Summer in a sunburnt country: ReNew magazine looks at subterranean homes, backyard sheds, balcony gardens and electric boats.

Small scale sustainable living: green your apartment
The first sustainability rule of thumb is reduce. No more so, than when it comes to the size of your home where less is always more as far as the planet is concerned.

Yet green innovations, ideas and designs for apartments are surprisingly hard to come by, especially when you consider that over the next decade, most of the dwellings being built in Australian capital cities will be of the very small variety.

ReNew takes things to the next level and discovers some of Australia’s most creative green living ideas can be found on a balcony above you.

Subterranean summer: cool earth-dwelling in bushfire zones
Underground or earth-covered homes have been around for as long as humans have been building shelter.

And with good reason. They have stable internal temperatures all year round, and require little maintenance.

But where they really come into their own is in a bushfire. ReNew unearths homes ideal for a sunburnt country.

All quiet on the waterfront: electric sailing
Imagine a motorboat minus the noise and petrol fumes. It would certainly make for smoother sailing.

But electric boats also make the ideal watercraft in Australia’s delicate aquatic ecosystems.

Boat builder, Graham Daniels, built his first electric boat in the 1980s and his latest creation, a 12-seater launch, now operates as a tour boat on the Lincoln Cove Marina, South Australia.

Australia’s greenest shed: update on sustainable shed competition
No matter the garden, the backyard shed is a haven for invention especially when it comes to those in ReNew’s sustainable shed competition.

Yet for some entrants, it was during the construction of their shed that they got most creative.

ReNew gives a sneak preview of Australia’s most inventive sheds. A hint, they’re all green!

Other stories in ReNew 106
Wicked summer veggies: DIY water wise garden beds
World Wind: community wind farms around the world
Bulk Solar: what to look out for

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 at 2:04 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.