Abdallah House - Redesigning a Home

Permaculture Tours - Episode 1: Abdallah House

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 01:10:00 +0000

The visit of Jordan and Anointette from Happen Films earlier in the year has resulted in the first episode in a series on Permaculture Tours. We are very happy with result, and it's been well received, with 15,000 views and over 900 likes on YouTube in the first week of release. I love reading through the comments. We get feedback from many people who find what we do inspires them, it makes me tingle all over.

The clip features explanations about the cellar, cool cupboard, greenhouse, solar passive design, super fridge, food production, water harvesting, toilet and humanure composting

If you like what you see here, and want to see more tours like this on the web, please consider supporting Happen Films with Patreon.

I'd also highly recommend the 'Creatures of Place' clip, with our friends (and fellow bloggers) 'Artist as Family' - who also feature in David Holmgren's RetroSuburbia book.

'Super Fridge' the upright freezer conversion: Take 2

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Mon, 06 Aug 2018 13:39:00 +0000

Upright freezer converted into a fridge

Principle 1: Observe and interact

Rather than give up on the idea of an upright freezer conversion, after the original one died after just 5 years, I decided to evolve the concept and learn from it.

The way the conversion from a freezer to a fridge works is really very simple. A temperature controller is programmed to turn the freezer on when the temperature inside the freezer reaches 5ºC, and off when it reaches 3ºC (can be adjusted). The controller has a thermostat that measures the internal temperature. The freezer plugs into the controller, and the controller plugs into the wall socket. See this post for details about how I made it up - it cost about AU$15.

Choosing the right freezer

Issues with the original design of the cheap (Aldi AU$299) upright 190L freezer that I used were:

no space to stand up bottles
water condensing on the top shelf
poor build quality, seals and drawers cracking
hard to open the door
hard to open drawers (damaging wall mounts and insulation)
exposed metal elements inside that rusted
the sides of the freezer got very hot as it ran
we began to need more space to store fermented drinks

On the last point, I've been torn as to whether to get a bigger fridge or not - is it a need or a want? We have been using the fridge to store up to 10 wine bottles of kombucha / water kefir at a time (to slow further fermentation), which takes up a considerable amount of space in a small fridge. My beer was often getting kicked out, which I wasn't happy about. We also need the space in summer when there are harvests from the garden so we can build up enough for preserving in batches as well as killing off fruit fly larvae, which has infested our town over the past few years.

I was pretty keen to get a replacement for the broken one quickly, and I wanted to support our local electronic goods supplier - but there was only 2 options of upright freezers available in store. The bigger one with, what appeared to be a better build quality, and 5 year warranty won over in the end. And they could deliver in a few hours. It was a lot more expensive than our original one ($1100 VS $299), but I felt more confident with my experiment than I did originally. On reflection, I should have taken some more time to research the one best to suit my needs - but I really wanted to see it in the flesh.

A few things I liked about the design of the Beko 290L frost free freezer were:

removable glass shelves, so we can stand up bottles and change the layout - yay!
easy to open door
long warranty
easy to open, quality drawers
different heights and sizes for drawers
frost free - no condensation - a big bonus!
no metal to rust inside
external cooling element (not built into the side walls)
more room

One of the concerns I had once it was installed was the built in computer that it has. When the power gets turned off, it has a 6 minute delay before the freezer will start working again. Also, I was concerned about the alarm that warns when the temperature is too high. Fortunately, neither of these things have been a problem for us so far.

Measuring the energy use

Early indications (Autumn - 24 days over May 2019) are that the new freezer uses slightly more energy than the original. Averaging 204Wh p/d as compared with an estimated 175Wh p/d with the old freezer (17% more energy), but the gross volume is significantly larger - 290L VS 190L (53% more volume). The new super fridge is about 30% more energy efficient than the previous one based on volume (.70W/L compared to .92W/L).

In an attempt to further reduce energy consumption I adjusted the temperature range, where it turns on at 5ºC and off at 2ºC (instead of 3ºC) for a period of 18 days, this reduced the average slightly to 201Wh/d. (.69W/L 33% less than original)

I adjusted the temperature range again with a bigger range, from 5ºC and off at 1ºC, for a period of 58 days and noticed a more significant reduction to 189Wh/d. (.65W/L, 41% less than original - important to note that this during winter, the coolest time of the year)

Comparing an 'all-fridge' to a 'super fridge'

Interestingly, the model that I bought is part of a pigeon pair. It has a all-fridge (no freezer) that's exactly the same external dimensions. This allows me to compare the two.

The freezer on the left is the one I got and converted it to a fridge - the one on the right is an all-fridge

The gross internal volume of the freezer is 290L, while the fridge is 378L - suggesting that there is 88L more insulation in the freezer. That's a lot! The freezer has 30% less space inside, but the same dimensions outside. Energy use for the standard fridge is rated at 658Wh per day, that's 1.74W/L, compared to 204Wh to 189Wh, that's 70W/L to .65W/L for the 'super fridge'.

Summary

The 'super fridge' uses 37-40% of the energy of an 'all-fridge' - primarily because of the extra insulation.

I'm estimating that our 'super fridge mark 2' would use about 69-77kWh per year. At 35c p/kWh that's an annual running costs of $24.15-$26.83 for a 290L fridge. I doubt you'd find any conventional fridge, even the most expensive / best rated ones, come close to that. Let's just hope that it lasts longer than my first attempt!

I'd really love to see freezer manufactures allow owners to easily adjust the thermostat so that you could run a freezer as a fridge. This would save the need to use an external controller, and save heaps of energy and money.

The 'super fridge' would be around 60% cheaper to run than a similar sized 'all-fridge'. With energy costs continually going up, that saving could be quite a lot of money.

Our average energy import from May/June/July 2019 was 2.13kWh per day, with our 1.5KW grid interactive PV system. Keeping our energy use low maximises the advantage of the premium-feed-in-tariff of 66c per kWh that we export to the grid, and give us the option to add a modest sized battery system in the future that could provide for most of our needs without a huge cost.

RetroSuburbia at the Seymour Library

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Wed, 16 May 2018 23:23:00 +0000

There was a real buzz at the Seymour Library last Tuesday night, where 110 people packed the usually quiet space, to hear David Holmgren’s presentation “Food, Resilience and Retrofitting our Suburbs”.

The night began with banter between locals Peter Lockyer and Richard Telford focussed on retrofitting projects of the built environment, including Abdallah House and three other properties, all within a kilometre of the library. The common thread was in considering the solar aspect, and modifying the existing resources and infrastructure of the sites to increase self-reliance.

David introduced ‘Aussie Street’, a compelling story from the 'new suburbs' of the 1950s and their evolution through the decades. People in the audience could relate to the made-up characters that live in the street, and the drama of their lives. Each of the four properties illustrated various realistic approaches to suburban living, and adaption to changing times.

As affluence and energy use dramatically increases from the 50s to the 90’s, so does the time away from home as the number of people living in the street decreases. When permaculture retrofitting is adopted at one household, time at home begins to increase and the home economy rebuilds. This spreads to impact neighbouring properties, allowing the small community to thrive during the 2020s great depression. The result being a future reminiscent of the 1950s, drawing upon the successes of the past with appropriate technologies and strategies from modern times. The story gives a sense of hope during the current uncertainty.

Question time raised lots of concerns about regulatory requirements, and how David’s vision of a suburban transformation could be realised. David acknowledged the importance of the rules and regulations required by council to curb unethical behaviour, particularly by corporations. But he also challenged the audience, along with the three councillors in attendance, to make incremental changes where they live - even if that means bending a few rules. Building relationships and trust with neighbours give residents the social license to enhance the properties where they live, and build community at the same time.

Details of how this can be implemented is outlined in David’s new book RetroSuburbia: the downshifters guide to a resilient future.

David concluded by pointed out that Seymour, like many smaller rural townships, is well placed to make to become more self-reliant. Relatively small houses on large suburban blocks are ripe for retrofitting, which is much more challenging (but not impossible) on smaller blocks. The existing, often under-utilised, infrastructure are also great assets that can be transformed into hubs of activity if we spend more time where we live, rather than commuting long distances.

"A techno-optimistic future is unrealistic", says David, "we face economic uncertainty that will change the way we live. We can create better, more rewarding lives for ourselves now, without hardship being forced upon us. Change now, and avoid the rush.”

Peter and Richard will be reflecting on the event on Earthchat, Seymour FM 103.9, on Friday the 18th of May from 10am. An extensive tour Abdallah House, one of the feature case studies in the book, is on the 20th of May from 9am-12. For bookings, visit the Holmgren website.

Visit RetroSuburbia.com for more about how we can transform our suburbs.

David Holmgren identifies Seymour as a model for ecological renewal

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Fri, 04 May 2018 00:26:00 +0000

Globally recognised ecological thinker, David Holmgren, has identified the Seymour township as a potential key model for regional community-based ecological renewal.

Holmgren, permaculture co-originator, believes Seymour has the ideal community and infrastructure mix to become a leading adapter of retrofitting the built environment, private open space, household form and lifestyle, to become more sustainable.

'Seymour has the classic suburban pattern of small houses on larger blocks, many of them solar oriented, that has mostly been lost to infill and redevelopment in Melbourne' says Holmgren.

'This makes it ideal for owner and occupier initiated retrofits. Local case study Abdallah House, active community groups, local government centre on the train line, affordability and the river all contribute to Seymour’s potential. At the southern end of the Mitchell Shire, new suburban housing patterns present different opportunities and retrofit challenges more typical of outer suburban Melbourne.'

