IN THIS ISSUE
(Click on the story link)

1. Queensland and SA implement environmental housing policies 

2. The Bush-Howard alternative to Kyoto  

3. Hills Solar Investment Opportunity

4. This month's Super Special Offer

5. Buy a new Hills Solar system and get a water filter valued at $375 free!

6. Refer a favourite tradesperson

7. Refer our Website and win!

8. Eco events 

9. The Watershed Initiative

10. Handy hints

11. Calculate your ecological footprint

12. Best home loan rates

13. Wise words that inspire

14. Advertise with EcoNews

15. Contact us & your feedback

16. Special Feature: Eden Cove - Land + BASIX packs  

OUR PARTNERS IN SUSTAINABILITY

SPECIAL OFFER THIS MONTH

ECO EVENTS

The Watershed Initiative

The Watershed is a Sustainability Resource Centre located on King Street in the heart of Newtown. It is a joint initiative of South Sydney and Marrickville Councils.

The Watershed has resources and experienced staff on hand to provide information and advice to local residents and businesses on ways to reduce our ecological footprint.

Visit the Watershed to find out about a wide range of environmental initiatives, such as, worm farming, composting, rainwater tanks, recycling, sustainable housing and permaculture. The Watershed runs free workshops on Saturdays, and is always looking for enthusiastic volunteers.

Contact: Vanessa John 
Tel: (02) 9516 6366 
218 King St Newtown NSW 2042 watershed@marrickville.nsw.gov

Handy Water Saving 
Hints for the Home

• Order and install a DIY "Greywater your garden kit" or a "Water Saver Kit"

• Install a Rainwater Tank to harvest rainwater from your roof (Book a quote) 

• Install a AAA rated shower head (cuts water use for showering by up to two thirds)

• Install a toilet flush water saver (see the Eco Starters Pack for more details)

• Buy a front loading AAA rated washing machine

• Put a cover over the pool to stop evaporation (also helps keep the pool warm)

• Wash your car on the Lawn (make sure you use a bucket - it is illegal to hose your garden during the current water restrictions)

CONTACT US

Ecological Homes Pty Ltd
PO Box 2504, Strawberry Hills
NSW Australia 2012
Phone: 1300 73 07 07
Fax: (+61 2) 9557 8422
twalsh@ecologicalhomes.com.au
www.ecologicalhomes.com.au

Our Shop Address:

230 Enmore Rd, Enmore NSW 2042

FEEDBACK & ADVERTISING

Do you have a story or feedback  
for the next issue? 
Let us know

Advertisers welcome  
for the next issue. 
Contact us for a rate card 
or view it online

© Copyright 2002 Ecological Homes Pty Ltd (ABN 71 002 980 047)

Best Home Loan Rates

Are you paying the best rate for your Home Loan?

Contact our friendly loans consultants at Choice Home Loans to advise you on the best home loan rates. New purchases, refinances, investment properties, commercial properties. Ask about our "Energy Efficient Home Loan".

Request a Free 
Home Loan Check 

Back to top

The Earth Repair Charter

Please Endorse the Earth Repair Charter

(If you haven't done so already)

Visit Their Great New Website www.earthrepair.net

Send an E-Card  
and Help Support Nature

Back to top

Wise Words that Inspire

"If you want to change the world, prepare to feel the full force of the reaction against you from those that have the most to lose." Niccolo Machiavelli

"The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. One thing we know: our god is also your god. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator". Chief Seattle

Back to top

Vol 4 (Issue 1) July-August 2005

Dear Reader,

In this month's issue we look at:

• Queensland and South Australia to implement environmental housing - if you live in these states you will soon need to comply with water & energy saving measures along the lines of BASIX in NSW and the 5 Star scheme in Victoria  

• The Bush-Howard Kyoto Alternative - we look at the recent announcement by the governments of the USA, Australia, China, Japan, India and South Korea of a substitute scheme to the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change

• Hills Solar Investment Opportunity - we are seeking investors to help with expansion of our rapidly growing Hills Solar hot water business    

• This month's super-special offer - due to the great response we had last month to our special Hills Solar+Water Filter offer, we are extending the offer another month - order an Hills Solar hot water system and receive a free twin-cartridge under-sink filter valued at $375!

As always, we welcome your thoughts and feedback on the newsletter and stories related to the environment. The deadline for contributions to the next issue (September 2005) is September 2nd 2005. Send us your feedback or stories

Thanks ... The Ecological Homes Team

Q. What Does Ecological Homes Do?
A. We are Your One Stop Shop for Sustainability

We provide a "One Stop Shop" solution for your eco housing and home finance needs including: 

Queensland & SA to Implement Environmental Housing

Following on from the BASIX initiative in NSW and the 5 Star scheme in Victoria, two other states (Queensland & SA) have recently announced environmental housing initiatives.

