I love this book! Smart Permaculture Design is no ordinary gardening book. The author, Jenny Allen, has such a great way of writing. She tells an enticing story about her permaculture garden in Melaney, Queensland, while also teaching readers about permaculture principles and design.

Her words are poetic, dramatic and informative and she adds just enough spice to keep you drooling through her beautifully illustrated book. (more…)

Next week I’m due to have a baby so I’ll be a bit quiet on the Greenfoot front for the following few weeks or so.

I’ve been reading a book called Raising Baby Green, which has some interesting tips on how to have a green baby. It’s American so some of the information is not so relevant to Australia but some interesting tips never-the-less.

One thing I’m planning to do once my baby is born is to try out some of the newer cloth nappies on the market. These days cloth nappies have come a long way since the good old square white, towelling ones, which we used with my son. We also experimented with other more eco friendly disposable nappies, however, this ended up getting pretty expensive.

Carly over at Buddlebums kindly sent me a sample of her cloth nappies, which I will definitely be trying out.

I’m sure there are loads of great cloth and eco alternatives to the regular disposable nappies out there. Please if you know of any let me know in the comments below so I can check them out.

Cheers and see you soon.

Since it’s World Environment Day today, it seems apt to be thinking about recycling and reusing. Being a huge supporter of the R’s, I’m always on the look out for imaginative ways to give life to old or unusable items.

Cool Hunting Green is a book dedicated to designers who are doing just that but in a much funkier and trendier way than I ever could

The book focuses on designers who are creating, reusing or recycling items to produce greener products for fashion, gadgets, stationery, the house, transport, outside and even the afterlife.

Each item featured is accompanied by a website where you can get more information and buy the product.

Some of my favorite sites are:

http://www.rebeccawardjewellery.com/

http://www.souls-australia.com.au/shop.html

http://www.greenknickers.org/index.html

http://www.ecoist.com/

I’ve just finished reading Choosing Eden, which coincides well with the rising oil and fuel prices that are dominating media headlines.

The author, Adrienne Langman, tells a compelling tale of how she and her husband learn about the peak oil crisis. As a result they leave their comfortable life in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney to create a more sustainable life in Northern NSW - Nana Glen near Coffs Harbour.

Their dream is to establish a permaculture farm, which they call Eden Forest Permaculture Sanctuary. This is so they won’t be reliant on the rising costs of living associated with increasing oil prices.

The story begins with Adrienne and her husband’s first discovery of the peak oil crisis, to selling their Sydney home, buying a farm, and learning about and setting up a permaculture farm on their land.

The story is incredibly inspirational because Adrienne and her husband are in their 50s and they leave a well established community of family and friends in Sydney to step into the unknown.

If you’re like me – you live in a city but are always dreaming of moving to the country to create a more sustainable lifestyle then this book will make you want to do it even more. Choosing Eden is a really great read and although it was only published last year, I’m already waiting for the follow up book, which I hope Adrienne is writing now.

I’ve just finished reading Making Your Home Sustainable by Derek Wrigley. It’s a really useful book for anyone wanting to retrofit their house to improve its energy and water efficiency.

When architect and solar consultant Derek Wrigley moved into a townhouse in Canberra in 1991, he began retrofitting it to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. Throughout the book, Wrigley uses the house to show how homes in Australia’s southern states can be made more sustainable.

The book is ideal for home owners who can fit out and alter their house. However, there is a small and informative section that provides renters with ways to improve their home’s efficiency at minimum cost.

The book covers more than just basic green living tips – it provides detailed information (but easy-to-understand) about solar energy, energy efficiency, appliances, mass and thermal comfort, insulation, ventilation, minimising water and effective landscape use.

It’s a great resource for all us retrofitters out there. To buy the book, visit Scribe Publications.

It’s always good to see a new magazine on the racks dedicated to sustainability and green living. Although the Greenpages magazine has been out for a while, today is the first time I have managed to get my hands on a copy.

The magazine is quarterly and extends from the Greenpages Business and Lifestyle directories. The magazine features sections on design, food, travel, style, science and eco-culture. It’s a good read, grab a copy.

Check out the Greenfoot directory for more magazines dedicated to sustainable living.

The list of books dedicated to green living seems to be growing. Two which recently came my way are The Green Book and A lighter Footprint.

Both focus on green living but each one takes a slightly different slant. (more…)

During my lunch hour today I viewed the most amazing photography exhibition called Earth from Above, displayed for free and outdoors at Darling Harbour in Sydney.

The images, taken by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, are a series of aerial images focusing on our planet and sustainable development. The images are truly incredible and if you’re in Sydney or passing through Darling Harbour then definitely take a look. The exhibition runs until December 26, 2007.

Lately I’ve been battling the dreaded lurgy so I apologise for my sparse postings.

However, through my sleepy, fuzzy, throaty amblings I came across a new magazine at my local newsagent called Green.

The magazine launched this month, is published quarterly and focuses on sustainable architecture and landscape design. However, Green is also packed with loads of useful tips such as retrofitting your home, new products, green innovations and growing food locally.

Definitely worth a read and its website is great for a visit.

Josh Byrne is one of my favorite presenters on the ABC’s TV show Gardening Australia because he mostly covers topics that deal with permaculture and growing food organically.

I’ve just finished reading his recent book The Green Gardener and I must admit I feel not only inspired about what he says but also pretty positive that I’m doing the right things in my garden to improve it organically and conserve water. (more…)