Mayor Rhonda Sanderson, Christine Cahusac, David Holmgren, Richard Telford, Peter Lockyer and Cynthia Lim. Photo: Oliver Holmgren.

Holmgren recently toured several Seymour initiatives, including Wine by Sam, to see the transformative retrofitting of the old dye works into a productive winery as well as the local-based company, Permaculture Principles that distributes Holmgren’s books worldwide. To keep up with demand, business co-owner Richard Telford recently employed Seymour resident Christine Cahusac, as operations manager.

‘The demand for David’s latest book, RetroSuburbia, has taken us by surprise,’ says Telford. ‘While the book is targeted at suburbanites in the south-east of Australia, there’s increasing interest overseas, which is keeping us busy.

’During his visit, Holmgren also met with Mitchell Shire Mayor, Rhonda Sanderson, to share ideas and discuss shire-wide possibilities. ‘‘One of the priorities of our council plan is caring for the environment, which includes practicing and advocating for a more sustainable way of living,’’ Cr Sanderson said.

Peter Lockyer and David Clarey interview
David Holmgren and Richard Telford on EarthChat
Photo: Oliver Holmgren

BEAM president, and permaculture pioneer, Peter Lockyer was there with fellow Seymour FM radio host, Cynthia Lim to meet with David. Peter and David Clarey discussed RetroSuburbia and upcoming local events with David and Richard on EarthChat, which airs on Fridays at 11am on 103.9, followed by Cynthia’s food eXchange show.

Holmgren will return for a Mitchell Shire event at Seymour Library on Tuesday May 15 at 7pm, to present his highly engaging multi-media presentation, ‘Aussie Street’.

‘Aussie Street’ brings Holmgren’s RetroSuburbia ideas to life using 100+ photos and watercolour illustrations along with practical concepts from his exciting new book.

Come along to be part of Holmgren’s insightful, thought-provoking vision for a resilient and sustainable future, right here in Seymour. Light refreshments provided.

For event details, click on the image of the flyer here. Bookings for David’s talk are essential and can be made by calling 5783 3555, emailing tanya.begley@mitchellshire.vic.gov.au or by registering your interest on the shires facebook event page.

Running as a follow-up to this event is an extended tour of the Telford / Yoshimoto featured home, Abdallah House in Seymour on the 20th of May from 9-12. Bookings required, cost is $25 (under 12 free).

Super Fridge review - 5 years on

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Wed, 02 May 2018 11:20:00 +0000

Apply self-regulation and accept feedback

Almost 5 years to the day after I wrote the piece on the 'Super Fridge', it has been my most popular post by far. The fridge recently died, which was very disappointing, even though I knew that this was an experiment. I had optimistically anticipated that the super fridge may last longer than a similar quality normal fridge because it was under less load. I was wrong about that.

Thought it would be good to do a bit of a review on how it performed and what the learnings were from it. You can see the original post here - read over it now, if you haven't already.

Drawers were wearing out the mounts and were difficult to open.

I estimated that the daily energy use of the original 'super fridge' was 165Wh per day. This was based on settings of turning on at 3ºC and off at 7ºC. I changed that later to on at 2ºC and off at 5ºC, so the use could be assumed to be a bit higher than 165Wh p/d - but I didn't measure this.

The cheap Aldi freezer that we purchased in 2013 (AU$299) was not ideal. The drawers were difficult to open and wore out the thin plastic mounts, revealing the insulation below. The drawers were thin plastic that cracked with the intense use we gave it. Having the elements on each shelf meant that we couldn't stand up bottles which was a pain. The rubber seals on the door were beginning to crack, and the door was difficult to open, often sticking.

Pipe rusting out because of excess moisture.

I noticed early on that water was condensing on the elements at the top of the freezer, which would drip into the top drawer. The freezer wasn't designed to be constantly moist, but frozen. It appears that one of the pipes rusted through and leaked gas - but I'm not certain of this. I started running for a long time without getting cooler though.

Total estimated energy use over it's life

Assuming that it used 175Wh p/d, that's about 64kWh per year. A conservative estimate of a similar sized fridge of that era could have used 800Wh p/d = 292kWh p/y. If energy cost 30c p/kWh, annual costs would be $19.20 VS $87.60. Over 5 years $96 VS $438. A $342 saving. But, you would expect a fridge to last about 15 years, which this one didn't. Even so, the energy savings in themselves would pay for a replacement freezer every 4-5 years - even less as energy prices go up. Not that I'm recommending that!

I'm currently giving thought to how I could take responsibility for the ongoing use of a large insulated box that I now have. Probably beer brewing...

Now that I have some more money saved up, I'm able to buy a better quality freezer and give it another go - learning from my experience. More to come.

RetroSuburbia and Abdallah House

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 15:00:00 +0000

One project that has dominated my life over the past couple of years has been my involvement in the production of RetroSuburbia: the downshifter's guide to a resilient future, permaculture co-originator David Holmgren's new book.

It's been a really exciting and challenging project for me, tying together the various threads of my life - with my background as a graphic artist / designer, passion for permaculture and regenerative living, desire to inspire others to make change in their lives, and development a successful ethical enterprise.

Ever since I read David's essay on Retrofitting the suburbs for an energy descent future I've been nudging him to write the book. We met fortnightly for a year or so while he worked on the initial manuscript, while I developed the first incarnation of the RetroSuburbia website - which has since been upgraded and redesigned by Ostii and the team at Flowji. An important aspect I wanted to get across in this work was that RetroSuburbia isn't a pipe dream, it's happening now. We wanted case studies to demonstrate that, and Abdallah House was the first. It was set up as a template for how other properties could be shared, the Abdallah House case study became one of thirteen case studies to feature on the RetroSuburbia website.

We set some impossible deadlines for the launch of the book, as the size of the project scaled up. My role grew to become the project manager, as we worked with more and more people to realise the grand vision that we had. I was reluctant to take on the role of book designer for such a huge project, and had someone in mind to take that on. When it became clear that that wasn't going to work, I put my hand up and took on the job, handing over project management to long time colleague, and RetroSuburbia text wrangler, Beck Lowe. At around the same time, the illustrator that I had been working with pulled out. But it just so happened that Brenna Quinlan was spending some time at Melliodora (David and Su's property) and was a perfect fit for the task at hand.

From L–R, Richard Telford (designer, project manager), Brenna Quinlan (illustrator), David Holmgren (author, publisher), Beck Lowe (chief text wrangler, project manager), Oliver Holmgren (photographer, photo editor).

Oliver Holmgren stepped up to take on the role of photographer and photo editor. His work helped bring the mish-mash of photos together with the addition of his own photos taken at various properties around the country. We worked together with Beck on the cover photo shoot at Hibi Farm, which was a lot of fun. There have been a bunch of people behind the scenes making things happen, including Artist as Family star Meg Ulman and Melliodora queen, Su Dennett.

The book production was probably the most intense 4 months of my working life, which was completed at summer solstice 2017. Many late nights and early mornings on the computer and countless hours in virtual meetings with David and Beck. I will never live down my off-handed remark "nothing's impossible"... what we achieved was, what I thought, impossible. 592 pages, 556 photos and over 100 watercolour illustrations. The books comes in at a hefty 1.8kg and is 40mm thick.

Click on this link to hear Phil Bourne interview Beck Lowe and Richard Telford on Seymour FM's EarthChat.

A crowdfunding campaign helped raise money to ensure that the book could be printed in Australia, on Australian made, FSC approved paper. It's an important way to demonstrate what the book is on about - relocalising, and supporting local business.

The RetroSuburbia book launch at the Sustainable Living Festival in Melbourne. Check out the photos here.

Since the launch in February the work has continued, as we market and distribute the book. Business is booming, with over 1000 copies being sold in the first month. That's 2 and a half large pallets of books! Sent out from our packing shed in Seymour. We are now employing Christine to help us keep up with orders.

Bruce the postie picking up a single day's mailout of pre-ordered RetroSuburbia.

Interest in Abdallah House has picked up since the launch of the book - which features our home in the first case study. I've been contacted by Organic Gardener magazine to share our story in the 2018 May/June edition, and by Happen Films who are in the process of making a 15 minute documentary about our place. Exciting times!

And to add to that... David Holmgren is coming to Seymour Library to present "Aussie Street".

The presentation cleverly brings Holmgren’s RetroSuburbia ideas into our everyday lives, using 100+ photos and water coloured illustrations and practical concepts from his exciting new book.
Come along to be part of Holmgren’s remarkably insightful, thought-provoking vision for a resilient and life enhancing sustainable future. See retrosuburbia.com/events for more details.

It's a free event from 7-9pm Tuesday 15th May 2018 at The Seymour Library, 125 Anzac Ave, Seymour. Be great to see you there! Download the flyer and share it around.

Stay tuned for a special extended tour of Abdallah House to follow the 'Aussie Street' presentation on Sunday the 20th of May, from 9-12.

Happen Films, and the Abdallah House doco

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 05:14:00 +0000

I've been a big fan of Happen Films, ever since I saw the first short film that Jordan made a few years ago about Agari Permaculture Farm (see below) - just up the road in Longwood. I've been following their releases on their YouTube channel ever since. I've been particularly impressed by the professionalism in production, a rare thing to see for the types of subject matter that I'm attracted to.