Electric Water Heaters to be banned

One of the key measures is the banning of electric water heaters in all new homes in both states - electric water heaters are very inefficient resulting in higher levels of greenhouse emission compared to other types of water heaters such as solar hot water.

Building a new home in Queensland?

As from 1st March 2006, all new homes in Queensland will be required to include a range of water and energy saving measures such as:

• an energy efficient hot water system (solar hot water, heat pump or continuous flow gas)

• energy efficient lighting

• AAA rated showerheads

• dual-flush toilets

• water pressure limiting devices

The Queensland government has stopped short of mandating rainwater tanks in all new homes in the hope that the water measures above will help achieve the reduction in water consumption required for all new homes - tough water restriction measures are in place in many parts of Queensland.  About 40,000 homes are built in Queensland each year.

Click here for more details

Building a new home in South Australia?

In South Australia, all new homes will be required to include an energy efficient water heater such as solar, heat pumps or instant gas. If town is gas available then people have the option for gas boosted solar, heat pumps or gas hot water systems. If gas is not available then there is a choice between electric boosted solar and heat pumps.

Click here for more details

Back to top

The Bush-Howard Kyoto Alternative

Leaders of six of the world's biggest producers of greenhouse emissions (USA, Australia, India, China, Japan and South Korea) recently met in Ventienne Laos and signed a joint "Vision Statement" to cut greenhouse emissions. The group has now adopted the grand title of the "Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate" or the APPCDC.

Australia and the USA have continually refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol arguing that it would unfairly punish major coal dependent economies (like Australia and the USA) whilst other major coal producing countries like China and India were not compelled to sign up to reductions in carbon emissions.

The new APPCDC agreement essentially argues that the development of technology-based solutions - not legally binding targets for emission reductions as with the Kyoto agreement - is the way forward.

The signatories to the APPCDC agreement aim to make progress in the transfer of technology from developed to developing countries in the areas of:

• energy efficiency
• methane capture and use
• rural/village energy systems
• "clean coal"
• civilian nuclear power
• advanced transportation
• liquefied natural gas
• geothermal building and home construction/operation
• bioenergy
• agriculture/forestry, and
• hydropower/wind power/solar power.

In his support of the agreement, the Australian Prime Minister announced: "The Vision Statement ... tackles head-on the need for greater emphasis on new and more effective technologies to reduce greenhouse emissions from the use of fossil fuels. The fairness and effectiveness of this proposal will be superior to the Kyoto Protocol".

Critics of the APPCDC agreement point out that the agreement lacks any binding targets or firm commitments and "risks being a lot of hot air" (Don Henry, Director of the Australian Conservation Council). They also draw attention to the fact that 4 of the signatories to the new agreement (Australia, China, the USA and India) are amongst the biggest coal producers in the world with powerful coal industries strongly opposed to the Kyoto Agreement and who collectively produce 40% of the world's greenhouse emissions.

The APPCDC group plans to meet again in Adelaide in November 2005 to formulate more detailed targets.

Just how much the new agreement may end up simply becoming rhetoric may be indicated by the Bush Government's new Energy Bill which provides about US$14.5 billion in incentives to new domestic US oil and gas exploration and the construction of new nuclear power plants (2 to be built in the USA in 2006).

If you have any old "Solar not Nuclear" banners from the protest marches of the 1970s and 1980s now seems like a good time to dig them out - it looks like we are going to need them!       

Back to top  

Hills Solar Investment Opportunity

Hills Solar, suppliers of our state-of-the-art solar water heating systems, is seeking to expand the business by taking on new staff, moving to new premises and ramping up promotion and distribution of the brand.

All this requires money and the company is seeking investors to help grow the Hills Solar brand and provide more Australian homes with these fantastic water heaters.

If you are seeking a ground-floor investment offering an attractive rate of return in a business that is really helping make a difference in terms of cutting greenhouse emissions whilst saving households money on their water heating bills, then we would like to hear from you.

Back to top  

This Month's Super Special

Free Hot Water from the Sun
 + Free Water Filter*

If you currently buy bottled water you are probably spending more than $500 a year for the privilege.

Ecological Homes in conjunction with Hills Solar are proud to bring our readers an unbeatable deal on the amazing Hills Solar hot water system:

• Ecological Homes will supply a free twin-cartridge under-sink water filter* (see picture below) to the first 20 customers that order a new Hills Solar water heater and pay a 20% deposit on their new system

This is a truly unbeatable deal!

• save up to 80% on your water heating bills with a new Hills Solar water heater
• reduce your household greenhouse emissions by up to 5-6 tonnes per annum
• and get a twin cartridge water filter valued at $375 for free!

*Note: offer excludes installation (easy to DIY install or installation costs about $70-100 if done by a plumber.

Click here for more details on Hills Solar

Click here to order your system  

Back to top