Expert presenters Matthew Nelson and Zandy Tibballs from the Metro Waste Management Group (MWMG) and a member of The Sharehood will explain hands-on ways you can become a Zero Waste Living household by taking fun, simple and interesting actions to reduce your waste.

Date and time
Tuesday 14 September, 7:00 – 9:00 pm.

Location
Darebin Council Chambers (350 High Street Preston)

Cost
Nil – This is a FREE event

To book and advise of any support needs/requirements, call 8470 8392 or email veronica.rustica@darebin.vic.gov.au

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…

(more…)

I was interested when a friend of mine Gauri started a blog on how she would cease from shopping for non-essentials for a year. We all know that shopping and buying things we don’t need are big problems when it comes to reducing our environmental footprint. She kindly consented to an interview for Green Renters.

(more…)

I was really excited to find out about the new Take Out With Out Campaign, directed at reducing the use of unnecessary plastics and packaging with take out food. They have the very sensible creed:

ReFuse Unnecessary Stuff

When taking out, refuse the unnecessary packaging! Think about the spoons, forks, straws, and napkins that you get served (why do they give you enough for a family of 20 when eating alone?). Ask yourself before accepting all these items, “Do I really need all of this?”, “Am I going to be eating this right away?” (If so, why take the bag or the napkins)… just enjoy your muffin – and be neat so the napkin isn’t needed!

ReTakeYour Own Reusables

Bring your own reusables (BYOR) and you won’t need to use the can – garbage, that is. You can bring your own containers, straws, cutlery, mugs, bottles, and even your own bag – It’s so easy to find and use!

ReConsiderYour Habits

It’s easy to fall into a routine, so why not choose to create a new one? Reconsider and readjust your habits and adopt healthier eating strategies – it might be challenging at first – but it will save you time, money, your health, and our world. The bonus? You’ll feel like an eco-hero and will inspire others around you to follow suit.

It’s a great little campaign which includes posters and wallet sized tips you can download, an interesting blog and a list of restaurants which support the cause. I usually bring my own bags where I go, and still often have to state more than once “I don’t need a bag thanks”, and I think this is a great extension of the BYO bag idea, taking it up a notch. We’ve seen it happen with the reusable coffee cups such as the Keep Cups we reviewed last last year and I think this is the next step. It would be great if restaurants and cafes supported the enterprise by offering a small discount to those who BYO their own containers etc since they are saving on packaging.

1. Stay home and celebrate
Seriously, I ‘ve always suspected that NYE is the night for people who don’t go out any other night of year.

As green planet suggests

if you stay home and host your own ring-in-the-new shindig, you’ll save transportation emissions—and, of course, money. You’ll also be able to better control the environmental impact of your night, from sending out email invitations to preventing the food and paper waste that comes from bars and restaurants.

(more…)

As a renter I don’t really see the point of store bought Christmas trees. They’re synthetic and kinda ugly and we have no where to store them inbetween Christmases (like most rental properties, storage cupboards are lacking). I don’t see in the point of a cut tree, and the potted variety seem to die off in the summer heat anyway.

I also should mention that we don’t really have the space for a big Christmas tree, our living room is quite small!

So I was excited to see these photos of DIY christmas trees using household objects…

The first three are from here. The ladder looks great and I like it as it doesn’t take up too much space. The second photograph is of an old drying rack, I think something similar could definitely be made with an old clothes horse!

(more…)