RESOURCES

ELEMENTAL DESIGN ADVICE: 

See our full list of our #ElementalDesign Advice blog posts here to help you on your Sustainable Home Journey.

We’ve compiled this list of resources to help you, and we’ll continue to update it regularly. Hope you’ll find it useful.

PASSIVHAUS (PASSIVE HOUSE) RESOURCES

• Australian Passive House Association APHA http://passivehouseaustralia.org/
• International Passivhaus Association iPHA http://www.passivehouse-international.org/
• Passivhaus Institute PHI http://passivehouse.com/
• Passipedia http://www.passipedia.org/

 

SUSTAINABLE BUILDING/ARCHITECTURE REFERENCE BOOKS (some of our favourite recommendations!):

• “Your Home” Technical Manual (+free online site): http://www.yourhome.infoservices.com.au
• “Sustainable House” by Michael Mobbs   http://www.sustainablehouse.com.au
• “Warm House, Cool House: Inspirational Designs for Low-Energy Housing” (second edition) by Nick Hollo http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/6869.htm
• “Grand Designs Australian Handbook” by Peter Maddison https://shop.abc.net.au/products/grand-designs-aust-handbook-pb
• “How to Rethink Building Materials” edited by Dick Clarke http://rethinkbuildingmaterials.com.au/
• “The Smart Living Handbook” by Melissa Wittig and Danielle King http://www.healthyinteriors.com.au/shop/products/healthy-interior-products/the-smart-living-handbook/
• “Cradle to Cradle” by Michael Braungart and William McDonaugh http://www.cradletocradle.com
• “Greeniology” by Tanya Ha http://www.mup.com.au

 

OWNER BUILDING/CONSTRUCTION REFERENCE BOOKS/RESOURCES:

• Victorian Building Authority Owner Builder Information http://www.vba.vic.gov.au/consumers/owner-builders
• “Building Your Own Home” A Comprehensive Guide for Australian Owner Builders by George Wilkie http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/6918.htm
• “The Australian Renovator’s Manual” The Easy Step by Step Guide to Home Renovations by Allan Staines http://www.skillspublish.com.au/BK13-05.htm
• Timber Framing Manuals http://www.timber.net.au/index.php/shop/
• Owner-Building and Alternative Building Book Reviews (including Rammed-Earth, Mudbrick. Strawbale and more) http://www.theownerbuilder.com.au/reviews.htm 
• Guide To (Construction) Standards And Tolerances: http://www.vba.vic.gov.au/media/latest-news/article/2015/guide-to-standards-and-tolerances-2015

 

MAGAZINES (PRINT & ONLINE):

• Green Magazine: http://greenmagazine.com.au/
• Sanctuary Magazine: http://www.sanctuarymagazine.org.au/
• ReNew Magazine: http://renew.org.au
• Owner Builder Magazine: http://www.theownerbuilder.com.au
• Pip Permaculture Magazine: https://www.pipmagazine.com.au

 

GREEN BUILDING VIDEOS:

• VIDEOS: Josh’s House Star Performers http://joshshouse.com.au/videos/star-performers-videos/
• VIDEOS: Josh’s House http://joshshouse.com.au/videos/series-1-the-build/
• GRAND DESIGNS! (All of them! UK, Australian, New Zealand – all inspiring stories!)

 

PODCASTS:

• Our friend Amelia Lee at The Undercover Architect does a very helpful podcast all about “Getting It Right” when building and renovating your home (Australian):  https://undercoverarchitect.com/podcast/ 
• Home Style Green: http://homestylegreen.com/ (From New Zealand but with international content and very relevant information for Australia with interviews focussed on sustainable homes).

 

GREEN BUILDING WEBSITES – INSPIRATION & IDEAS:

• Sustainability Victoria, Smarter Renovation Guide: http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/services-and-advice/households/energy-efficiency/smarter-renovations 
• Inhabitat, Design Will Save The World: http://inhabitat.com
• Ecological Homes: http://www.ecologicalhomes.com.au/
• Sustainable Design Forum: http://www.sustainabledesignforum.com/
• Sustainable House Tours: www.sustainablehouseday.com (Second weekend of September each year).
• Home style Green: (NZ-based podcast about living in a healthy and sustainable environment, with international content) http://homestylegreen.com
• City of Melbourne Sustainability Information (including Council House 2 info) http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/sustainability 

 

GENERAL SUSTAINABLE LIVING:

• GreenHome (by Australian Conservation Foundation) http://www2.acfonline.org.au
• Living Greener: http://www.livinggreener.gov.au
• Sustainability Victoria: http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au
• Liveability (Live the way you want, sustainably): http://www.liveability.com.au
• “GREEN” Wikipedia http://www.greenlivingpedia.org/Greenlivingpedia
• Sustainable Living Festival (Sustainable Living Foundation Australia) http://www.slfestival.org
• Sustainable Living Guide: http://sustainablelivingguide.com.au 
• One Million Women: http://www.1millionwomen.com.au This is a national campaign to inspire 1 million Australian women to take practical action on climate change by cutting 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂), the main greenhouse pollutant causing global warming. Every woman who joins has a personal goal to cut 1 tonne of CO₂ from their daily lives within a year of joining the campaign.