Antoinette and Jordan were out in Australia for the launch of their feature film Living the Change. Unfortunately I missed the premiere Melbourne screening in early March. I reached out to the local BEAM sustainability group to see if there was interest in a local screening, and got a very positive response. I was in the process of organising an event when I was contacted by Antoinette out of the blue, who was keen to spend 2 days filming at Abdallah House for a short doco about our place.

Richard Telford, Jordan Osmond,
Antoinette Wilson and Kunie Yoshimoto

It was an absolute pleasure having them stay with us, and sharing our humble abode. I must admit that I was quite nervous about sharing our story to a camera, and there was lots of takes - I have been assured of the wonders of editing to bring my story to life. Jordan estimates that the finished doco will be about 15 minutes long and should be released in May. So keep your eye out for that one.

Taking the opportunity of having the film makers at our home, we decided to have a screening in the living room. With only a few days to organise the event we managed to get a pretty good turnout, with 19 of us - including the mayor! She was keen for it to be seen by all of the councilors. The film was great, and the discussion afterwards got as all thinking about what we could do in our local community to make it a better place to live.

I encourage you to check out the preview below, and if it grabs you, host your own local screening. Jordan and Antoinette have made it accessible to anyone to host - and in doing so, you'll be supporting the creation of more work by Happen Films.

International Permaculture Day 2017 Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 09:34:00 +0000

We've had a number of private tours here recently, now it's time to open our place up to the wider community. Join us for tours running at 2:00 and 3:30, each tour runs for a bit over an hour - so bring a hat and comfortable shoes. Cost is $5, which includes a 2017 Permaculture Calendar - if you don't already have one!

Features include:

passive solar design, with raised living room slab
reuse of original building and 2nd hand materials
integrated cellar / tank stand / cool cupboard
low energy consumption home (around 3-4kw/h p/d)
1.5kw solar array
rainwater capture in tanks and earthworks
chooks and small netted espaliered orchard
fossil-fuel free heating and hot water system
use of large Red Gum which was milled on-site
greenhouse with experimental aquaponics
vegetable gardens and multi-grafted fruit trees
composting system

A range of PERMACULTURE BOOKs will be available for sale on the day.

You can visit us on Sunday the 7th of May at 1a Abdallah Road, Seymour, Victoria - from 2:00pm - 5:00p. Tours start at 2:00 and 3:30pm

You can find out about this event and others at the event page on the permaculture day website.

Social change projects from around the world with Kai Saywer

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 04:51:00 +0000

Here's an invitation that I' putting out there for an event at our place - you can accept the invitation on the facebook event - be great to see you here.

City Repair project in Portland USA

Kai Sawyer, peace activist, student of nonviolence, and permaculture educator from Japan, shares his story of exploring the world of "peace" and "sustainability" in a 2-3 hour presentation at Abdallah House in Seymour. (1a Abdallah Road)

Please join us at 6pm for a Pot Luck dinner (bring food to share) before the presentation which will begin at 7:30pm. Space is limited to around 30 guests, so please indicate if you want to come. Kai will be requesting for a donation, so please consider contributing.

"From the 9/11 terrorist attacks, to living in the jungle of Costa Rica with no running water or electricity, to my visits to various amazing permaculture communities. My story focuses more on people and relationships (social permaculture), social change and empowerment, rather than food production. I conclude with how I am cultivating the cultural soil to plant radical practices of peace and ecology through my project called Tokyo Urban Permaculture.

"The permaculture and social change projects I focus on are
Bullocks Permaculture Homestead (rural, apprenticeship program)
City Repair Portland (urban, social change)

"Both show case not just food systems but thriving communities that are impacting the larger society. The Bullocks is a rural example where 12 interns are trained each year to learn any skill they want and experiment with designing culture/community. City Repair is an urban example of residents reclaiming public space and illegally taking over a intersection, creating a beautiful mandala painting, earthen benches, kids playhouse, free tea station, etc. Eventually the persuaded the city government that it was for the public good, and their illegal action has been legalize (they call it legal innovation). Now the city actively promotes this behavior and City Repair has pioneered urban ecological design and community renewal.

Kai's bio

Kai is a nonviolence activist or 共生革命家 in Japanese. Born in Tokyo, raised in rural Japan (Minami Uonuma), Hawaii, Osaka, California, and the jungle of Costa Rica. He considers the earth his home.

After the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks in the USA and subsequent US invasions, Kai began to engage with issues of war, structural violence, intergenerational justice, agroecology and sustainability, while attending the University of California Santa Cruz. He became the co-chair for the Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP), a radical educational experiment that collaborated with world-class sustainability leaders such as Vandana Shiva, Satish Kumar, and Frances Moore Lappe. ESLP facilitated institutional change through student empowerment and participatory action research.

He founded Tokyo Urban Permaculture as an experiment to fundamentally transform the culture and politics of Tokyo, after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown in 2011. He teaches permaculture, nonviolent communication, mindfulness, systems thinking, social change and about the gift economy (gift ecology) around the world. Currently, he is training youth activists in Japan on nonviolence, and is developing a “Peace and Permaculture Dojo” to train the next generation of change makers in Japan.

He is passionate about life, gardening, and alleviating suffering of all beings.

Branching out with Sustainable Seymour

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 05:10:00 +0000

Abdallah House featured in this local news story the promoted the Sustainable Seymour event that was supported by the BEAM Environment Group and The Seymour We Want.

I've been involved in Sustainable Seymour since it's inception. It's focus is on making the township of Seymour and the local area more sustainable and began with a series of workshops on how to do just that with BZE - Beyond Zero Emissions.

Since then we have been working with other local environment groups like the Strathbogie Voices to see how we can support each other. One of our joint projects is an investigation into the viability of a pumped hydro facility on the Goulburn River, opposite the proposed Cherry Tree Wind Farm (that we have been actively supporting), as well as in the Strathbogie Ranges, making use of existing infrastructure.

We also supported the Mitchell Shire Council to secure a $10,000 grant for a feasibility study into a solar park proposal at Chittick Park in Seymour, which will be backed with another $10,000 of Council funds.

2016 Permaculture Day Tours

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 04:44:00 +0000

Do you want to check out what we have been up to? While the blog has been a bit quite of late, there's still plenty that's been happening here at Abdallah House.

Come on down for a tour on Permaculture Day, Sunday May 1st at 2:00, 3:00 and 4:00. The cost is $5, under 16 is free. Price includes a Permaculture Calendar (still 8 months left!), that was produced by your host, owner builder Richard Telford.

Abdallah House, an urban rebuild and permaculture demonstration site on 580m2 (1/7th of an acre) in the rural township of Seymour, central Victoria. The build began in 2009 and completed in 2010. The house was a finalist in the 2012 HIA GreenSmart awards.

UPDATE: Peter Lockyer, the builder / architect that I worked with on the project will be joining us once again!

Features include:

passive solar design, with raised living room slab
reuse of original building and 2nd hand materials
integrated cellar / tank stand / cool cupboard
low energy consumption home (around 3kw/h per day)
1.5kw solar array
rainwater capture in tanks and earthworks
chooks and small netted espaliered orchard
fossil-fuel free heating and hot water system
use of large Red Gum which was milled on-site
greenhouse with experimental aquaponics
vegetable gardens and multi-grafted fruit trees
composting system

Let us know that you are coming on the Facebook event page and share it round.

Permaculture Books Available

A range of PERMACULTURE BOOKs will be available for sale at 10-25% off RRP. A full list of titles can be found on the Permaculture Principles shop page. If you are interested in a bulk purchase let us know in advance so we can bring stock from our warehouse.

For enquiries phone Richard on 0402 503 763

Water Audit - 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 06:18:00 +0000

I'm in the process of preparing for a full day teaching session as part of a PDC run by David Arnold based in Violet Town. He's decided to focus on a permaculture principle for each of the sessions, and my focus is on Principle 4: Apply Self-regulation and Accept Feedback.

As part of this I'm running a workshop on a self-audit, so I decided to take a look at water, consumption and collection. I thought it important to also look at rainfall over the past year, to give a point of reference.

BOM recorded rainfall for 2015 at nearby Mangalore airport: 344mm
Our records show 297.5mm for our home - may not be entirely accurate.
Mean annual rainfall for Seymour (1981-2010): 584mm.

Our household consumption was quite low compared to typical household - around 150-170lt per day for a family of 4. A big part of the reason is that we only use tank water - and it was a dry year. On top of that; we don't wash ourselves everyday, we use a composting toilet system and we are careful with use. When water is in abundance we tend to use more of it - in winter we will often have baths if the tanks are near full. If low we will have short showers less frequently.

I've been using more water in the garden during the warmer seasons than I have in the past, averaging 230lt per day. This is predominantly used from October till March, with little use outside of these months. I've noticed that it takes quite a while for the water to penetrate into the soil, and during the summer I'll spend about 1.5 hours watering most days. A good time to listen to my favourite podcast - The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann.

All in all we used considerable less than a typical household of the same size, which is surprising considering that we grow most of our own vegetable and fruit. See some facts and figures below...

Consumption

Mains water used for irrigation 2015

Total land area not under cover or paved is about 350m2 (total land area is 584m2)

Jan - April: 35,000lt
May - August: 1,000lt
September - December: 47,000lt
Total mains consumption in 2015: 83,000lt. Average of 227lt per day.

Household water consumption for 2015

Consumption from water tanks (no mains water used) has not been accurately measured. The main tank was about 1/3 full at the end of 2015, reserve tank was near full. If we assume a rainfall of 344mm, we had the potential to collect about 56,000lt of potable water and probably consumed about that in the household - maybe a bit more. I estimate between 150lt and 170lt per day for a family of 4.

