Today is  Blog Action Day and the theme is climate change. So what better day to write about a climate-saving feature packed house that I visited in Sydney on Sustainable House Day.

Visiting John’s sustainable house in Gordon was more than just checking out rainwater tanks, solar panels and a vege patch. It was more of a journey through John’s concepts and philosophies in life, which all in some way focused on sustainability. (more…)

Sustainable House Day is happening again on September 13. It happens all around Australia so if you are keen to check out some great, green homes this is the day to start.

In the past I’ve visited houses in Sydney and Canberra, which have been really inspirational. This year I am sticking to Sydney – probably closer to my own house.

Interested? Find a house near you on the Sustainable House Day website

My free Greentech Australia tickets have arrived. If you are in Sydney, Greentech is from November 7-8 , and from the time of writing free tickets were available at the Greentech website.

Greentech is all about green building, design and technology. There are some great speakers, talks and exhibitions. Find out more.

Last weekend my family and I visited some interesting places during Sustainable House Day. This year there were so many houses on offer, it was difficult to choose which ones to visit — our time was a bit limited because we had a four year old and a small baby with us.

We chose the Hawkesbury EarthCare Centre, an owner-builder house constructed from interlocking concrete blocks and a new house using many clever environmental elements.

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I’m really looking forward to next weekend because it’s Sustainable House Day (September 13-14). Finally, I’m going to be in Sydney to enjoy some houses in my area – and this year there seems like quite a lot.

A few years back I was in Canberra so I checked out a few houses there. The one thing that amazed me with the houses there was how cold it was outside, but how toasty warm (with no heating) it was inside due to solar passive designs and thermal mass. The houses also gave me some good ideas of what I could do in my own house.

The event is happening across Australia and New Zealand so check out some houses in your area for some good ideas and inspiration.

If you do, please tell us about the places you visited in the comments section below.

Despite installing insulation in our ceiling, our house is really cold in winter.

Unfortunately, the main culprits are bare wooden floor boards – complete with cracks - in our main living area and a huge evergreen tree in the backyard that blocks out all North facing sun.

Our bedroom is also freezing – thin carpet tiles lie on top of bare wooden floor boards and the wall mounted heater faces a window so most heat is sent straight outside through the glass. The roof to our bedroom is tin and uninsulated.

At the moment we can’t afford to insulate under the floorboards or in the roof of our bedroom and the tree…well the tree provides such fantastic shade in summer we just can’t face pulling it out.

So, we are taking some simpler actions to help our house cope better in winter. (more…)

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.

Finally, there is a water tank that you can pack up and take with you when you move. If you don’t want to create your own do-it-yourself tank or fork out for the more expensive metal or plastic tanks, which remain as permanent fixtures to your home, then possibly the Handytank could be for you.

The Handytank is a 1,000 litre water tank which can be bought at Kmart, Mitre 10, Home Timber and Hardware, Thrifty-Link and Trade Link stores. It comes in a flat pack so can be transported home in most cars and is assembled and fitted in about 20 minutes. The manufacturers also claim it can be easily dissembled for easy moving.

I love the idea of a water tank that you can take with you when you move, such a great idea for people renting. Now if you could just do the same with solar panels…

Trying to find products made from sustainably harvested wood can be tricky in Australia.

To help consumers do just this Greenpeace has releases its online Good Wood guide.

The guide lets you search for furniture and materials made of timber from ecologically responsible sources, as well as find out the eco status of certain timber species and find alternatives.

Did anyone get to Sustainable House Day? If so let me know how it went. Last year I was in Canberra and managed to check out two great homes that used solar energy really wisely.

Unfortunately, I missed it this year because I have gone back to university so had to spend the day inside studying.

Oh well, ¦there is always next year.