Tagged with sustainable housing

Practical Ideas For Self-Sustaining Homes

Raising ecological awareness has become imperative in this modern era.

It is our responsibility and a great necessity to advocate and apply eco-friendly practices in order to stop climate changes, prevent global warming and eventually protect our precious environment. Thus, it does not surprise that self-sustaining homes have gained so much popularity. The idea has been welcomed by an impressive number of people and we can rightfully expect to build a more sustainable world in the near future.

So, what are the best practical ideas for self-sustaining homes? Here is a comprehensive answer.

Features of self-sustaining homes

Self-sustaining homes have emerged as a logical outcome of an economic and ecological lifestyle.  Much is expected from a home that is primarily friendly to our environment and yet gives us financial freedom. The features of self-sustaining homes are the following:Practical Ideas For Self-Sustaining Homes

  • These homes are mostly built from recycled or low carbon materials.
  • They do not cover the area that exceeds the recommended and required size in the given circumstances.
  • Self-sustaining homes have their own heat, cooling, and power sources.
  • They include systems installed for the purpose of water and waste management.
  • Finally, they provide their owners with an opportunity to produce their own food and livestock and enjoy the benefits of a healthy and green lifestyle.

Numerous measures have been taken to promote the concept of sustainability and improve the implementation of these ideas into our day-to-day living. In the case of self-sustaining homes, it is an outstanding experience to participate in a sustainable house day and exchange ideas and practices with other people. Only then will you be able to master this extraordinary lifestyle and use its benefits to the full potential.

The best practical ideas for self-sustaining homes

Whilst it is more effective to build a completely new house with sustainability as a leading goal, it is not impossible to conduct some changes in the existing homes as well. It is of utter importance to focus on the principles underlying the concept of self-sustaining homes. Should you decide to relocate overseas or anywhere else around Australia, you will be able to apply these principles easily and efficiently.

Use solar power in your self-sustaining homes

Luckily, nowadays we can say that solar power has become more affordable and accessible. To be able to use it, one needs to install solar panels. The type of panels you will use depends on your preferences. Whether you choose rooftop or standalone, these panels are necessary to generate enough energy for your lights and appliances.

Understandably, it is of key importance to know how to save energy we receive in this manner. Providing natural light is a vital component in this process of saving energy. In addition, installing large windows is a sensible decision concerning this aspect of self-sustaining homes. Moreover, choosing energy efficient light bulbs and home appliances is undoubtedly very helpful.

Install a rainwater harvesting system

Rainwater harvesting system is necessary for self-sustaining homes because it helps homeowners with accumulation and deposition of rainwater for reuse in the upcoming period. Water received as the final product of this process can be used for watering plants, for animals or even for washing.

Minimise the generation of waste

One of the practical ideas for self-sustaining homes includes not only minimising the generation of waste, but also its efficient management. The waste should be classified into two categories – organic and inorganic.

We cannot but mention an excellent practical idea within this category and that is to build an outdoor composting box. By installing this box, a homeowner gets a chance to conserve resources through the process of transforming, for example, food leftovers into rich soil. The process is not only cost-efficient, but it can provide you with the soil of good quality to use in your garden.

Cultivate your own food

The concept of sustainability is intrinsically related to a green and healthy lifestyle. Growing your own food will most probably cause some considerable changes in your diet. It will become much richer in fruit and vegetables, which is one of the healthiest life choices you can make. Furthermore, the whole concept will be inexpensive and, most importantly, it will be completely friendly to your environment.

Use a wood-burning or water stove to provide heat

Using wood-burning or water stove will provide you with an excellent alternative heat source. One of the advantages of this strategy to provide heat to your self-sustaining home is that you can use these stoves for cooking as well. However, if you prefer traditional heating systems, you can use them in this type of homes as well, but they will use solar or wind power to function properly.

The pros and cons of self-sustaining homes

The pros of self-sustaining homes are countless. Firstly, to feel comfortable in this new type of dwelling, you will have to change your everyday habits. Your lifestyle becomes healthier and more eco-friendly. Secondly, you can influence people in your surrounding and contribute to raising environmental awareness. Furthermore, you become more financially independent. This is possible by investing in self-sustaining features of your home. Finally, living in self-sustaining homes prepares you for living in extreme conditions, for example after natural disasters.