Our total water consumption for a household of 4 was about 400lt per day. Melbourne average is around 550lt for 4 people (2011/12).

Collection

Potable Collection (drinking quality)

Total potable collection area: 163m2
Total potable storage volume: 31,000lt

Cellar corrugated iron water tank (approx 8,000lt)
Collection area from house = 66m2
Rain needed to fill from empty: 121mm
Overflow: To main tank
Main uses: Washing hands, drinking, watering nearby plants occasionally.

Main corrugated iron water tank (approx 23,000lt)
Collection area from house = 97m2
Rain needed to fill from empty: 237mm
Overflow: Storm water
Main uses: Household water use; kitchen, laundry, bathroom. Some nearby plant watering and water for chooks.

Non-potable Collection (livestock quality)

Non-potable tank collection area: 33.9m2
Total non-potable storage volume: 1080lt

Bathtub collection (approx 250lt)
Area of shed: 4.3m x 3m = 12.9m2
Area of timber storage: 1.6m x 5m = 8m2
Total collection area: 20.9m2
Rain needed to fill from empty: 12mm
Overflow: Soil infiltration
Main uses: For filling watering can and watering nearby plants. Often compost teas / worm castings added.

Plastic drum collection (approx 190lt)
Bathroom / greenhouse = 13m2
Rain needed to fill from empty: 14.5mm
Overflow: Soil infiltration.
Main uses: Topping up pond in greenhouse, watering nearby plants and washing hands.

Greenhouse pond - storage only (approx 620lt)
No collection area
Area of pond = 1.53m2
Depth: 410mm
Overflow: Soil infiltration.
Main uses: Aquaponics and watering pot plants.

Non-potable Collection (contact with ground)

Main infiltration basin - front yard (approx 920lt)

Area: Approx 11.5m2
Depth before overflow: Average approx 80mm
Overflow: Stormwater
Main use: Soak into soil on path around garden beds. It takes about 10 hours to soak into the soil from when it's full.

Cellar (approx 835lt at 200mm, 2600lt at 600mm)
This was an unintended water catchment source, but has proved quite useful. Usually pumped out after the water has soaked into the infiltration basin.
Area: Approx 4.3m2
Depth: 200mm not unusual after 25mm of rain, up to 600mm which is quite high.
Overflow: Out of stairwell at 1400mm
Main use: Pumped to infiltration basin via laneway channel

Laneway channel, diverted to infiltration basin

House and Garden Tour - 21st November

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 00:27:00 +0000

Do you live in or around the Mitchell Shire? If so then you might want to take advantage of this opportunity to came and check out our place - a FREE tour!

The Mitchell Shire Council staff, including the CEO, came on a private tour of our property in July. I received some very positive feedback, and was asked to run a tour for residents in the shire to show how we have reduced our environmental impact. The tour will run on Saturday the 21st of November from 1pm to 2:30pm. If you are interested in coming along, please RSVP: wastemanagement@mitchellshire.vic.gov.au

You can download the flyer here, or read it below.

Mitchell Shire Council staff come on tour at Abdallah House

Open for Tours on Permaculture Day

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 02:57:00 +0000

Richard and Peter with HIA GreenSmart
2012 finalist certificates in 2 categories

Tours run on Sunday May 3rd 2015 at 9am, 11am and 2pm - each running for about an hour. Just $5, children free!

Owner builder Richard Telford and Builder / Architect Peter Lockyer (morning sessions only) will be running tours at Abdallah House, an urban rebuild and permaculture demonstration site on 580m2 (1/7th of an acre) in the rural township of Seymour, central Victoria.

Features include:

passive solar design, with raised living room slab
reuse of original building along with many loacally sourced 2nd hand materials
integrated cellar / tank stand / cool cupboard
low energy consumption home (around 3kw/h p/d) with 1.5kw solar array
rainwater capture in tanks and earthworks
chooks and small netted espaliered orchard
fossil-fuel free heating and hot water system
use of large Red Gum which was milled on-site
greenhouse with experimental aquaponics
vegetable gardens and multi-grafted fruit trees
humanure composting system

A range of permaculture books will be available for sale on the day. Cost for tours is $5, under 16 free. No booking required. Proceeds tithed to Permafund.

For enquiries phone Richard on 0402 503 763 - View or share the Facebook Event

For more see the overview of the project

The recently completed greenhouse with 200lt tank and raised tile garden bed

The 'glass cube' solar cooker design Pt1

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 02:29:00 +0000

Principle 1: Observe and interact

My mate Dylan and I have been talking about making a solar cooker for a year (or two) now and we finally made some time to put our ideas into action. Rather than stick to a standard design we decided to experiment a bit.

There's basically two types of solar cookers. The box cooker and a parabolic reflectors. The box cooker is an insulated box with a transparent lid and light directed towards it. These are generally slow cookers, usually used for roasting or stewing.

A low cost wooden box solar cooker. Source: Solar Cookers International

The parabolic cookers all work on the principle of reflecting light to a concentrated source. These are quick cookers - good for boiling water or a fry pan.

Gustavo Ramírez, a co-founder of Ecovilla Gaia in Argentina demonstrates a parabolic solar cooker. Photo taken by Richard Telford in 2006

We were wondering about the box cooker idea, but the box being made out of glass - to increase the amount of light and heat that it could collect. With the addition of reflectors we thought that theorised that the box would get pretty darn hot. The original idea was to create a double glazed box and lid - to help keep the heat inside. With our first prototype we created a single glazed box with a double glazed lid.

Dylan, being a glazier, amongst other things was the right man for the job! We found a day to put our ideas into action.

Making up a double glazed sheet for the lid - 530 x 530 x 23mm high, using 6mm glass

Making the box. Glass, silicon and tape - 460 x 460 x 300mm high.

A bead of silicon is covered with acetate (silicon does not stick to acetate), and then a sheet of glass placed on top with a weight to create a flat surface and a reasonable seal. Acetate strips were removed when dry.

The finished experimental box delivered to Abdallah House.

Initial testing. The glass cube cooker with insulated polystyrene / foil lined walls (2 sides) and base with a 260mm dia x 40mm high steel plate for thermal mass.

This example only got to about 55-60ºC at the base on a sunny day - which was similar to what it reached with no insulated sides.

Second Test: Glass cube solar cooker with steel plate for mass, polystyrene with foil for the base (inside) and reflectors directing light / heat on the outside.

The method reflected a lot more light into the cube and it got significantly hotter. With the thick steel plate in the base, and an enamel pot (red) with 1lt of water in it the box got to a maximum of 105º (about an hour after the suns zenith), measured at the bottom. The water got to 85ºC after 2 hours. Top temperature of 26ºC on a clear day.
NOTE: These temperatures are not very accurate, and are measured from the bottom of the cube - the top would be considerably hotter.

Time	Box temp ºC	Water temp ºC
12:30	85º	22º
1:00	90º	57º
1:30	100º	72º
2:00	105º	81º
2:30	102º	85º
3:00	90º	84º
3:30	80º	82º

As a standard box cooker can get to 150ºC (not sure where measured from), these are not very impressive results. We probably need to set up a standard box cooker to compare. If the glass cube was double glazed I think that results would improve somewhat. Our feeling is that once it gets to a certain temperature inside the cube the single glazed glass cannot contain the heat.

Third Test: Glass cube solar cooker with insulation / foil on the inside and reflectors on top

We decided to move more towards the box cooker idea to see how it would perform with insulated sides. The results were considerably better and pushed the limits of our choice of materials over the edge. The temperature readings were 110-120ºC at the base. The polystyrene deformed on the South-West side and base and the inside of the double glazed glass cracked.


The polstyrene on the south west corner melted, the steel plate made a depression in the polystyrene and the inside sheet of glass on the double glazed unit cracked - so it got pretty hot

Now we have to put our heads together and find some time for stage two. Maybe in the new year?

Raising beds - concrete tiles and reo put to use

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 03:57:00 +0000

Principle 6: Produce no waste

In an effort to get more engaged with my local community I began writing a regular article for the Telegraph, our local newspaper. My plan is to write an article every couple of weeks about projects that I'm involved in or inspired by - I've decided to call the column: Do It Yourselfer. These articles are being reproduced on the Permaculture Principles blog.

On this blog post I thought that I'd reproduce the first article that I wrote with some more detail and links to expand on what I've been up to. If you've got any thoughts about this idea or the projects, please leave a comment - and feel free to share these posts if you find them of interest. - Cheers, Richard Telford.

The first of the Do It Yourselfer articles published in the Telegraph. Note: I didn't write the heading - which is not what I'm trying to say. Reproduced below with added pictures and captions.

Do It Yourselfer #1

I like to get my hands dirty and have a go a just about anything. It’s something that runs through my veins. When asked “what’s your profession?” in those probing forms that you have to fill out, I started answering “Do it Yourselfer”. Seems to be the best fit for a generalist like me.
So, what’s this article about? I had this idea for writing a regular piece about things to do around the home that could inspire people to have a go themselves. There’s somethings that work, and there’s others that don’t. There’s lots of ideas and knowledge ‘out there’, so I thought it would be good to share some of what I’ve learn't and been inspired by.

