Magazines
Resources
Organizations
Earth Garden www.earthgarden.com.au/ is the original magazine of self-sufficiency in Australia, having run continuously since 1972. A portion of its income is donated to a 'tree tax'. It is so crammed full of useful information that back copies are treasured, and amount to a self-sufficiency library. There is something about owner-building in every issue, including a questions and answers column by me. However, there is a lot more, for example a regular column on gardening by Jackie French.
Owner Builder magazine is full of wonderful photographs, informative articles and inspiration for those who are a little scared to start building a house. A regular section of advertisements is very useful, listing businesses who are interested in helping people who are building (as distinct from just organising) their own house. Such building professionals are more rare than you might think! Grass Roots magazine is just as good, but with a somewhat different focus. It is full of articles by people describing their personal experiences. Most of these give you information on how to do a great variety of activities, sometimes including building. There is an extensive section where people can advertise to contact others of like mind.
If you are interested in Permaculture, Green Connections magazine is a must. It is a well produced, interesting magazine that focuses of a variety of environmental issues. Read an article I wrote for this magazine last year.
Organizations
Solar energy and other
appropriate technology is advanced by the Alternative Technology Association of
Australiawww.ata.org.au.
The ATA is an organisation of people interested in
solar energy, wind power, resource conservation and many related issues. Their magazine, ReNew, is always full of interesting articles, buying guides etc. My favourite column is 'Noel's Tresures from Trash', supposedly for kids. Noel always comes up with a project: transforming matchboxes, pins and corks into working models of some device. The magazine has a list of advertising professionals that is particularly useful, and I keep back copies for the surveys of particular devices. One issue might check out all 12 V fridges, another inverters, etc. ReNew
is available from newsagents.
The ATA is staffed almost
completely by volunteers, and is always in need of help.
Membership includes free subscription to ReNew, and doesn't cost much more. ATA members often go to Festivals, Fairs, schools etc., bringing interesting demonstrations and displays.
The Rainforest Information Centre is well worth supporting. Their work is one of the central issues of saving a future within Australia. Visit them at http://forests.org/ric/.
Alex Cranford has a web site designed to help you to live more cheaply and with greater environmental sensitivity. This is what he says about it: "Save time and get things moving.This site deals with cheap, quick, pragmatic methods of getting things done. Rather than repeat information that is commonly found elsewhere, this site fills in what is not easily available or not found at all.
Pages: Recommended Texts; Hints; Information Not found Elsewhere; Home Energy Reduction; Hard To Find Suppliers; Book Shops; Other Places To Shop; Links; Notice Board; Other Ways To Save Time."
Help yourself to stop wasting money and resources- check Owen Paynter's site. He is the inventor of the poly pipe HWS booster. Check his latest inventions out, including how to use aluminium cans to grow seedlings and hang them up out of harm's way. http://www.wn.com.au/paynter
Situated at beautiful Nimbin in NSW, the Rainbow Power Company www.rpc.com.au is synonymous with appropriate technology. They have developed and are manufacturing many devices for those who want to use non-polluting sources of energy.
They are worth a visit even if you are a city dweller.
Ian Sims of Greenspeed Bikes ihpva.org/com/Greenspeed/
is one of the main advocates of recumbent bikes
and trikes in Australia. These wonderful devices leave a
conventional bike for dead. Highly recommended, and fun, the
ideal way to commute. Ian sells custom-made recumbents to order
around the globe, and will also supply plans for those who want
to make their own.
Want to know about building
a house from straw bales? A systematic, detailed description is
given by
The definitive list of links
relating to strawbale construction is at Strawbale Construction in the
Colorado Rockies
www.moxvox.com/straw.htm.
Rammed earth: NSW owner-builder Roger Garlick has posted an excellent web page documenting the building of his solar-efficient hand-rammed home. Visit him at http://members.optusnet.com.au/~rogergarlick/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/rogergarlick.
http://www.hahaha.com.au/rammed.earth - A comprehensive Australian-based Rammed Earth site with an owner-builder's story, photos of many projects, links and links to world-wide resources. This site is the work of Steve Davis, a stand-up comedian from Queensland.
My embryo Conservation Directory at my home site has lots more links, and I am currently working on building them up.