Vegies on the Verge in Marrickville 2015

Vegies on the Verge in Marrickville

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In seeking to live sustainably, we are guided by the three Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. We attempt to minimise waste in every aspect of our lives and we try to do this with minimal aid from technological additions to the house.

Our home includes:

  • Productive verge gardens
  • Permaculture
  • Fruit trees
  • Double glazing
  • Rainwater tank
  • Passive solar design
  • Composting and worm farming
  • Waste reduction
  • Behaviour change

We keep our energy consumption low because we do simple things such as switch off lights when we’re not in the room, don’t leave appliances on standby but turn them off at the power source, have med-high star energy rated appliances (fridge, washing machine, dishwasher) hang the washing out to dry and do not use a dryer. In winter we wear warm clothes instead of turning up the heater (which is a gas heater) and in summer, we keep the heat out by closing our double glazed windows and drawing curtains and blinds in the morning before the day warms up.

We grow our own vegies, herbs and flowers on the verge in front of our house. This is a wonderfully sunny area and much more suited to growing vegies than growing grass (and weeds)! We have been growing our verge garden since November 2006. It has become a community galvaniser and as a result we know more people who live in the surrounding streets than we could ever hope to before.

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2015
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Efficient lighting
      Draught proofing
      Efficient appliances
      Energy monitoring
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Shading
      Cross ventilation

    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Large deciduous tree to the north, insulation and double glazing
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Gas, but rarely used.
    • Water heating:
    • Gas storage; exploring other options
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Above ground storage
    • Above ground rainwater storage Type:
    • Rainwater tank
    • Above ground rainwater storage Size
    • 1,500 litres, the largest we could fit in
INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Ceiling
      Internal and external walls
COSTS AND COST SAVINGS
    • Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
    • Over 10 years, water tanks, compost and worm farms, about $2,400
    • Estimate of annual savings:
    • We believe in the 3 R's - reduce, reuse and recycle, so our savings are limitless
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • A small semi in Horton Street, Marrickville, NSW
    • Window and Door Types
    • Double glazing
    • Universal Design Features
    • Disability access
      Multi-generational
      Adaptive design
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 3
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 1
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Drip irrigation
      Edible garden
      Permaculture
      Composting
      Community garden
Location
Marrickville NSW 2204
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
      Tiny Home
      Community Garden
    • Project Type:
    • Continual Improvement

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