Raising beds

When I deconstructed the dilapidated house on the site that was later to become Abdallah House I was confronted with one material that I was really challenged to find a productive use for. Old concrete roof tiles.
There’s a lot of these in the area. As I understand it, once the protective coating wears away, they start to soak up moisture when it rains that can double the weight of a roof. This can cause the roof to sag, crack and leak.
So, what to do with 750 tiles? I ended up using most of them to build raised garden beds - there’s nothing new about that, or is there?
Initially I thought that garden beds should be low rather than high, so that the water doesn’t drain out of the soil. But, when heavy rains come, the beds can flood and the plants die (I learnt that one).

Heavy rain caused flooding of garden beds in the backyard

I dug the tiles in to about half their length and held them in place with soil. String lines were used to ensure that the beds were straight and level. The capping tiles came in handy for corners.
Footpaths around the beds have been dug in lower, providing the soil to raise the beds and acting as basins to capture and store rainwater.
A thick layer of mulch was added onto the paths, which help to maintain moisture, reduce weeds and provides a good walking surface. The mulch eventually breaks down into a rich compost that can be dug back into the beds, building them up further over time.

Sting line set up as a guide for setting tiles into the earth about 150mm for a raised garden bed.

Soil from the path around the tiled area dug in to raise the bed. The recessed area will act as an infiltration basin for storing rainwater

Thick course mulch used to fill in the recessed paths, as Peter Lockyer talks about the house design at SHD14.

What I found was the moisture from the soil wicks up into the garden, and the raised bed encourages the plants to send their roots down to access water as required. The beds do dry out in the summer, which they would anyway, but you can take advantage of those freak rain events by capturing the water that usually drains off the hard dry surface.

The path around garden bed at the front of our house has been designed to catch and store water, which seeps into the soil to be later accessed by the plants.

In a tweak on the idea, I used a light reinforcing mesh, of the 200 x 200mm variety, to create a curve that backs against the brickwork of our recently completed greenhouse. The 6 metre by 500mm wide off-cut was hammered in 200mm into the surface leaving the top one and a half rows, about 300mm above ground.
The tiles were dug in about 50mm at the base and a large amount of soil was added to raise the beds about 400mm from ground level. The pressure from the soil locks the tiles into a gently sweeping curve.
This garden bed will be used to grow corn with beans to climb up the stalks, providing some shade for the greenhouse in time for summer.

Using reo as a form, tiles are set into the soil about 50mm and soil filled in to hold the tiles in place.

Raised garden bed outside of greenhouse

Also published on the Permaculture Principles blog

Why produce the 2015 Permaculture Calendar?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 02:16:00 +0000

Principle 3: Obtain a yield

I've been working towards making a living from doing what I love. This has been a long process which has been helped by the fact that we live a simple lifestyle. Reducing our overheads so that our family of four only requires around AU$10,000 a year to cover our normal living expenses.

For the first time I have generated enough income through the ongoing development of the Permaculture Principles website to cover our living costs - the majority of that has come from the sale of the Permaculture Prinicples Calendar - which is now being distributed from partners in the UK, USA and NZ as well as from here in Australia at Abdallah House.

The sale of other permaculture publications, many of which I've been involved in producing, also contributes to the running of the website. Since July 2013 I've committed to putting a portion of this income aside, along with that of the calendar, to support the wider permaculture community.

Permafund

It was important for me to ensure that I embodied the values that I highlight in the website and calendar. I've applied the ethic of Fair Share, in part, by donating (or tithing) 10% all profits that I generate from the Permaculture Principles business to Permafund. This financial year past my contribution was $1013.77 - The donations given to the Permafund are used to promote Permaculture projects to assist with resilience in the developing world, in places of extreme need and in projects promoting permaculture.

The 2015 Permaculture Calendar

Since taking over the co-ordination of the calendar in 2012 the 2013 and 2014 editions have sold out. I have high hopes that the calendar will continue to be supported in the same way and have increased the print run slightly to 3,000. It's not a lot in the big scheme of things, but challenging enough to produce, market and sell. I feel that this project is worthwhile on many different levels.

The main purpose of the calendar is to help people learn the design principles. It does this through the familiarisation with the principles using the name, icon, an image and short story - one featured each month. Enough time to absorb some of what each one is about and how it might be applied.

Each of the photo descriptions brings to light and important project or observations that could easily get swept away during our high paced lifestyles. They illustrate how the featured principle has been applied, that may inspire the reader to think about applying them in their own project or lifestyle.

The principles are the building blocks of permaculture. To this is added a basic moon planting guide which I've found valuable in motivating me to plant certain types of seeds and get active in the garden. Our family uses the calendar every day to plan ahead and see what's coming up.

If the calendar sounds like something that you'd like to check out then visit the website.

Bringing Nicole Foss to Seymour

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 06:22:00 +0000

Principle 8: Integrate rather than segrgate

While we have set ourselves up quite nicely on our small block, it's not enough. There's a lot that you can do to prepare for change, to reduce your overheads and provide for more of your own needs where you live, but if times really do get tough, what happens to everyone else? There's only so many pieces in my pie.

What goes down must grow up. Illustration used with permission from Michael Leuing

I've been following the work of Nicole Foss on her blog The Automatic Earth for a few years. She's helped me get my head around why another economic crisis is on the way and what we need to do to prepare for it. Realising the scale of change that we confront and the speed at which it will affect us has helped motivate me to raise this awareness in my local community.

On hearing of her latest tour I met with the new BEAM committee (I stepped down as president last month) to put forward a proposed event. With BEAM's support, I've taken it on and are bringing Nicole to Seymour on Thursday the 2nd of October. We'll be having a bit of a BBQ in front of the VRI Hall (near the railway station car park) from 6pm, with the event kicking off at 7pm - $10 per person, students free.

I'll be making a short presentation about how our local communities have been working behind the scenes to prepare already and put some of what she has discussed into a local context. I'll also have some permaculture publications available for sale on the night.

If you live somewhere nearby I hope you can join us - should be a great evening that will stimulate some great discussions, and hopefully actions.

Some more about Nicole and the event:

What if housing prices took a sudden drop? If the next financial crisis was worse than the 1930's Great Depression? If fuel and food prices skyrocket?

International speaker and writer Nicole Foss, who toured recently with David Holmgren, will come to Seymour on Thursday October the 2nd to explain why we are facing an era of financial crisis and rapid economic contraction and what we can do about it. She will address the implications of the global situation and the need for us to simplify our lives and focus on building resilience in our local communities.

“Reaching limits to growth will impose severe consequences, but these can be mitigated. Acting to create conditions conducive to adaptation in advance can make a difference to how crises are handled and the impact they ultimately have.” Nicole Foss

In her solution orientated presentation, Nicole will be detailing what we can do in advance to secure our families and communities for the long term in light of a coming period of uncertainty. She will discuss alternative methods of trade and ways to organise ourselves in challenging times.
There will be advice on how to prepare for fossil fuel shortage and economic collapse, looking at the range of choices available to people at the individual, family and community levels. She’ll explore the advantages and disadvantages of living in various environments; urban, rural, suburban retrofit, intentional communities and eco-villages.

Nicole will share practical views on how to prepare for the looming threats of financial crisis, peak oil and limits to food and water supply. While collapse may or may not be imminent Nicole provides a vision for the future to make any eventual fall less severe for those who prepare.


VRI Hall at J W Elliott Reserve, Seymour Victoria

Arrive at 6pm for BBQ, event starts at 7pm on Thursday the 2nd of October at the VRI Hall near Seymour Railway Station. Cost $10. Free for students. Brought to you by BEAM: Mitchell Environment Group.

Download the Nicole Foss Flyer - please share the event with your networks or in Facebook

Nicole featured recently on Radio National's Big Ideas - Listen to it here: Building Resilience in an Era of Limits to Growth

Brief Bio

Nicole M. Foss is co-editor of The Automatic Earth (TAE), where she writes under the alias Stoneleigh. She and her writing partner have been chronicling and interpreting the on-going credit crunch as the most pressing aspect of our current multi-faceted predicament. The site integrates finance, energy, environment, climate, psychology, population and real politik in order to explain why we find ourselves in a state of crisis and what we can do about it. Prior to the establishment of TAE, she was previously editor of The Oil Drum Canada, where she wrote on peak oil and finance.

Nicole ran the Agri-Energy Producers' Association of Ontario, where she has focused on farm-based biogas projects and grid connections for renewable energy. While living in the UK she was a Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, where she specialised in nuclear safety in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, and conducted research into electricity policy at the EU level.

Her academic qualifications include a BSc in biology from Carleton University in Canada (where she focused primarily on neuroscience and psychology), a post-graduate diploma in air and water pollution control, the common professional examination in law and an LLM in international law in development from the University of Warwick in the UK.

She was granted the University Medal for the top science graduate in 1988 and the law school prize for the top law school graduate in 1997.

Links to her Work

The World According to Automatic Earth

Nicole Foss on Global Financial Bubbles

Nicole Foss on Cheap Energy

Nicole Foss on Alternative Energy

Nicole Foss on Decoupling

Testimonial_from David Holmgren

Bathroom with a view (to the blue greenhouse) Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 06:19:00 +0000

Principle 2: Catch and Store Energy

This project has been one of the ongoing ones, that just took a giant leap forward - after some gentle nudging from Peter Lockyer, the builder architect who I worked with. Nothing like a deadline to work to, and the deadline is the 2014 Sustainable House Day - on this weekend.

Some more about the progression of the greenhouse can be seen in the Bathroom with a view post.

