This year 1 Million Women want to assist you to SAVE $1000 or more through cutting pollution, reducing waste and saving energy. Each month focuses on a different lifestyle area – FOOD, DRIVE, POWER, WEAR, SHOP & INVEST. We think its an awesome practical campaign and we want to help too! So we have asked some of our friends to also give their tips each month. This month’s focus is POWER and we thought it was a perfect opportunity to introduce you to Earthwise Harmony.

Flip a switch and the lights come on… turn on your computer and it springs to life… but what if this was no longer a foregone conclusion? This is a very real potential future scenario, as power demands increase and the common fuels used to run power plants – such as oil and gas- diminish.

We run a very real risk of experiencing unreliable, intermittent power supplies in the foreseeable future, unless we ALL start taking responsibility for creating new supplies and lessening our demand.

So, what are some of the things that YOU personally can do towards ensuring your access to electricity remains as stable as possible?

CREATING POWER

One of the ways you can safeguard your electricity supply is by installing solar and/or wind power generation to your home. Although expensive initially, there are currently large government rebates available for solar, as well as selling your excess power back to the grid. The system can pay for itself in a few years, and then you basically have free electricity!

For those more adventurous, there are other ways to generate power, such as pedal power; using the methane generated by human/animal waste to power generators; and using waste vegetable oil to power Lister diesel engines which then generate electricity, and provide waste heat to heat the home, to name a few.

Have a look at these archived issues of Energy Self Sufficiency Newsletter, an older, but still very interesting online magazine, which covers all kinds of aspects of taking responsibility for your own power. A Yahoo group for people interested in discussing alternative power can be found here. Another great site with lots of renewable energy projects is Do It Yourself Solar: The Renewable Energy site for Do-It-Yourselfers and it’s not just about solar!

If you can’t manage, at this stage, to implement any of the above methods, at least choose a ‘green’ provider or ‘green’ option from your provider, to help offset what you use.

LESSENING DEMAND

There are many things you can do to lessen how much power you use. A big part of it is having a conscious awareness all the time of how your habits are impacting use. You can make a lot of little changes, that don’t really have a big impact on your comfort level or lifestyle, but when added together can save quite a bit of power… which is both good for the environment and for your power bill!

Here’s some power saving tips to get you started:

• Equipment, such as computers, TV’s, DVD players should be turned fully off, not left on standby. Standby power use adds up throughout your home, over time.

• If you’re not using something, turn it off! That includes lights.

• Share watching one TV, rather than all watching in different rooms.

• Replace incandescent lighting with energy efficient alternatives such as fluorescent and LED.

• Use natural light by reading or working near a window, or installing skylights.

• Use motion sensor lighting, solar lights and timers, so that you don’t accidentally leave an outdoor light running for hours.

• Use people powered tools rather than electric ones, where practical. Remember, your ancestors got by without them!

• Set thermostats a little higher in summer and lower in winter… every degree adds a lot to your running costs!

• Instead of turning on the heating, rug up in warm clothes instead, or snuggle up in a blanket.

• Use fans rather than air con units, if it’s not really very hot. A damp face washer or mist spray bottle will help cool you even more, once the air blows across damp skin.

• Make your home draught-proof. Revive the old ‘door snake’ like grandma used to use.

• Don’t waste energy heating empty rooms. Heat or cool only the areas you are actually using.
  Let cool breezes in during the cool of the evening.

• Use plants to help shade windows and walls. Deciduous trees are especially useful, as they will protect your home in summer, but allow the sun to warm your home in winter, once their leaves have fallen.

• Use the power of the sun to heat your water with a solar water heater.

• Set your water heater thermostat lower, especially in summer.

• Don’t waste heated water by just running the tap- put the plug in!

• Insulate your hot water pipes to lessen heat loss. Every bit of heat you lose means more energy to heat it to the required temperature.

• Locate hot water service close to the areas where hot water will be used most, to lessen the distance the water has to travel, and therefore how much heat is lost.

• Showering with a partner will save how much water you have to heat.

• Wash clothes in cold water, unless hot is really needed.

• Use that magical free clothes dryer- the sun! Clothes dryers use a lot of power, and really aren’t necessary at most times of the year, especially here in Australia.

• Preferably operate washing machines and dishwashers when full.

