Can you live in 36 square metres?

The Alternative Technology Association's Sanctuary magazine issue 9 features small living concepts with the theme 'Size Matters'. Although I dream of having the grand home set upon the hill overlooking the rolling fields of green and backing onto a vibrant forest of native flora and active fauna, I do return back to reality from time to time.

Living in a smaller home that is manageable and adequate for your family can not only be cleaner, healthier, and more cost effective for you, it is also more sustainable for our community. This planet can not sustainable us all living in grand mansions. Small homes use less material, require less energy to keep warm or cool depending on the weather and also take up less land.

Going prefab (also featured in issue 9) can also help reduce material wastage and speed up the on site building time.

You can buy the latest edition of Sanctuary from your local newsagent, or you can subscribe to the magazine here.

Sustainable Housing Initiative for Queensland

The Queensland Government is holding free information sessions from 23 November 2009 until 3 December 2009 across Queensland on proposed changes to sustainable housing requirements.

For more information about the sessions, including times and locations visit the Department of Infrastructure and Planning website. If you are looking for books on sustainable housing visit the Sustainable Insight website.

Shop Green for Christmas

The time of year where we celebrate the company of our family and friends is nearing us. This year we recommend that you consider shopping green to let your family and friends not only know how much you care for them, but also your environment and your community.

I have selected a few online shops you might want to check out for your green Christmas and New Years present this year. Please comment and add your own suggestions!

1. Sustainable Insight - sustainability and environment books (Australia)

2. EcoShop - sustainability products (Australia)

3. The Elements - Lifestyle Sanctuary - organic products (Australia)

4. Natural Form - natural products (Australia)

Greater Glider publications now available

Sustainable Insight now has a select range of children's environmental books published by Greater Glider Productions. These great books written and illustrated locally tell the stories many of Australia's endangered fauna, like the northern hairy nosed wombat, in a easy and fun way for children. Check out these lovely books for gifts this christmas.

Methane higher than expected

In the MX News (Brisbane) today ... "The effect of methane gases on global warming has been significantly underestimated, according to NASA research and emissions controls need to be dramatically revised. The scientists claim that methane's impact on global temperatures is about a third higher than past estimates, which didn't account for the interaction of the greenhouse gas with aerosol particles."

To learn more about global warming check out Sustainable Insight's range of climate change books. To learn more about how you can minimise or eliminate your use of aerosol's we recommend you check out our range of sustainable living books.

Quote by Genelle Haldane

"Only until all of mankind lives in harmony with nature can we truly decreee ourselves to be an intelligent species."

- Genelle Haldane

Community Power

I love this initiative by the Hepburn community in Victoria. Hepburn Wind is a wind farm (power generator) that is owned by the local community for the local community. This project could be a great showcase of communities at action and becoming self-sufficient ... it will be interesting to see how they go over the next couple of years. Books like The Transition Town Handbook by Rob Hopkins and The Citizen-Powered Energy Handbook by Greg Pahl can provide other communities the ideas and tools to initiate their own energy project, or why not like of other self-sufficiency projects like a community garden, or school.

The Sustainability Learning Conundrum

I read an article in the Australian Financial Review this week about renewable energy, regulation and the energy market. 'The hot water conundrum' by John Breusch discussed the impact of government regulation and the establishment of new market trading schemes like renewable energy certificates (RECs) and emission trading schemes (ETSs) on establishing a renewable energy market and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. The article highlights the often conflicting policy within government that can undermine the value of the renewable energy economic vehicles and questions the additional value that government regulation and these new economic measures are providing to help establish new technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

As the owner of Sustainable Insight, a provider of sustainability educational materials, Breusch's comment in the second last paragraph of the comment struck a cord with me. Breusch states "... there are other reasons people aren't taking actions that would benefit both their hop pockets and the environment, such as a lack of information".

This conundrum is the reason why Sustainable Insight was established and our challenge is to continue to provide information and education resources. You are welcome to visit our website, view our Resource Centre and our range of products, sign-up to our newsletter and visit our other information portals such as Twitter and Facebook.

Be Organic!

It is National Organic Week from Friday 16th October 2009 to Sunday 25th October 2009. To find out how you can be involved visit www.organicweek.net.au or www.bfa.com.au.

If you love books and would like t learn how to have an organic home check out our range of organic books.