Our green goals for August

Here's some goals we're going to try and achieve in August, we'll get back to you on our progress and advice...

1) Make our own environmentally friendly laundry powder/liquid and hand soap, or at the very least investigate fully the existing options out there. Does it really save money? Is it any better than the enviro stuff already on the market?

2) Give away all unwanted furniture/kitchenware, ensuring it goes to good use and not landfill as much as humanly possible! (Anyone want old seats, rabbit hutch, clothes horse, massive sheet of glass?)

3) Plant late winter veggies: leeks, spring onions, cauliflower, more lettuce.

4) Consider giving any compostable waste away, maybe to CERES, they're only down the road...

5) Look into the effects of eating Fish / Seafood and maybe give up fish... Meat is done and dusted, but now we're not so sure that Fish is really all that good for the environment either...

Three Recycled Storage Ideas

Storage is often a challenge when you rent. You might be renting a place like ours which has no living room, bathroom or bedroom cupboards. There's often just not enough places to put things. And if you're like us non-drivers, furniture shopping can involve a maxi-cab, begging a lift off a friedn or delivery service, all adding to the cots.

Here's a few novel ideas you can made from things around the home:

1) Fabric storage
As a crafty chick who loves all things vintage, retro. pre-loved or recycled my biggest challenge is keeping things in order.

After seeing a post on Craftster last year about different ways to store fabric I bought some of these

from Minotaur Comic book store

Basically they are firm cardboard rectangles a bit smaller than A4. Comic book collectors use them to sandwich comic books to protect them. I use them to store fabric by folding and wrapping the bits of fabric around them. This allows them to be stored standing up in a plastic box or book case so that all fabric is tidy and visable. Visable means I am more likely to make something with what I have rather than buy more.Makes such a difference!

Incidentally I appeciate this is not the tidiest picture, it was taken when I was storing the fabric in our bedroom before we got another book case (and the spare room back as a study/craft room!).



2) Storing pots and pans
This is great if you like the idea of hanging them, but can't exactly drill a hole in the ceiling:


You can get the instructions here

3)Storage bins

These are a definite on my list of things to make (I have plenty of fabric hehe). You can see the instructions by J Carolyn Creative here

4.

The Climate Action Calendar

Anyone interested in finding things to do, places to go and people to meet in the fields of sustainability and the environment in Victoria should subscribe to the Climate Action Calendar.

The Climate Action Calendar covers events in Victoria and major events elsewhere. Regular updates are sent out, roughly every week to ten days.

To add an event to the calendar please e-mail the details to Monique Decortis decortis@bigpond.net.au

If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to the calendar please email Monique decortis@bigpond.net.au with your details and “subscribe CAC” or “unsubscribe CAC” in the subject bar. The calendar is not sponsored.

I Want to Live Here Film Competition

What are your chances in finding a bright, sunny rentable house near a train station and some hip shops? Some say it’s cheaper to rent than own. Is that healthy?

We’re inviting all concerned people worldwide to make short films that address the growing affordability and housing crisis (up to 3 minutes in length). How can there be a housing crisis when apartments and blocks of land can be seen empty throughout the city? There must be more to the story than meets the eye.

The ‘I Want to Live Here’ myth buster film competition is designed to encourage storytellers to explore the myths surrounding housing and land issues in their area.

Homelessness, exorbitant rents and lack of availability are huge problems. We want to know your stories, ideas and solutions. We encourage films of all genres and styles. Be as creative and interesting as possible.

Register now

The winner will receive a $3000 cash prize and a big kiss from all renters.
Entries close at 5pm on Thursday October 2nd.
Rough or polished, the story is the key - you’ve go to be in it to win it.