Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The Sustainable House

Michael Mobbs has lived in the Sustainable House since 1978 and began the process of making it sustainable in 1996. The house is on Myrtle Street (Michael is one of the prime movers behind the community garden) and there are regular tours where Michael talks candidly about what worked and what didn't work. Unlike the Smart Home, which is a high-end showcase for expensive technology, Michael and his experiences in the Sustainable House (he has also published an excellent book) show how each individual family can make steps towards living sustainably, starting with something as simple as a change to a water-efficient shower head.

Exterior view

Heath Robinson bell pull

Rustic stairs

Back garden

Nasturtium flowers for salad

Michael Mobbs

Ordinary livingroom

Interior decor

Curious chook

Chook run at the side of the house

Solar panels

Sunken pond to collect stormwater

Plants fed by "wicks" in pipes


Passion fruit flower

House from the rear

Grapes in the back yard

Beehive

Stingless bees (ideal for urban neighbourhoods)

Self-cleaning gutter

The back of the house

Kitchen - designed to maximise light

Kitchen windows

Inverter (converts output from solar panels into 240-volt AC power)

4 comments:

  1. Lottie

    I love your photos of my house; thanks for putting them on your blog. The chook pics are beaut and I'm sure Bob n Bert would approve.
    It was terrific to meet you and show you the place.
    May the posts be with you,
    Michael

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  2. Glad you like them, Michael. It was great meeting you and having a look around the house.

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  3. Lottie, me again; may I publish some of these pics on my blog, please? Michael

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  4. Hello,
    One of my wwoofers (willing workers on organic farms) told me about Michael Mobbs open house day. And from there I was directed to your blog to see photographs of his property.
    We have been living a self-sufficient lifestyle for forty years. And our property opens to the public too

    May I congratulate you on the wonderful information you are sharing through your blog. Life in an around a city.

    Cheers
    judithcollins@earthkeepers.com.au

    ReplyDelete