BY BYRON FREEBORN, RAINE & HORNE WYNNUM
We live in an incredible part of the world, as evidenced by the recent increase in interstate buyers, and one of the best in Brisbane! Not many parts of the world offer such a safe, vibrant location, that has both the incredible resource of Moreton Bay while maintaining relatively close proximity to a major CBD centre.
Living our modern, comfortable lifestyles and caring for the environment can sometimes run contrary to each other. This article dives into some of the broader ideas that we, as everyday people, running everyday households, can either do or be mindful of, to take some of the pressure off our water and energy resources, while being mindful of the health of our local wildlife and marine life.
If you’re renovating – whether you’re doing this yourself or have a builder doing the work for you – consider what materials and waste that can be recycled.
For further information regarding recycling, here is a link to BCC recycling guide:
https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/clean-and-green/rubbish-tips-and-bins/reducing-waste-at-home/recycling-guide-for-households
What else can you do? How about swapping your lights to LED bulbs, and replacing the fluorescent lights in your garage or shed with LED versions? They are more efficient, cast terrific light, and they turn on at the blink of an eye.
Solar panels are a given, and battery storage is coming along, however the cost synergies are still to catch up.
Timing your appliances/electricity use to coincide with the sun’s peak in the day will help optimise your energy use and maximise your solar panels’ function.
Barrie from Manchester Plumbing has some tips that can save the environment and save you money:
- Single flush toilets can use up to 12 litres of water per flush, so upgrading to a modern, dual flush toilet dramatically brings water usage down to approximately three to five litres per flush.
- Updating shower roses should bring the water use down to around the nine litre per minute mark, whereas an older style of shower rose can use more than 15 litres per minute.
- Dripping taps can be a real hidden user of water – put a bucket underneath a dripping tap, and return later that day to see it full to the brim, and multiply that by 365 days for the year. Replace washers or upgrade your tapware, and enjoy greater water savings and greater ease of turning on and off your taps!
Another area to consider is the storm water run-off from your property, which ultimately runs into Moreton Bay. If you’re fertilising your lawn, try to use organic products. When washing the car, try to use an environmentally friendly liquid, and wash your car on the lawn to prevent run-off straight into the gutters.
For further information on this, check out this link to a great organisation, reefcheck:
https://www.reefcheckaustralia.org/south_east_queensland
And to have some fun in the garden, pop down to a local nursery, such as IndigiScapes Education Centre, that have a native nursery attached, and pick up some native trees to plant in your garden. Buy some bee bombs (rather than killing the bees, these are balls of seed/soil that will explode with flowers and plants, which help the bees to thrive), from stores such as Biome.
If you have any other ideas or handy tips, feel free to email me at [email protected] so that we can share in future articles.
