Save the sweet summer produce from waste.

Matthew Pember is ready to take over the family sauce-making tradition. Next weekend, his relatives and friends will bring over their tomato crop and renew their annual sugo day. “Making our own tomato sauce has been a tradition ever since I can remember,” he says. “It’s a big event.”

Together with his business partner Fabian Capomolla, Mr Pember runs The Little Veggie Patch Company, which designs and installs and organic backyard vegetable gardens. Both men come from Italian-Australian families. “It’s time for our generation to carry it on, but my Nonna and my parents will be there to lend their expertise.” They’ll convert the season’s ripe tomatoes into sauce that will last through winter, before sitting down to a traditional lunch.

The sauce is simple: boil the tomatoes, remove the skins and seeds (Mr Pember uses a small hand-operated machine), and bottle the pulp. A kilo of tomatoes makes about 750 ml of sauce. “We just add salt and a couple of basil leaves. When you cook the pasta sauce to eat, that’s when you add the oil, garlic and herbs.” The sealed bottles are boiled to stop the sauce fermenting in storage.

“If you look after your plot, this is the most exciting time of year. There’s so much fruit falling off trees – you tend to get a glut of food at the one time, so it’s important to put it to good use,” Mr Pember says.

Even if you’re not a backyard gardener, preserving the summer’s crop brings sweet rewards, according Anna Lohse. She’s the founder of Nanna Technology, a website dedicated to upholding time-honoured skills such as gardening and cooking.

“My garden isn’t well-established yet, so I go to the market and buy cheap fruit and veg in bulk,” she says. “[Recently] I bought boxes of tomatoes, plums, peaches and apricots, and went crazy.” She finished with a battery of bottled fruit, chutneys and jams.

There are many ways to keep your crops, from freezing, bottling and drying, to pickling, salting and juicing. Ms Lohse says first time preservers can’t go wrong with jam. “People think jam is hard, but it’s actually really simple and delicious – it’s basically equal quantities of sugar and fruit. Cook it together until the sugar is dissolved and it gets to a runny, jammy consistency.”

When bottling, you have to be careful with hygiene. One technique is to wash your jars and dry them in a low oven, while bringing the lids to boil in a pot of water. “The rule is to put a hot liquid into hot jars and seal with a hot lid,” she says. “There are all sorts of different ways to do it, but that one is easy and has always worked for me.”

Ms Lohse says preserving means she can eat seasonal fruit and vegetables, but not forgo the best flavours. “In winter I miss some of the produce you can get in summer, so it’s very exciting to open up a jar of peaches in the middle of winter and make a delicious pie or tart.”

She also makes her jams and chutneys for the pure pleasure of taking time over her food. “Preserving is a way for me to slow down and enjoy the produce, and also enjoy a slower life.”

Clear air takes care, especially if you’re building.

Most people think of their homes as havens, but the air quality inside can be far worse than outside, even in a busy city.

Marianne Baker, president of the Australian Society of Building Biologists, says a number of factors diminish air quality, including dust and mould. In recent years, people have also become more aware – and wary – of products containing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), chemicals containing carbon that slowly ‘offgas’ into the air.

Although few VOCs have been studied in detail, a number of health effects are known. “The symptoms vary from person to person, but can include headaches, tiredness, or irritation of eyes, nose and throat,” Ms Baker says.

Even so, they’re ubiquitous in our household products, construction materials and furnishings. Unless you take special care, VOCs will emerge from your new carpet, paint, cupboards, varnish, adhesives and synthetic fabrics, as well as from day-to-day cleaning and pest control products, air fresheners and deodorants.

Construction products offgas the most when they are new. For this reason, the decisions you make when you build or renovate are crucial, because you’re installing scores of products all at once.

Low- or no-VOC products are available, including natural paints, sealants and finishes, and natural-fibre floor coverings (such as sisal or jute). Ecospecifier, an eco-friendly product database, is a great place to research what’s on offer. “Seek advice about healthy building materials,” Ms Baker suggests, “and make sure the design allows for excellent cross-flow ventilation.”

Good ventilation is essential for good indoor air quality. “If the air is stagnant, chemicals released from the building materials will accumulate inside,” Ms Baker says.

Jo Immig is an environmental scientist and the coordinator of the National Toxics Network. She says parents should be especially wary of the products they use around the house. “Children are at far greater risk of exposure to any chemicals because their body is developing. They breathe more air per body-kilogram than adults.”

She says most of us can dramatically improve our air quality by adopting a handful of different habits, as well as by improving ventilation. “I encourage people to switch from petrochemical-based, heavily perfumed cleaning products to plant-based, low-toxic cleaning products.” Similarly, she recommends against buying plug-in or aerosol air fresheners.