 

WATER EFFICIENCY:

• Save Water: http://www.savewater.com.au
• Rainwater Tank Calculations (free online tool by the Alternative Technology Association): http://tankulator.ata.org.au
• Water Efficient Products: www.waterrating.gov.au
• CHOICE (independent publisher of consumer information) www.choice.com.au (Generally considers water efficiency in reports and product/appliance rankings)
• Saving Water (Dept of Environment and Primary Industries)  http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/water/saving-water
• Central Highlands Water (Building and Renovating, Sewer location): http://www.chw.net.au/business/building-and-renovating
• Central Highlands Water (Building over easement): http://www.chw.net.au/development/build-over-easements
• For solar hot water info, see “RENEWABLE ENERGY” category below

 

SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL SELECTION:

• EcoSpecifier (Certified and verified sustainable products database): www.ecospecifier.org
• Good Environmental Choice Australia: http://www.geca.org.au/
• Forest Stewardship Council Australia: http://www.fscaustralia.org/
• Forest Stewardship Council International: http://www.fsc.org
• Good Wood Guide: www.goodwoodguide.org.au
• EcoBuy (Sustainable procurement advice and support): www.ecobuy.org.au
• Greenlist guide (Moreland City Council):  http://www.sustainablesteps.com.au/pdf/Moreland_Greenlist_050905v2.0.pdf
• Window Energy Rating Scheme (Window Efficiency Rankings): www.wers.net

 

APPLIANCES (ENERGY EFFICIENT):

• Energy Labelling (Appliances) Energy Rating http://www.energyrating.gov.au/
• CHOICE (independent publisher of consumer information) www.choice.com.au (Generally considers energy efficiency in reports and product/appliance rankings)

 

LIGHTING:

• Lighting Home Energy Savings Guide (USA-based, but still relevant information) http://www.usailighting.com/led-lighting-home-energy-savings-guide
• LED lights https://brightgreen.com/led-lights

 

RENEWABLE ENERGY / SOLAR HOT WATER:

• Alternative Technology Association: http://www.ata.org.au
• Green-Power Government Accredited Renewable Energy http://www.greenpower.gov.au
• Office of the Renewable Energy Target (and rebate info for solar electricity and solar hot water) http://www.orer.gov.au/
• Solar Hot Water Rebate http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/www/html/1378-applying-for-a-solar-hot-water-rebate.asp?intSiteID=4
• Solar Hot Water Rebate: www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/www/html/1376-solar-hot-water-rebate.asp
• BREAZE Energy Solutions: http://breaze.org.au/about-bes

 

ONLINE CALCULATORS:

ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

• WWF Australia’s  Ecological Footprint Calculator (for individuals): http://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/people_and_the_environment/human_footprint/footprint_calculator/
• Global footprint network calculator: http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/gfn/page/calculators
• Carbon neutral carbon calculator: http://www.carbonneutral.com.au/carbon-calculator.html
• Centre for Sustainable Economy Ecological Footprint Quiz: http://www.myfootprint.org/

WATER FOOTPRINT

• Water footprint calculator: http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/YourWaterFootprint

LED LIGHTING CALCULATOR

• LED lighting calculator: http://www.ledlightingcalculator.com.au

R-VALUE CALCULATORS

• R-Value Calculator http://rvalue.com.au
• R-Value Calculator for Bricks http://www.thinkbrick.com.au/r-value

WATER TANK CALCULATOR

• Rainwater Tank Calculations (free online tool from the ATA): tankulator.ata.org.au

SOLAR ENERGY FEASIBILITY

• Solar Energy Feasibility Calculator (free online tool from the ATA): www.ata.org.au/ata-research/sunulator 

BUILDING PERMIT LEVY FEE CALCULATOR

• Victorian Building Authority (VBA) Fee Calculator www.vba.vic.gov.au/practitioners/building-permit-levy/levy-calculator

AIR CONDITIONING SIZING CALCULATOR

• *NOTE Never use mechanical heating and cooling as a substitute for good design. www.fairair.com.au/Calculator.Size.aspx

LIGHT BULB SAVING APP/CALCULATOR

• Great App from Energy Rating website to look at energy and cost savings of replacing your old light bulbs http://www.energyrating.gov.au/apps

ENERGY RATING LABEL APP/CALCULATOR

• Great App from Energy Rating website to look at energy and cost savings comparisons of different appliances http://www.energyrating.gov.au/apps