Since moving in there has been many competing priorities on what to do first. The greenhouse kept getting put on the back burner and it was Peter who kept moving me along, beginning with the adding of the flashing on the timber frame back in October 2011. Since then the project stalled until I asked Peter if he was interested in running tours with me for this years Sustainable House Day. "Maybe you should finish off that greenhouse" - um, okay. Wow, no wonder I put it off for so long, it ended up being a BIG job.

Flashing the blue greenhouse

Peter begins to install flashing on the exposed timber of the greenhouse back in October 2011

Timber frames installed and painted, flashing, and louver guides fitted.

The brickwork

I'd been tossing up in my mind (for years) weather to just have brick paving and use baths for garden beds or to commit myself to brick wicking 'beds'. I'd always imagined that below the window would be bricked in and decided to put footings in for that before later deciding to include footings for the edges of the 'bed' too. I figured it would be better to do the job properly, than redo it later.

Strip footings for brick 'bed' inside greenhouse

'Bed' takes shape

As the 'bed' took shape I started wondering about the possibility of it becoming part of an aquaponics setup, as it's some pretty heavy duty infrastructure and I want to make the most of this space. Interestingly, I was contacted by Rob Armstrong of foodqube about running an article about how aquaponics can apply all of the permaculture principles. Some of my concerns about aquaponics were around the amount of plastics and pumps and unsustainable inputs required to set up and maintain an aquaponics system. Rob helped me to see things a bit differently.
As the brickwork was installed after the framing, I had an awkward gap between the last layer of bricks and the frame. I resolved this with some left over concrete sheeting that I fitted to the inside, under the flashing, and slapped in concrete on the outside with mortar to fill in the gaps. I also concreted in the base of the 'bed' to contain water for either a wicking bed or aquaponics set up - that may be sealed in the future if required.
You may also notice a pipe running through the brickwork - that's the greywater diversion pipe, another delayed project for the future.

Brickwork completed, and brick paving on a leveled sand bedding - exposed edges later concreted

Louvers fitted, paving completed and brick 'bed' base now concreted

The glazing

My trusty mate Dylan came on board to help me out with the glazing. As a professional glazier, amongst many other professions, he often gets access to glass that would usually get thrown out. He had some shop window glass sitting in his shed for many year that he had in mind for my job. We gathered it, cut it and installed it - and then Dylan ran me through the tips and tricks of finishing the job.
Of course the framing wasn't square, so the fitting was a real custom job. We used two pieces for the north side, leaving a 2mm gap that was later filled with silicon. All edges had a 2mm gap between the glass and the flashing and the back of the glass has a 1mm gap against the flashing. This gap was filled with black silicon with excess scraped away with a plastic edge and wiped away with the help of a spray gun filled with a 50/50 (?) mix of metho and water while still fresh.
I used 'L' tin flashing as beading, fixing it to the flashing with pop rivets - temporarily at first with small pieces and later with full lengths backed with silicon.

Dylan helps me instal reused shop front glass that he had tucked away in his shed

Detail of glazing installation - note gap around edges and back using black plastic (removed later), temporary beading to hold in place and black silicon on inside to fix glass.

The cladding

The materials that I had left determined a good part of the cladding. I hate having stuff sitting around, but I love collecting stuff. Use it or lose it I reckon.
The green tin, near the small louver winder was recovered from the local demolition. The window allows warm air to enter the kitchen when it's needed.
The cladding of the bathroom / toilet wall is a different feel to the rest of the exterior of the house, but I figured that it wasn't really the outside of the house, it's a sort of inside outside space. I have used weatherboards outside above the carport door and large northern window, so it does tie in somewhat. Inside, of course, it links with the hallway wall that runs the length of the house.
I wanted to block in under the house, to prevent vermin from entering the greenhouse and also to contain as much heat as possible. I managed to glean a very large quantity of corrugated iron from a neighbour recently, some of which was offcuts from a new roof that he had installed - perfect. I helped him out on his renovation for a little bit as an exchange.
I also had a couple of garbage bags full of old wool that wasn't good enough for Kunie to spin. Perfect for insulation though, with a bit of left over foil for added insulation and to hold it in place.

Before cladding

Scrap alpaca and sheep wool used as insulation in wall cavity held in place with reflective foil during installation.

Recycled green tin installed around louver window to kitchen, oiled weatherboards from original house reused for bathroom / toilet wall and tin recovered from a new neighbour used to fill underfloor space.

The finished blue greenhouse

With the addition of a step made with the offcut from the Red Gum slab used for the kitchen bench the room from the room with a view (our bathroom) was complete - well, this stage anyway.
The brick mass helps store the heat absorbed during the day, and release it at night. I've certainly noticed a difference inside - the bathroom and toilet don't have that chill factor that they once did. It's also great to open up the sliding door of the bathroom on sunny cool days to help heat up the eastern side of the house, that has no thermal mass. My office is down that end, and it gets bloody cold in winter - any little bit of heat helps.

Brick floor and 'bed' add thermal mass to regulate temperature in the greenhouse with red gum step to bathroom

Our blue greenhouse is now ready for the next stage. Wicking bed or Aquaculture, that's the next question.

What's next?

In this build I've also created a door behind the toilet within the greenhouse to access our sawdust toilet system - I'll write more about that later.

Probably the first think I want to do is set up a frame so that I can work in multiple layers in the greenhouse. I need a relatively small space for raising seedlings, with the majority of the space for super productive plants or plants out of season.

In doing that I need to clarify how to proceed with the aquaponics system. I continued my research last night, mainly on Rob's foodqube site (excellent blog posts there) and the Backyard Aquaponics site, which found a great way to get my head around the possibilities of setting it up. I'm currently thinking a flood and drain system (see video below) might be the way to go, with a custom bed set up above the brickwork, maybe even a double story bed, since I have the space.
Some of the things I'm wondering about are:

Will I need to seal the brickwork, or will it hold water without sealing?
Water temperature in the greenhouse, and suitability for livestock (is that what you call them)?
Are yabbies / silver perch / gold fish a good combo?
How much livestock can be comfortably kept in the 450 - 600lt capacity that I have?
How much of the needs can be provided for where I live? (closing the loop)
Will I need to block out sunlight to the water to prevent algae growth?

I might see what Rob thinks would be the best way forward, I much prefer to worth with people who know what they are doing rather than make lots of mistakes myself - and trying to find answers in forums can be a complete nightmare, unless you know exactly what you are looking for. There's also Dave the tank guy, here in Seymour who has been experimenting with aquaponics and I'm keen to see more of what he has been up to. I'm excited !

UPDATE: Same day, but later on...

I dropped in to visit Dave Palmer, from Rural Tanks in the industrial estate in Seymour. He showed me his latest creation, after experimenting with aquaponics for a couple of years. Dave makes old style galvanised iron water tanks, I have two of them here, and he's been creating new product lines with the changing market. He's got garden rings, wicking beds and now tanks design specifically for aquaponics. In this recently made demonstration setup, which is still under construction, he has painted the inside of the tanks with bitumen paint - which he has experimented with. I tasted the water, and there was no bitumen taste. He's also used locally sourced volcanic scroia and had local contacts for local(ish) fish suppliers. A good man to talk to, that's for sure.

Dave Palmer talking to my mum about his aquaponics design

2014 Sustainable House Day - September 7th

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 11:13:00 +0000

Principle 8: Integrate rather than segregate

Sustainable House’s all around Australia will be opening their properties and homes for the public to see how people are doing something to reduce their impact on the environment.

We will be participating in the event again this year, opening our property to the public on the 7th of September from 10am till 4pm. Please bring a gold coin or two as a contribution. For directions to 1a Abdallah Road in Seymour click here.

Front of House

You can find out more about the event and where homes are opening around Australia on the website.

Richard Telford and Peter Lockyer will be running tours on the hour: please try to arrive at 5 minutes before the hour so we can get moving on time.

A little history of the project

The project began in May 2008 in suburban Seymour, Central Victoria with the purchase of a three roomed bungalow with bathroom / laundry on a 584 sq metre (1/8 acre) block. The bungalow was carefully deconstructed and transformed to a new home that showcases low energy and passive systems, with virtually no waste.

Owner-builder Richard Telford worked closely with builder/architect Peter Lockyer during the main construction phase from May 2009 to May 2010.

Our cellar also acts as a tank stand

One of the more interesting features of the design is a separate cellar that is linked via a duct to a cool cupboard in the kitchen.

The house was a finalist in the 2012 GreenSmart Awards in the Custom Built Homes and Resource Efficiency catagories and has been described as a “landmark in sustainability and clean living” in the North Central Review 4/9/12.

Netted Orchard and chook run

The use permaculture ethics & design principles have been central to the design process that continues in the garden and resource use as they further reduce their impact on the earth and inspire others to make changes in their own lives.

Some highlights include filling only one rubbish and recycle bin during 2011, family spending of $15 per day for food/drink during 2012 and producing 365kg of produce and over 500 eggs during 2013.

Our family in early 2014

I've been pretty busy recently finishing off the greenhouse, the building stage should be completed in time for the open day and I hope to get a post out before then.

Hope to see you here! Come if you can make it.

Black Market #3 at Abdallah House

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 04:33:00 +0000

Design Principle 8: Integrate rather than segregate

We hosted our first Black Market way back in July 2011

We are hosting our third Black Market at our house this Saturday 9th of August 2014 from 10am - 12pm. All are welcome to come along to see how the market works and visit our property. Bring some home grown goodies to swap and share!

Richard Telford (that's me) will give a tour of Abdallah House, an urban example of low impact living with design features that include: a home grown deck, cool cupboard and cellar, passive solar design, food production, rainwater harvesting and is in the process of completing the greenhouse which is connected to the bathroom. There will also be some fermented goodies to try and cultures to share.