And if you’ve got pest trouble, try to target the cause of the problem. “For example, with cockroaches, seal up cracks and crevices, rather than getting a pest control company to come once a year and spray the place with chemicals,” Ms Immig says.

Unflued gas heaters are also a health hazard. When gas is burnt it releases nitrogen dioxide, which contributes to chronic respiratory disease. “Any indoor gas appliance that is not properly vented is potentially a big contributor to indoor pollution,” Ms Immig says.

Her other simple suggestions include coughing up for a vacuum with high filter efficiency (HEPA filter) and removing your shoes at the door. Particles of heavy metals, such as lead, cling to the soles of our shoes – so at the least, be sure to place doormats at every entry.

Indoor plants can also help you breathe easy. “Plants have a lot to offer,” Ms Immig says, “not just their potential for cleaning the air, but for the overall feeling of wellbeing in the home.”

For more information, visit safersolutions.org.au

The federal government’s phase-out of standard incandescent light globes has already begun. Since November last year, Australian shops have only been allowed to sell their pre-existing stock. But we don’t need to be scared of the dark – there are eco-friendly options to brighten our homes and save us money.

There are two main kinds of low-energy lighting technology to choose from: fluorescent lamps – both old-style tubes and newer compact fluoros (CFLs) – and Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs).

David Baggs, technical director of Ecospecifier (an eco product database) says that when choosing lights, it’s wise to remember both colour and brightness.

Most people prefer the yellowish glow given off by incandescent globes. “To get a light that has the warmth we’re comfortable with, ask for ‘warm white’ CFLs or LEDs,” Baggs says. To be absolutely sure, check the colour temperature (measured in ‘Kelvin’). Warm white comes in at about 2700 K, whereas a cool fluorescent tube glows bluer, at about 5000 K.

Next, if you want to know how brightly your new energy-smart globe will shine, compare the power of the light (measured in ‘lumens’) against similar incandescent bulbs. “Any good lighting shop or online retailer will have that information,” Baggs says.

The quality of both CFLs and LEDs is improving rapidly, but each is better suited to particular applications.

General lighting

According to John Knox, from the Alternative Technology Association’s webshop, CFLs are perfect for general room lighting. With a quick online search, you’ll find them available in a pleasing range of shapes, from spirals and sticks, to more elegant globes. They even come in petite candle-shaped sizes that slot into unusual places such as rangehoods or chandeliers.

Good quality household CFLs cost between $5 and $15. You can also buy dimmable versions for about $30 each, but don’t fret about the extra dollars – with a lamp life up to eight times longer than an incandescent bulb, they’ll save you money before long. Knox recommends bigger name brands. “They’re generally higher quality, last longer and won’t flicker,” he says.

Until now LEDs have not been bright enough for general lighting use, but Knox is optimistic that the situation will change in months, rather than years. “The technology is coming along in leaps and bounds,” he says.

Task lighting

Halogen downlights are the most common and energy-sapping task lighting in Australian homes. “The easiest solution is to replace them with one low-energy bulb in the centre of the room,” suggests Mick Harris from Enviroshop.

If you want to keep your downlights but cut their energy consumption, the most straight-forward option is to install high-efficiency halogens, such as the Philips Masterline ES or the Osram IRC Energy Saver, at a cost of about $10 each. “They last two-and-a-half times longer than a standard halogen and use 30 per cent less energy,” Harris says.

Alternatively, you can buy LED downlights for between $40 and $60 each. The up-front cost is high, but with a lifetime of up to 50,000 hours, they’ll almost never need to be replaced. Harris says that while LEDs aren’t yet as bright as halogens, they do suit lounge areas, hallways or toilets, and can be purchased together with a driver that makes them dimmable. “Wander through your house and see which lights are brighter than you need. They’re good spots for LED bulbs.”

CFLs are also available as downlights ($10 to $15 each), but to make them work, you’ll need to get an electrician to replace the fitting. Enviroshop sells slightly larger downlight fittings that suit standard-sized (including dimmable) CFLs. “That way, you get the best of both worlds,” Harris says. “It will give you as much brightness as you want, with a cheap, energy efficient globe.”

All CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, so they’re hazardous if broken or left in landfill. See the federal environment department’s website for more information on how to recycle or dispose of them safely. 

See this article in Sanctuary Magazine.

The Sustainable Living Festival brings all kinds of green ideas together.

This year’s Sustainable Living Festival is already under way. The program has been extended to two weeks, with activities running at different locations across the city and state in the lead up to the main event at Federation Square in Melbourne next weekend, from February 19 to 21.

Festival director Luke Taylor says the longer program will help focus attention on the good work done by local groups. “We have a whole range of local events promoting various aspects of sustainability, from greening your home and sustainable food through to the bigger issues like climate change,” he says. “It’s an opportunity for us to support the sustainability actions done by local communities.”

