Taking responsibility
“If you make a mess, you clean it up.” This admonishment to my children when they were young is a microcosm of taking responsibility. Animals don't take responsibility because they don't have choice. However, humans do have choice, and what we choose to do, we are responsible for. What [...]
Mutual self-sufficiency
Mutual self-sufficiency is when people help each other to be self-sufficient – it is mutual aid for mutual benefit. Self-sufficiency is probably the most important strategy for sustainability. Overall it reduces ecological footprint and increases bio-capacity. Self-sufficiency is a two-fold strategy. The first thing is to consume less by simplifying [...]
The benefits of self-sufficiency
There are many benefits of self-sufficiency. Self-sufficiency not only saves you money, it protects you from the vicissitudes of life and also helps to protect the environment. Sufficiency is when you have enough for a life of well-being. A big part of self-sufficiency is knowing how much is enough. [...]
Decluttering at home
Decluttering is good for your well-being and for nature. There are a variety of benefits for decluttering your home including the following. Less can be more. Reduce frustration and save time by not having to search for mislaid items. With less clutter and more space your home will be [...]
Affordable housing
Affordable housing is established on two main costs, namely the cost of the land and the cost of the build. The cost of land is a complicated issue which we'll reserve for another post. However, it is worth noting here that, amongst other things, the size of the section/lot [...]
6 Easy Eco-Friendly Ways To Wash Your Clothes
Guest Post by Desiree Turner (Reproduced with permission from https://clothingbydesiree.com/blogs/news/6-easy-eco-friendly-ways-to-wash-your-clothes) Did you know that 75 - 80% of the carbon footprint for a piece of clothing comes from how it is taken care of? We hear a lot about how fast fashion is destroying the planet because of its massive [...]
The benefits of the modest lemon
Throughout history people have used taken advantage of the benefits of the modest lemon. People have used lemons not just as a flavourful food ingredient but also for its health and other practical benefits. The following (incomplete) list of benefits will hopefully motivate everyone to plant a lemon tree [...]
The benefits of muted light
Have you walked down a suburban street at night and noticed how bright the lights inside some houses are; conflagrations of illumination, mimicking the brightest sunshine. As well as being a waste of electricity, bright lights can interfere with production of melatonin in our brains, which has an affect on [...]
The benefits of round houses
In the past, round houses were much more common. Traditional circular shelters include igloos, tipis, African mud brick huts, yurts and British and European roundhouses. They were the shape of choice because they were strong, energy efficient, good for ventilation and air circulation, less vulnerable in strong winds and they [...]
Size matters
Larger houses with fewer people means more energy use per person. Larger houses use more energy The amount of energy required to heat a space is a function of the size of the space. Whilst newer houses in New Zealand are better insulated they are also much larger than [...]