I found this article on the internet and knew I’d have to share it on Green Renters. I am an enthusiastic cook who is at times, prone to burning things. Especially when toasting spices or trying to make toffee and I get distracted by something else…

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I found this tutorial and it instantly appealed as it adhere to our ethos of mending things instead of throwing out/recycling and buying a replacement product. I’ve various friends who’ve dropped their mobile phones in toilets, glasses of beer, washing up water and I’m sure this will appeal to them…

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The Festival raises awareness and provides tools for change by showcasing tangible solutions to the ecological and social challenges we face.

In 2009 the Festival at Federation Square attracted over 124,000 visits and engaged more than 450 community volunteers.

In its eleventh year, the Festival is getting even bigger!

The 2010 Festival will include 2 programs, the Main Event at Federation Square (19-21 February 2010) and the Local Events Program (6-21 February 2010). The new 2-week format will enable individuals and communities across Australia to host and promote their own sustainability event, extending the reach of the sustainability message even further.

The Main Event at Federation Square in the heart of Melbourne will continue to celebrate the very best examples of ecological and social sustainability. The event will fuse interactive workshops, talks, demonstrations, artworks, exhibits, films and live performances. In recognition of the climate situation, the Main Event will be inspired by the theme: Get Ready for the Safe Climate Decade!

Our pics (most relevant/interesting to Renters)

Top 10 Reasons to Grow Your Own

How Car Dependence is Turning the Suburban Dream into a Nightmare

Sustaining Fashion? An Open Forum Exploring The Darker Side Of Fashion

GM Free is the way to be

Living Zero Waste

Life Time Affordable Sustainable Housing

Consumer Power-Making the Change

Sharehood Communities

And of course… How to Live Sustainably in a Rental Property yep, we are presenting a talk. It’ll be lots of fun with pictures, samples and demonstrations of things you can make yourself, so please come along . You can also chat to us as part of the Sustainable Living Library

Salihan Crafts shows readers some great ways to reuse a bath puff: creating a yarn sleeve & pot scrubber

Tutorials from Salihan Crafts

Melbourne University has helped create a handy application that calculates your garden’s ideal water consumption based upon your locality, size and soil type, even allowing you to plot zones very accurately. The system is already pretty smart but a new version is scheduled for release in April.

www.smartgardenwatering.org.au

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Curtains have many benefits in keeping out heat and sunlight. Ask around your relatives, most people seem to have a spare pair of the rubber backed insulated curtains stashed in a cupboard somewhere.

Alternatively you might like to pick up a pair cheaply at a charity shop or ebay or even make your own. Make some ties whilst you are there, you’ll want them open in the mornings. Here’s a great easy tutorial, making curtains is pretty much just about sewing straight lines which get easier with practice!

Project 1. Reduce drafts in your house

pic from here

While a cool breeze is lovely in summer, i’s more common to notice the hot wind blow under the door or rattling the windows. It’s unpleasant, and if you choose to use cooling, it reduces its efficiency

Further, in winter, draughts can account for up to 25% of heat losses. Reducing these draughts can be a cheap and cost effective way of reducing heating and cooling costs.

Draughts can be further reduced by:

• Draught proofing doors and windows
• Sealing up cracks and gaps
• Sealing unnecessary vents
• Sealing exhaust fans and outlet grills
• Sealing unused fireplaces

One easy transportable method to reduce door draughts is to make your own door snakes (or dogs as the tutorial linked provides!).

For the sides of doors and windows adhesive backed foam is a good resource Hardware stores sell it in various widths and thicknesses, and the tape is self-adhesive and easy to install. Simply cut the tape to the length you need with scissors, peel away the backing from the tape and stick it in place. The size and flexibility of tape make it well suited for blocking irregular-sized cracks.

Insulating hot water pipes is one of the simplest things a renter can do to make your home more energy efficient, especially in winter, where you could potentially reduce your boiler by 2 degrees.

Pipe insulation can be bought in most hardware stores and it’s not particularly expensive, but at Green Renters we’re all for the three R’s, reduce, reuse and recycle, we had a bunch of old towels lying around so decided to use those!

Now, everyone’s boiler is different, so this guide is somewhat general, but should give you a rough idea of what to do. Firstly, if you have any difficulty in locating your boiler, most houses have it outside, whereas most apartments have it on the inside. (more…)

II was excited to see this living wreath on Design Sponge this week. It looks pretty easy according to the tutorial but I’m going to amend a current wreath I have rather than buy any materials. I’m making one of these tonight. It’s a great way to reuse garden cuttings from the last few days and looks great!

Here’s our bumper list of some of our most favourite tutorials sourced from the never ending resource that is the Internet. Making gifts is a great way to avoid shopping centres, especially if you utilise materials you already have. It also means that your gift is local, thoughtful and ethically produced. There’s also no cheap plastic involved!  I’d also much prefer a couple of hours in the kitchen to a day at the shops! Present your gift in reusable containers, jars and the like to keep in with the environmentally friendly ethos.

Foodie things (all vegan unless specified otherwise)

• Dukkah
• Asian Sea Salt
• Homemade salsa
• Pesto
• Choc chip oatmeal cookies
• Energy balls
• Shortbread
• Easy Jam Recipes
• Sugar Free Christmas Cake

You can also find some excellent spice mixes here

Drinks

• Hot chocolate mix
• Real lime cordial
• Alcohol free ginger beer

Crafty Things

• Stenciled bags
• 1 hour bag!
• Make up bag tutorial

You also find some more tutorials with a difference including teacup bird feeders, candles, dolls and more at my Polka Dot Rabbit blog