rainwater and Greywater Initiative offers household rebates of up to $500 for new rainwater tanks (minimum 2000 litres) or greywater systems purchased after 30 January 2009.

Design: These days tanks come in all shapes and sizes to suit the home and its surroundings. You can choose from round, rectangular (modular) or slimline. Round ones come either upright or squat, which may fit well under decking. Slimline tanks are generally a bit smaller, but are popular where people have limited space. Tanks can also be installed underground. Bladder storage systems are good for this application.

Cover: All tanks should have a tight-fitting cover so animals and children can’t fall in and that you don’t lose water through evaporation. Importantly, a cover will protect the contents from light which can promote the growth of algae.

Material: The most common water tank design found today is the plastic or polymer water tank as well as blue scope steel, which can be found in the traditional round tank, with many water tank designers moving into slimline rectangle and square designs. The other major area of water tank design and manufacture in recent years has been the development of the pvc plastic water tank bladder, which provides flexibility for installation under houses, decks or buildings.

Location: To reduce water loss through evaporation from inspection holes, don’t put it where it’ll be in the path of the hot midday sun.

Colour: With plenty of colours available to allow your water tank to blend in to its surroundings. With so many water tank designs available, the key to finding the right water tank is research, talking to qualified sales people and setting a budget which is often over looked.

Lisa Duncan and Lachlan Laing own and operate Sustainable Man, a Brisbane-based company providing green living solutions to create a better environment. Their passion is providing responsible advice and service to customers on how to save money around the home or in business by using sustainable solutions such as solar hot water, rainwater tanks, ceiling insulation and wind power solutions. www.sustainableman.com.au.


Blog by Lisa Duncan, Sustainable Man