It’s quite fun watching people’s reactions when we tell them we grew our lamp base and hanging light cover in the front garden! Inspired by some clever gourd bowls, vases and birdhouses we’d seen before, we experimented with some function gourd art and are really pleased with how they turned out.

So the story of our lamp base and light cover began with a seed....that turned into a vine that grew the gourds....then the vine died back and we harvested the gourds, leaving a good piece of stem on, and dried them in a well ventilated rack out the back deck....then after a few months when they were full dried (very lightweight and the seeds inside shook like a rattle) we cut the holes required in the base and top, scrubbed them inside and outside with vinegar and water and dried them in a sun for a couple days again.

 

Then time for creativity – one gourd had particularly beautiful patterns left on it from a fungus that grew on it during the drying stage, so we enhanced that natural pattern with a coat of linseed oil. Then the other gourd we used as a hanging light cover, and drilled some patterns into it, and painted it in non-toxic Biopaint.  

Local, ethically and sustainably produced native forest timber plays a key role in sustainable living. But it can be hard to come by, when most timber and furniture in the shops comes from who knows where, and who knows what the true story is behind how the forests are being managed.

We were lucky enough to find a local producer of sustainable native forest timber and furniture near Jamberoo. Julian harvests mostly from trees which have blown down in the wind on his property, or surrounding properties. We bought a beautiful red cedar slab from a tree of about 70 years of age that blew down in Julian’s front yard in strong winds in 2003. We’ll make this precious piece of local timber into a much loved dining table.

See the Green Directory for Julian’s details.

Rugs and matts made from woven paper, coconut husks (coir), jute (from jute plants, which require no or little pesticides or fertilisers), sisal (another plant requiring no or little pesticides or fertilisers)…it’s surprising and impressive how many options there are for natural floor coverings, and how fantastic they are! We just got a gorgeous colourful rug made sisal, woven paper and cotton – and it looks right at home on our lounge room floor. There's some inspiring ideas at www.naturalfloor.com.au.

Floorboards are a fantastic flooring option. They're a natural material, low allergy and can be cleaned with a microfiber mop - no vacuuming needed! Natural oils are a great way to protect your floors and bring them to life. They're also much more people and eco friendly than synthetic finishes like polyurethane.

We just oiled our floors with ‘Livos Ardvos wood oil’ from the Natural Paint Place, which is a linseed based oil. We found it really easy to work with, and the floors have come up brilliantly. An added bonus with these natural oils is that you can spot repair any scratches. Check out flooring article for more info.

---

We all know that ‘fresh paint’ smell isn’t good for us…but the thing is even after the smell is gone, standard paints can off gas nasties such as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) for months and months, aggravating asthma, irritating our eyes, nose and throats and causing lethargy. And the chemicals used in paints can have a nasty environmental legacy.

You might be surprised to know there are alternatives - we certainly were! BIO paints are high quality non-toxic paints made from plants and minerals, not petrochemicals. They can be colour matched to most colours, and are great to work with. And we love that these paints are 100% biodegradable so you can wash the brushes out onto the grass!

Check out:

http://www.greenpainters.com.au

http://www.energyandwatersolutions.com.au

 

---

Think of a sustainable home and you're likely to think of a sleek new architect designed building with all the new efficiency gadgets. But making changes in our behaviour and smart alterations to existing homes, is a much better environmental choice than building from scratch. And just because a building is given a five star eco rating, doesn't mean that people will use it that way - it's all about what we do within our home. If you grow some of your own food and support local food producers, your probably already miles ahead of houses that produce all their own energy and water, as food is by far the biggest part of our ecological footprint.

So, healthy and eco-friendly renovations is the name of the game at the moment! It's fantastic to see more green home renovation products becoming available. But separating products which are marketed as healthy and environmentally friendly, from those which live up to their promises, and then actually being able to find those products locally is quite a challenge. We hope our ideas and local resource list is helpful for you!

So far we’ve:

• Removed the carpet to expose the floorboards, which will be polished with a natural linseed based wood oil. Floorboards don’t hold pollutants and allergens like carpet, new carpets and their glue often contain a number of harmful chemicals, and floorboards are easy to clean – no vacuum required!

• Reused materials where possible – wall panelling is being used as veneer, tiles will be given a new life in mosaics, concrete from the driveway will be cut up and used as garden paths.
  

• Opened up the wall between the kitchen and the lounge room to improve social activity around the preparation of vibrant, healthy food.

The Total Environment Centre has produced a great  'Safer Solutions Guide to Renovations' at http://www.safersolutions.org.au . There's also a fantastic manual for renovating and building sustainable homes at  http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/yourhome/technical/index.htm.

---