The whole concept of living in self-sustaining homes has some downsides as well. Firstly, it requires a lot of your time to finish all the necessary tasks. Then, despite the existence of some sustainability tips that require minimal effort, building this type of home or even adaptation of your existing home to these practices is highly demanding.  Finally, orchestrating and then conducting the whole process is considerably expensive. Nevertheless, building self-sustaining homes is a long-term investment which will prove its worth very soon.

This article was kindly written and contributed by Sally Norton.

Living Pods and Naturescapes: Transforming Residential Areas into Sustainable Living Environments

As an Architect, I’m able to see a bird’s eye view of trends in design. A significant movement that continues to expand in our consciousness, is how to create a sustainable world (for ourselves and generations to come) amidst an expanding population and increasing use of natural resources.

Now more than ever, we see people responding to this challenge. We are re-discovering our fundamental connection with the earth and with each other and communities are being created around environments where food, nature and aesthetics are re-united.

Paul Barnett

My own work on “Living Pods”, a term I use to relate to home habitats, has developed over many years, as I acknowledge an increasing need to design and implement living environments that are in harmony with our beautiful world.

Living Pods are flexible living habitats that combine to create a diversity of living environments for couples, mixed family units, several groups or single people at any stage of their lives. The concept is based on single and multiple small buildings that enable privacy as well as social interaction. They are accessible, adaptable, natural and beautiful spaces to inhabit.

The Living Pod system sits at the pinnacle of sustainable design. Their footprint is small, requiring less materials and energy. Using Solar Passive and Passiv Haus design elements, the pods are carbon neutral and are built from sustainable and natural materials. The concept elegantly integrates greenhouse areas that connect interior space to nature and enable an indoor garden with extended growing seasons.

The Living Pod system is also perfectly designed to harmonise and integrate with natural, water harvested landscapes. Waterharvesting involves creating an underground river bed system that appears in the landscape as small creek beds. Tested over 25 years, waterharvesting has been shown to enhance subsoil environments for trees, shrubs, ground covers and edible gardens fed by rainwater and grey water. There is no maintenance of the waterharvesting system, it is natural and utilises microorganisms to digest greywater particles.

An environment created with living pods and naturescapes enables families and friends to grow through generations in a healthy, dynamic and sustainable living space, which supports the cycle of life with social enhancement, and connection to an abundant naturescape.

Paul Barnett is an Architect specializing in Sustainable Building and Naturescapes in Schools, Urban Spaces and Housing. He currently working on 10 star Living Pods and Naturescapes in Schools and urban areas.

Housing Affordability: A Problem With A Solution?

The unaffordability of housing is an almost universal problem, with planners and politicians alike being accused of killing the Aussie or Kiwi Dream. This is not a new issue —in the 1950s the ‘working man’ faced problems financing their first home. That was addressed by the emergence of the ‘working woman’ and her income and government assistance from soft loans to building subsidies, to smooth the way to home ownership.

While government intervention is still possible, present governments are less willing to intervene in those ways and the ‘working family’ has no one left to send out to work. Governments have instead instituted supply side solutions such as removing planning restrictions or increasing land supply. These have had limited success, often at the cost of further sprawl and a less sustainable city.

Caroline Miller

We first need a better understanding of who house buyers are and what expectations they have for the home they are having difficulty buying, to underpin more effective housing policies.  Houses as investments and stores of value for small time and overseas investors are a reality, and can add speculation pressure to a rising housing market.  That’s an issue best dealt with by tax policies or limits on overseas buyers. Home buyers are also changing and look for a complete housing package including landscaped grounds.

For Generation Y, a house is more than a place to live; it is an expression of their values and aspirations and is expected to demonstrate those values and aspirations to the world. Simply proving more fringe suburbia will not meet their needs. Higher densities are a solution if planners, architects and developers can create developments existing communities will tolerate and which speak to younger buyers.

Financial issues also need to be addressed making monetary policy as reflected in housing interest rates, an integral aspect of addressing affordability. Address housing affordability requires comprehensive policies addressing both the demand and supply sides of the affordability equation and solutions that are informed by the expectations of all sectors of every generation.

Associate Professor Caroline Miller, Resource & Environmental Planning Programme, School of People, Environmental & Planning, Massey University, Palmerston North, NZ.