I'll also have the very recently published 2015 Permaculture Calendar that I create available for sale on the day for a special low price. Also available online for those of you who can't make it.

How to get to Abdallah House: 1a Abdallah Road, Seymour

From the supermarkets in the centre of Seymour, drive along Wallis St to the roundabout and turn right into High St. Continue along High St until it crosses over the railway line, then immediately after crossing the railway line turn right into Tarcombe Rd. Abdallah Rd is then the first road on the left off Tarcombe Rd, and 1a Abdallah Rd is just near the Tarcombe Rd corner.

More about the Black Market

The Black Market - a monthly local informal food exchange and "open garden". It was set up by Candi Westney and Leone Gabrielle in 2008 to encourage home-growing, swapping and low food-miles, to see each other's gardens/orchards/farms, and to share information and tips about growing, raising, preserving, sustainability, and the like. Often there is a food or growing tour, or demonstration, and, sometimes, a lunch afterwards. You can bring your own home-grown excess veggies, fruit, eggs, etc. to swap or sell, or produce you've made yourself such as preserves, bread, jam, pickles, etc., which feature home grown or local ingredients. If you don't grow or make your own, you can come to the Black Market and buy from those who do. The Black Market is also open to local people who grow commercial produce (e.g. olives, nuts) on a small scale.

Notices of upcoming Black Market venues are sent out by email. If you would like to be on the email list, or host a Black Market, contact Paul Macgregor.

Cooking without gas

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 09:37:00 +0000

Principle 5: Use & value renewable resources & services

We've been giving some thought to how we cook. We've been using an old gas stove for 3-4 years, in combination with our wood stove. We've run our gas stove from a 45kg bottle, and used about one bottle a year. In attempting to provide for as many of our own needs as we can we decided to replace our gas cooker with a portable electric induction cooker.

Our 50's style gas cooker running alongside our induction cooktop while we trialed them both.

According to an article I read recently, induction cookers are actually less efficient than a gas hob - but that does assume an electric grid efficiency of 40%. Being that we produce most of our own electricity with our grid interactive solar system the losses would be much less. The heat transfer loss of gas is much higher than induction, a lot of the heat goes around the pot and not into it - the induction cookers are more efficient in that area.

Boiling water preparation energy impact (kWh primary energy for 1,000 litre useful boiled water per year) for different cooking devices. Dark blue: power generation loss. Light blue: heat loss. Red: theoretical minimum. Pink: production, distribution, end-of-life. Pink: extra boiling time. Purple: standby. Green: over-filling. Source: [8].

Another factor that we have considered is where gas comes from. Increasingly, fracking is a source of gas, and is causing big problems - particularly with the contaminating of ground water supplies. As a fossil fuel, it's a limited resource that is becoming more expensive and difficult to extract from the environment.

There's also the point that gas stoves produce a considerable amount of air pollution, something that I hadn't thought about much previously. From the article Well-Tended Fires Outperform Modern Cooking Stoves:

A 2014 study estimates that 60 percent of homes in California that cook at least once a week with a gas stove can reach pollutant levels of CO, NO2 and formaldehyde that would be illegal if found outdoors. [21] The authors state that:
"If these were conditions that were outdoors the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) would be cracking down. But since it's in people's homes, there's no regulation requiring anyone to fix it. Reducing people's exposure to pollutants from gas stoves should be a public health priority."

Our wood fired stove / oven / hot water system and heater

During the winter we run our wood stove most days. While it's not super efficient at cooking on, it does numerous other tasks at the same time - 'waste' heat, heats our home, and hot water. It's taken some time to get the hang of cooking in the oven, but we can now fairly reliably cook bread, roasts, pizzas, pastries and even cakes without burning them.

We purchased a 'smart oven' in February which replaced a 60's style compact oven that we were given that was used during the warmer months and our toaster. It's only 22lt, and so we are only heating a small space when using it and figure that it's about as efficient as you can get for a commercial electric oven. We are very happy with it. I especially like the ability to grill as we haven't been able to do that without the wood oven going.

Image of a thermal cooker, much like the one we use.

We've been using a thermal cooker, for a while. It's a specially designed pot that fits snugly into a vacuum flask, much like a thermos. The idea being that you heat up your food, insulate it and it cooks itself from the residual heat. We use it quite a lot for cooking pasta, making stock and soups.

We also have a pressure cooker that we use from time to time. It's particularly useful when cooking legumes and soups. It's cooks in far less time due to the higher temperatures of cooking under pressure.

While I'm keen to make a solar cooker, I haven't done it (well) yet. I have worked through some ideas with my mate Dylan and we might get around to it before next summer. Dylan is a glazier (amongst other things) and we've been talking up the idea of a double glazed box that sits over a pot. Solar cooking makes so much sense in summer, when you shouldn't really be cooking inside anyway - it heats up the house.

A simple rocket stove design by Mal Boyd on display in the Permaculture Victoria tent at SLF '14

I'm also keen to trial a rocket stove, but again, haven't got around it yet. The design above looks like a beauty to have a trial with.

There's some great information about some of these alternative methods of cooking in this article: If We Insulate Our Houses, Why Not Our Cooking Pots?

For another good read, you might want to check out Michael Green's article Cooking without gas

the food eXchange

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 06:18:00 +0000

Principle 8: Integrate rather than segregate

An exciting initiative has started in Seymour - the food eXchange, building on the local Black Market group. It's the brainchild of Cynthia and Nick from Blue Tongue Berries in Seymour. It's all about... well, you can read their explanation below.

THE FOOD EXCHANGE - Taungurung Country
We don't buy food from strangers!
The food eXchange is a local, ethical food interest group and food swap for small scale farm and home grown produce in Seymour and surrounding Taungurung Country. Local food swaps are a great way to be better connected to your food, get to know your local community, reduce food miles, consumerism, packaging, waste and environmental impacts from certain types of agriculture and food production. The food eXchange website contains links to local food producers, suppliers, markets and community groups in the Seymour and surrounds region. If you live locally why not get involved and join our facebook group.

Cynthia also hosts a radio show on local radio station Seymour FM - called: the food exchange (of course), and invited me on to talk about Abdallah House, permaculture and the Black Market with co-ordinator Paul McGregor. We also chat about BEAM: Mitchell Environment Group and the Bulk Food buying group. Have a listen.

Here's an update - another interview this time featuring fermented foods.

For more about the food eXchange check out...

Facebook Page: the food eXchange
Facebook Group: the food eXchange
Twitter: the food eXchange
Instagram: the food eXchange
Website: the food eXchange
Podcast: the food exchange

The inaugural "Pop Up Picnic"

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Sun, 16 Mar 2014 04:16:00 +0000

Principle 8: Integrate rather than segregate

The inaugural “Pop Up Picnic” at Abdallah House. 15 local people made it for an event to remember, as wild weather stormed in as we began to eat.

Our desire to connect with our local community by hosting the 'worlds' first' Pop Up Picnic got off to a stormy start as lightening, wild winds and torrential rains kicked in soon after these photos were taken. Still, 15 people turned up, which was about perfect for our limited undercover outdoor space - bringing with them some delicious locally made (and mostly grown) foods.

The idea of the Pop Up Picnic got a boost after I posted this note on the recently created food eXchange facebook page.

Kunie and I have been talking about informal local catch-up / pot luck lunch / dinner, as a way to enjoy the values we share and community that we live in. Anyone interested?

It got a huge response with 26 comments and 17 likes from a group of just 122.

We decided to give it a test run and sent out an email to some people that we know locally just 4 days before the event, with a short description of how we envisioned the afternoon (4:30 onwards):

Kunie and I are excited to announce a world first…? the 'Pop Up Picnic’. An opportunity to share a meal with people in your local community.

We think that building community should be fun and have been discussing how good it would be to connect with other local people and share a meal. We wanted to be able to do this in a more spontaneous and low stress way than a formal meal and wanted it to be a way to connect with people in our local community that we might not catch up with that often. Perhaps the idea will catch on?

So, bring some food and drink to share (home grown/made encouraged), your own eating equipment (as you would a picnic) and we’ll provide the venue and little display and explanation of some of our fermented delights. Feel free to bring some of your own.

No need to RSVP - turn up if you feel like it and we will see what happens on the day. Children most welcome, hence the earlier start.

Perhaps we will see you here?

A small taste of the home made, and mostly locally grown, food on offer - including kimchi and saurekraut.

There were a number of home fermented dishes and drinks on offer, including home-brewed beer, Jerusalem artichoke wine, Wild cherry plum / white peach and boysenberry wine, Prickly Pear wine, water kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, feta cheese, lemon ricotta cake, prosciutto and sour dough bread. This didn't become a focus of the dinner, just a part of a fun social event.

While we intended the event to be easy going on the hosts, there was in fact quite a bit of preparation work - mainly in cleaning up and preparing our own dishes. The contribution by our guests was quite extraordinary, and it seemed to me that everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Our outdoor kitchen got it's first real work out, as a space to wash dishes. It was great to be able to do this outside, amongst guests, so it didn't feel so much like work. Having a place to leave them to dry off meant that they were on display for the owners to pick up when they were ready to leave.

In thinking about guests, our feelings at the moment are to keep it fairly small and very local. Kunie and I have discussed having a email list of people that we regularly invite when we host, not expecting that they would all turn up - so that we build stronger bonds with people that we know in our community. We did have one guest who asked about bringing a friend, and we were happy to accommodate. We think that it would be good to ask guests to RSVP if they intend on coming to get some idea of numbers - which would help with preparation.