The theme for the festival, now in its eleventh year, is climate change. There’ll be over 150 talks and workshops, and more than 100 stalls encompassing all shades of green, with a thicket of practical information on things you can do around the home.

Exhibitors include domestic energy efficiency retailers Going Solar, Energy Matters and Solar Shop Australia. There’ll also be useful sessions on draught proofing, reducing your waste and home chicken husbandry, to name just a few.

Mr Taylor says that change is required in our homes and backyards, and also in our houses of parliament. “Everybody needs to be involved in solving this [climate change] problem. Local action is critical, but we need government leadership as well.”

That’s a theme that will be taken up by the panel discussion, ‘Towards climate safe homes’, to be held next Sunday. Last year, a coalition of environment groups produced a report on the energy efficiency of our housing stock, and the steps required to lift it to a zero-carbon or ‘climate safe’ standard.

Panel member Victoria McKenzie-McHarg, from Environment Victoria, says there are two elements to climate safe homes. They not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also build the kind of dwellings that will help people adapt to harsher and drier conditions. “We know that with climate change we’re not going to have the water resources that we have had in the past. We need to improve our housing stock so we’re prepared for climate impacts, and also so our homes become part of the solution,” she says.

“We’re seeing families and householders across Australia taking action themselves,” Ms McKenzie-McHarg says. “There are a number of government rebates that assist them, but to make a really big difference we need a comprehensive plan to green our building stock.”

She says that although houses now contribute one-fifth of Victoria’s greenhouse gas emissions, we could slash that impact by 75 per cent by way of energy efficient design and appliances.

Last year, federal and state governments agreed to lift the residential energy efficiency standard from five to six stars. The states must comply by May 2011. Ms McKenzie-McHarg says it’s a good start, but we’re still well behind many other countries. “Melbourne has a comparable climate region to California, but their equivalent rating for new homes is 7.6 stars. And in the UK they’re aiming for zero net carbon homes by 2016. This is really possible – it’s not pie-in-the-sky stuff.”

Choose cooling that won’t break the bank.

SUMMER hot spells not only induce BBQs and beach holidays, but also snap decisions to shell out for expensive air conditioners. Christopher Zinn from Choice argues that air con should be the last option, not the first. “People can – like lambs to the slaughter – be taken to very high energy use air conditioning systems. There are better, lower cost, lower impact options.”

In its ‘Your cooling options buying guide’ (available free online), Choice details a number of ways you can keep your home comfortable without purchasing a machine. The cheapest tactic is ventilation. Each evening, once the weather has cooled, open your windows to allow a cool cross breeze through your home.

To stop the heat entering to begin with, existing homes can be retrofitted with ceiling insulation, draught-stoppers and shading for north and west-facing windows. “Even if you have air conditioning, these things can substantially reduce your running costs,” Mr Zinn says.

For mechanical cooling, fans should be your first option. Phil Wilkinson, technical manager of the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air conditioning and Heating, says they’re a cheap and low-maintenance solution on days that aren’t super hot. “Fans create a draught that helps you feel comfortable as it moves across your skin, but they don’t lower the temperature.” Desk and pedestal fans start from about $20; ceiling fans, from $50.

Evaporative coolers are another lower-energy choice. They cool by drawing air through wet filters and then blowing it out. “The running costs are minimal because they only need to power a fan and a small water pump,” Mr Wilkinson says. They work best in warm, dry climates, so they’re well suited to Victorian summers.

Evaporative coolers come in portable, fixed or ducted systems and range in cost accordingly, from around $100 to over $2000. Be wary of their extra water use – the bigger the unit the more it will slurp. Portables can suck up four litres per hour and central units more than 25 litres.

Well-designed Australian homes shouldn’t require air conditioning, but if you can’t do without, be careful about what you buy. “Choose the smallest, most efficient unit to suit your day to day needs,” says Mr Wilkinson. Residential models are labelled with an energy efficiency rating. “Our advice is to look for as many stars as you can afford – the more stars, the less it costs to run.”

The institute has created Fair Air, an online guide to choosing the air conditioner that best suits you. Portable and fixed wall models begin at about $500; split systems, about $1000; and ducted systems, about $5000. Make sure you use a qualified installer (visit the ARCtick website for more information).

As with heating, it’s wise to zone your cooling to where you spend time, rather than chilling the whole home. Dress down and try setting the thermostat to between 25 and 27 degrees: each extra degree of cooling will increase energy consumption by up to 10 per cent.

Mr Wilkinson says regular maintenance is required to keep both air conditioners and evaporative coolers running well. “You have to clean the filters and heat exchange services and check anything that’s getting noisy. It’s the same as a car, you have to maintain them to keep their efficiency to a maximum, so refer to the manufacturer’s or the installer’s advice.”