Eco-paints are good for your health and for the planet.

 It might signify a job well done, but that new paint smell can be bad for you. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in conventional paint give off low-level toxic fumes that can worsen asthma and cause headaches, among other health problems. They also add to air pollution. “On exterior surfaces, the ‘off-gasing’ of VOCs produces smog,” says Daniel Wurm, from Green Painters. Happily, there are eco-friendly options.

Low VOC

Most brands offer low VOC coatings in the full range of colours, for about the same price as premium grade paints. To avoid greenwash, Mr Wurm recommends products bearing the Good Environmental Choice Australia tick. It certifies that the product is low VOC and that its manufacturing process met environmental performance standards.

Natural paints

“If you’re serious about making a difference to the environment you can’t beat natural paints,” Mr Wurm says. They’re made from renewable or highly abundant resources such as clay, linseed oil and citrus oil, and come in a wide range of colours. The only catch is cost: up to double the price of standard paints. “But in comparison to a house, it’s still a very small amount,” he says.

Heat reflective paints

Exterior paints are now available that are both insulating and low VOC. “They can cut your cooling costs by up to 40 per cent,” Mr Wurm says “They reflect solar radiation so they stop the heat from getting into your house in the first place.”

Scratch around with backyard bantams

“Chooks have personalities,” says poultry enthusiast Debra Maffescioni. “In a group, there’ll be a shy chook and there’ll be one that runs straight up to you. They’re sensational pets.”

Conveniently, they also produce food – if you treat them right, you’ll get fresh, organic, free-range eggs. And if you’re a gardener, chicken poo is free fertiliser.

Ms Maffescioni’s business, Book A Chook, supplies (either for hire or purchase) everything you need to keep hens. She recommends that city dwellers keep smaller bantam chickens, rather than full size birds, which need more space and can be destructive. Most bantams lay an egg every second day (weighing about 45 grams). They’re easy to care for, even if you’ve got other pets. “Cats don’t bother chooks,” Ms Maffescioni says, “and most dogs can be trained to accept them. Visiting dogs are the biggest threat.”

Regulations

Check with your local council – each one has different rules. Nearly all will let you keep at least a few chooks without a permit. Most don’t allow roosters, but be sure to find out. “Keeping a rooster is good for the hens,” Ms Maffescioni says. “If you can do it, I’d highly recommend you do.”

Expenses

Pure breed bantams cost between $25 and $40. September is hatching time, but hens are in demand, so it’s a good idea to put your request in early. Ask Poultry Stud Breeders and Exhibitors Victoria for a list of local poultry clubs and reputable breeders.

Ms Maffescioni estimates that it costs about 20 cents per day to feed a fowl. Serve up table scraps and chook pellets or seed mix, available from pet shops and stockfeed suppliers.

Essentials

Bantams don’t need a lot of space – so long as you provide dirt for dust bathing, even an inner city courtyard will be enough room for two. They’re social animals, so you need to keep more than one. Chooks need shade, shelter and water. The coop must be fox-proof, and have a roost for sleeping and a nesting box for laying.

Recycling food and garden waste is a win-win scenario.

Think composts smell bad? Permaculture gardener and compost advocate Adam Grubb says it needn’t be so. “A good compost smells like a rainforest.” What’s more, it harvests nutrients for your garden and reduces greenhouse gas emissions from landfill.

Grubb’s business, Very Edible Gardens, runs two-hour composting courses. “To get the balance right, every time you put in food scraps or something green, you should add something brown as well, like soaked cardboard, straw or autumn leaves.”

Worm farm

If you’ve got mostly kitchen scraps (not much garden waste), a worm farm is best. They cost about $80, or you can make one using polystyrene veggie boxes. Worms cost about $50 for 1000.

“They’ll quickly turn your food scraps into worm castings – black gold for gardeners,” Grubb says. He also recommends worm farms for apartment dwellers, “so they can turn balconies into mini food-gardens.” Bokashi Buckets are a super-compact alternative. “They’re great for dealing with meat scraps, but the result isn’t full of the best biology for your garden.”

Compost bin

A regular compost bin works well for green clippings and food scraps. Before you buy, contact your council for discount offers. If the bin doesn’t have air holes, Grubb suggests you use a drill to add ventilation.

Hot compost

To kick-start a new garden, make a cubic metre batch of compost. Layer green waste, manure, food scraps and straw, and turn it regularly. “If the pile is really big, it heats up in the middle and breaks down rapidly,” Grubb says.

A solar PV system will pay its own way in less than 10 years.

“Now is the best time to get a solar panel system,” says Michael O’Connell from the Alternative Technology Association (ATA), “because the rebates – if you qualify – are never going to get better.”

Until the end of June, owner-occupiers can get about $8800 back on a 1 kW solar panel system – that’s enough to generate about a quarter of the average family’s electricity needs. To qualify for the rebate, your household must earn less than $100 000 and the photovoltaics must be wired into the mains grid.

From July, the rules will change again. The government is ditching the means test, but cutting the rebate to around $6500 for a 1.5kW system, depending on the current price of Renewable Energy Certificates. Then, later this year, the Victorian government will introduce a ‘feed-in’ tariff for up to 3.2 kW systems. They’ll pay homeowners 60 cents per kilowatt-hour for any surplus energy they put into the grid.

Mr O’Connell says that while the tariff is not generous enough, buying a 1 to 2 kW system does make sense in the long term. “Under a good case scenario you can expect a payback period of around five to ten years, and the system should last about twenty years. 

You can cut costs even more by teaming up, even with a handful of people in your street. “With bulk purchasing discounts, we’ve heard of people getting panels at massive savings,” Mr O’Connell says. Ask around: enviro-groups, specialist eco-retailers and councils – especially in the inner-northern suburbs – are all organising buying groups.

Solar power will always be a big investment, so do your research. Remember that you’ll need unshaded north-facing roof space to get the best results.

The ATA recommends that you choose well-known manufacturers who offer long-term warranties (up to 25 years). Be sure to get a few on-site quotes and use accredited, experienced installers; there’s a list on the Clean Energy Council website.