Would we do it again? Yes, and probably soon. We do hope that other people adopt the idea, and host their own event - putting their own spin on how it would work best for them.

Feed the goodies, overwhelm the baddies

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Telford) — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 07:06:00 +0000

Principle 9: Use small and slow solutions

I was very excited to hear that Sandor Katz was coming to Melbourne, and bought tickets to hear him talk as soon as I heard about it, months in advance. For those of you that don't know, Sandor is a fermentation revivalist who loves bacteria - and is a long term AIDS survivor. You might notice a similarity with the facial hair... yes, I was influenced by Sandor, along with the stories of Charles Dickens. The Dicken's era, mid 1800s - is a fascinating contrast to our times. I love seeing BBC videos of the stories and how people lived without abundant fossil fuel energy.

Sandor Katz with Richard Telford (2014). Photo: Adam Grubb

A little story about how my interest in fermenting came to be

Initially, it came from making home-brew beer in the late 80's, mainly because it was cheap. I soon came to realise that, if you did it well, it tastes sooo much better than commercial beers. I became famed for my brewing, parties and arriving to houses with crates of beer as a young adult.

When I hit the road in my Kombi in the mid 90's the brewing stopped. During my 2 year stint at Carters Road Community in WA 1998-2000 (now Fair Harvest), at the age of 28, I contracted a blood infection. A detox that I was undertaking probably overwhelmed my body with toxins that weakened my immune system sufficiently for Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria commonly found on the skin, to take hold. This manifested in extremely painful boils erupting in different parts of my body, mainly at joints, but also later on my legs and face. After attempts with colloidal silver, comfrey leaves and sweat lodges failed and realising how serious this infection could become I began treatment with antibiotics, putting my trust in the medical system that I usually avoided.

Staph infections have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics since the 50's - as they mutate to more exotic forms during the modern world's war on bacteria. I had three courses of antibiotics of varies kinds, with temporary success. Each course was stronger than the last. I ended up in hospital on intravenous antibiotics, weighing just 50kg. The intravenous antibiotics were really painful, like burning the inside of my veins, and needed to be moved regularly. I got better not long after and was put on even stronger oral antibiotics. I was warned that there was only a couple of other antibiotic options available.

Three weeks later the boils were back. This time I refused to take another course of antibiotics. When I asked my doctor what happened to people before antibiotics, he told me that they probably died. I hadn't heard of anyone recovering from staph infections by treating themselves. I'd put my faith in the medical system and it failed me. I realised that the medical approach was to 'kill the baddies', rather than 'feed the goodies'. It was a fear based, and if I kept it up then my body would have no defenses left.

Surrender and trust

I focused on building up my immune system and spoke to Margie, a local cancer survivor. She gave some great advice and support, telling me that I was on the right track. She told me to love myself, every part of it, even the yucky bits (especially the staph itself). We discussed past issues and the underlying psychological problems / reasons. Identifying my fear around loosing control.

She gave me a positive affirmation to repeat "surrender and trust", which I still use, and some different natural approaches to try out. I saw them as a love based, rather than fear based approach. I believed that I would recover, and that I could set an example for others - funny it's taken me 14 years to write publicly about it...

I tried a whole bunch of methods, blood cleansing salts, Swedish bitters, oxygen therapy, Bowen therapy, Reiki, Numerology, Herbal tonics, herbal creams, fresh juices, along with a new awareness and affirmations. I couldn't say which of those, if any in particular, worked. But all of those things were about feeding goodies, not killing baddies.

During the renewed infection the pain became unbearable. I decided against the pain killers, my 'higher self' telling me that I needed to feel the pain. It was outside of my control (my great fear). I was saying to myself "It's alright, it's okay to feel this pain, it's okay to scream in pain - let it out, let it go". I remember a total break down. My deep, heavy, evil sounding breathing and screaming helped ride me through the pain - it reminds me now of the birth of our sons. I wrote at the time "the only way to loose fear is to confront it". I did, and eventually got better - without antibiotics or chemical drugs.

I made some great insights at that time.I realised things, things that I may have heard before, but realising them myself was quite different. Like when you try to force something to happen, and it's not ready to, you get resistance. When it's ready to happen of it's own accord there is very little resistance. Something I learned with my experience of the life-cycle of boils. I use the 'path of least resistance' approach in raising our kids, our home based learning (home schooling) and in my activism. I learnt to surrender and trust, and try my best to use an approach of love rather than fear in everything that I do.

And now for fermenting

How does all this relate to fermenting? It's all about bacteria! Feed the goodies, and the baddies will be overwhelmed.

The first I heard of Sandor Katz was when he spent time at Su and David Holmgren's place in Hepburn while researching his first book, Wild Fermentation (published in 2003). I first tasted extraordinary earth buried fermented delights prepared by Adam Grubb at Melliodora when I first met him at around that time. I purchased the book not long after and was inspired by the empowering nature of Sandor's message, the health benefits and the ability to preserve and enhance foods. I was keen to meet him and get a sense of where he was coming from, glad we finally did.

Kunie and I have been experimenting with fermenting since moving into Abdallah House in 2007 and love Sandor's Art of Fermentation book released in 2012.

Permie collaborators: Nick Ritar, Kirsten Bradley, Adam Grubb and Richard Telford at Sandor Katz's Melbourne talk. Photo: Kunie Yoshimoto

End note:

Building a healthy immune system is the greatest asset that you can have, and having a diverse community of healthy bacteria in your system is one of the best ways, in my eyes, to do that. I'll write some more about what we ferment in the near future, so stay tuned. In the mean time, check out this presentation from Sandor, a small taste, similar to the talk that we saw in Melbourne put on by colleagues Nick and Kirsten at Milkwood Permaculture.

Update: 19th March 2014

While at the talk I had a chat with Nick Ritar from Milkwood about my sickness. In our chat he mentioned 'faecal microbiota transplantation' (FMT) - a procedure whereby poo from a healthy person is introduced to the colon of a sick person. The idea being that it reintroduces a large range of healthy bacteria to the sick person that can recolonise their colon improve their health.

There are some fantastic claims of the effectiveness of this procedure and clinical trials are now underway to prove (or not) it's effectiveness. See this link for more information. I'm excited by this 'new' approach, but I'm sure the big pharmaceutical companies are not.

If we look at the reasons of the occurrence of these debilitating diseases is on the increase, which I believe is because of our 'war on bacteria', then eating raw organic along with live fermented foods would certainly help increase bacteria in the gut that would help build a stronger immune system.

Abdallah House - Redesigning a Home

Permaculture Tours - Episode 1: Abdallah House

'Super Fridge' the upright freezer conversion: Take 2

Principle 1: Observe and interact

Choosing the right freezer

Measuring the energy use

Comparing an 'all-fridge' to a 'super fridge'

Summary

RetroSuburbia at the Seymour Library

There was a real buzz at the Seymour Library last Tuesday night, where 110 people packed the usually quiet space, to hear David Holmgren’s presentation “Food, Resilience and Retrofitting our Suburbs”.

David Holmgren identifies Seymour as a model for ecological renewal

Super Fridge review - 5 years on

Apply self-regulation and accept feedback

Total estimated energy use over it's life

RetroSuburbia and Abdallah House

Happen Films, and the Abdallah House doco

International Permaculture Day 2017 Tour

Features include:

Social change projects from around the world with Kai Saywer

Kai's bio

Branching out with Sustainable Seymour

2016 Permaculture Day Tours

Features include:

Permaculture Books Available

Water Audit - 2015

Consumption

Mains water used for irrigation 2015

Household water consumption for 2015

Collection

Potable Collection (drinking quality)

Total potable collection area: 163m2Total potable storage volume: 31,000lt

Non-potable Collection (livestock quality)

Non-potable tank collection area: 33.9m2 Total non-potable storage volume: 1080lt

Non-potable Collection (contact with ground)

House and Garden Tour - 21st November

Open for Tours on Permaculture Day

Tours run on Sunday May 3rd 2015 at 9am, 11am and 2pm - each running for about an hour. Just $5, children free!

Features include:

The 'glass cube' solar cooker design Pt1

Raising beds - concrete tiles and reo put to use

Do It Yourselfer #1

Raising beds

Why produce the 2015 Permaculture Calendar?

Permafund

The 2015 Permaculture Calendar

Bringing Nicole Foss to Seymour

Some more about Nicole and the event:

What if housing prices took a sudden drop? If the next financial crisis was worse than the 1930's Great Depression? If fuel and food prices skyrocket?

Brief Bio

Links to her Work

Bathroom with a view (to the blue greenhouse) Part 2

Flashing the blue greenhouse

The brickwork

The glazing

The cladding

The finished blue greenhouse

What's next?

2014 Sustainable House Day - September 7th

A little history of the project

Black Market #3 at Abdallah House

How to get to Abdallah House: 1a Abdallah Road, Seymour

More about the Black Market

Cooking without gas

the food eXchange

THE FOOD EXCHANGE - Taungurung Country

The inaugural "Pop Up Picnic"

Feed the goodies, overwhelm the baddies

A little story about how my interest in fermenting came to be

Surrender and trust

And now for fermenting

End note:

Update: 19th March 2014

Total potable collection area: 163m2
Total potable storage volume: 31,000lt

Non-potable tank collection area: 33.9m2
Total non-potable storage volume: 1080lt