 

 

GREEN ROOFS (LIVING ROOFS):

• Growing Green Guide: A guide to green roofs, walls and facades in Melbourne and Victoria (free download) http://www.growinggreenguide.org

 

SUSTAINABLE GARDENING/PERMACULTURE:

• Sustainable Gardening Australia: www.sgaonline.org.au
• Ballarat Permaculture Guild: http://www.ballaratpermacultureguild.org
• Permablitz Ballarat: http://www.permablitz.net/regional-groups/25-permablitz-ballarat-part-of-ballarat-permaculture-guild
• Permaculture Australia: http://permacultureaustralia.org.au
• Holmgren Design, Permaculture vision and innovation: http://holmgren.com.au

 

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT:

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

• Public Transport Victoria: http://ptv.vic.gov.au

BICYCLES

• Bicycle Network: https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au
• Bicycle Route Maps: http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/traffic-and-road-use/cycling/bicyle-route-maps/

CAR-SHARE (Melbourne only at this stage – doesn’t seem to be any in Ballarat yet)

• Green Car Share: http://www.greensharecar.com.au
• Flexicar: http://www.flexicar.com.au
• Goget: http://www.goget.com.au

 

MORE EFFICIENT CARS:

• Fuel Efficient Cars: http://www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au/

 

CARBON OFFSET PROGRAMS:

• Fifteen Trees (Ballarat-based Tree Planting business): www.fifteentrees.com.au
• Greenfleet carbon-offsetting: www.greenfleet.com.au
• Climate Friendly carbom-offsetting: www.climatefriendly.com

 

GENERAL ENVIRONMENTAL / CHARITIES / NGO LINKS:

• Climate Council: www.climatecouncil.org.au
• Climate Action Network Australia: http://www.cana.net.au/
• Greenpeace: www.greenpeace.com.au
• Australian Conservation Foundation: www.acfonline.org.au
• Oxfam Australia: www.oxfam.org.au
• Friends Of The Earth: www.foe.org.au
• Australian marine conservation society: www.amcs.org.au
• Sea Shepherd Australia: http://www.seashepherd.org.au
• Amnesty International: www.amnestyinternational.com
• Get Up: www.getup.org.au

 

SUSTAINABILITY & KIDS:

• Eco cubby: http://www.eco-cubby.com
• “Green Stuff For Kids”, book by Tanya Ha: http://www.tanyaha.com/green-stuff-for-kids.html

 

SOLAR & SUN MOVEMENT & ORIENTATION FOR YOUR SITE: 

• Geographic Co-Ordinates for your area: http://dateandtime.info/citycoordinates.php?id=2177091
• Calculator for Sun Azimuth: (Ballarat area Winter Solstice 29deg, Ballarat area Summer Solstice 75deg) http://www.ga.gov.au/geodesy/astro/smpos.jsp
• Sun Seeker App: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/sun-seeker-3d-augmented-reality/id330247123?mt=8 
• Understanding Orientation: http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/orientation

 

USEFUL LINKS FOR YOUR PROJECT:

• Due diligence checklist – for home and residential property buyers: https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/duediligencechecklist 
• Climatic Data for your area: www.bom.gov.au/climate/data
• DEPI Land Title Register: http://www.land.vic.gov.au
• Certificate of Title: https://www.landata.vic.gov.au/
• Victoria’s Planning Schemes Online: http://planningschemes.dpcd.vic.gov.au/schemes
• “Working with your architect” brochure: http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.arbv.vic.gov.au/resource/collection/68DFC359-BAC9-4473-8A61-3AEBA966E77F/Working_With_Your_Architect_Brochure.pdf
• National Construction Code (free online access): http://services.abcb.gov.au/NCCOnline/Publications/2015
• Termite or ‘white ant’ treatment and prevention (CSIRO guide): http://www.csiro.au/Outcomes/Safeguarding-Australia/Termites.aspx

 

SOME FAVE ETHICAL SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS:

• Hearth Ethical Textiles (Custom-designed and waste-free eco-wallpaper and fabrics for upholstery/curtains/cushions) http://www.heartethical.co.nz/

 

BALLARAT ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS:

• Smart Living Centre Ballarat: http://smartlivingballarat.org.au
• BREAZE (Ballarat Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions): http://breaze.org.au
• Ballarat Permaculture Guild: ballaratpermacultureguild.org/
• Ballarat Environment Network: http://ben.org.au
• Ballarat Climate Action 2014: http://ballaratclimateaction2014.blogspot.com.au
• Ballarat Green Drinks events: https://www.facebook.com/pages/BallaratGreenDrinks

 

Have we missed a favourite of yours? Found a broken-link? Please let us know and we’ll update the list! Thanks in advance, Talina x