• Don’t use your oven on very hot days, if you can avoid it, to stop from adding to the heat in your home… but do consider using it on cold days to help warm your home. Ovens are energy hungry however, so using other cooking methods will save energy.

• Use steamer saucepans or make one pot meals, to limit the number of saucepans you are heating. Don’t forget to keep lids on, to lessen heat loss.

• Have the right size fridge/freezer for your circumstances, keep it in good condition, and make sure the thermostat is set to the right temperature.

The Australian Government site Energy Rating gives appliance comparisons for energy use, so that you can find the most energy efficient one for your purposes. Here’s an article with even more ideas about saving electricity. 70 Tips For Saving Energy in Your Home. It goes through several specific aspects, such as Entertainment, Lighting, Heating & Cooling and Food Storage & Preparation, with ideas for cutting back power use in each. There are lots of other environmental articles on our site, covering all aspects of living in an environmentally friendly way, so feel free to drop in and have a browse.

I hope this has given you some ideas you can put into practise immediately…. and others that you can work into a longer term plan. Pass them on to your friends and family, because the more people we can get making these changes in their lives, the better off our communities and our environment will be.

I wish you well on your exciting journey into a sustainable and resilient future!

About the author: Anthea Hudson is the co founder of Earthwise Harmony, your ‘go to’ place for information, discussions, interviews and practical tips on matters relating to the environment, sustainability, self sufficiency, climate change, peak oil and other relevant topics. A place where you can share your challenges and triumphs and hear about what others are doing. Connect with Earthwise Harmony on Facebook and Twitter.

As we head into a new school year, Bern Alexander from FindAUniform shares with us the benefits of secondhand uniforms

The majority of Australia’s 11,000+ schools and more than 30,000+ organisations, clubs and academies have compulsory uniforms and equipment. Anecdotally, the question ‘Do you have secondhand uniforms?’ rates consistently in the top three questions that new enquirers or joiners ask a school, club, organisation, or academy. So why then do only approximately 30% of the schools, clubs, and academies provide their members with a secondhand uniform option?

Secondhand uniforms are perfect for:

• Saving money – expect to pay 20 -70% of the Recommended Retail Price

• Saving tax – secondhand uniforms can be a tax deduction governed by the rules of the Education Tax Refund

• Re-selling - with the average life of a garment estimated to be 3 years (which equates to 12 school terms and use by 3-4 kids), second hand uniforms can be re-sold to assist with ongoing school and activities costs and uniform needs.

• Reducing landfill and textile waste

• Enabling each child to be in the right uniform at an affordable cost

• Meeting and collaborating with people in your own and wider community

Based on a UK example, if everyone bought one reclaimed woollen garment each year, it would save an average of 371 million gallons of water (the average UK reservoir holds about 300 million gallons) and 480 tonnes of chemical dyestuffs.

Can you just imagine the impact for Australian landfill and textile waste if the members of our 40,000+ schools and organisations thought of purchasing secondhand uniforms as the norm? Talk about an easy way to green your School or Organisation.

Secondhand uniforms – why not? There really is no excuse. There are a number of ways you can create your own second hand uniform options or utilise what already exists – here are some ideas:

• a noticeboard for people to pin up their for sale and wanted ads
• providing space in newsletters for the sale of secondhand uniforms
• creation of a Facebook, or the like, site just for your Organisation’s second hand uniforms
• utilising online peer-to-peer online noticeboards (eg www.findauniform.com.au)
• providing listings on School or Organisations website
• facilitating regular swap or clothing exchange days at the change of seasons
• formation of a uniform shop – whether professional or volunteer run and charging commissions for sales or just accepting clothing donations
• Schools rent out expensive uniforms that are only used occasionally- for example, blazers needed for band performances (eg www.openshed.com)

Secondhand uniforms just make sense – so as we head into the new school year , sports season and take up activities requiring uniforms and equipment –encourage uniform affordability and landfill reduction by looking to purchase secondhand uniforms and by daring to ask your School and Organisations “Secondhand uniforms? Why not?”

*_About the author:* Bern Alexander is the Founder and Director of “FindAUniform”:find. She has four kids under 12 and knows the high cost of school/activities and the current adhoc availability of secondhand uniforms._

FindAUniform is your second-hand uniform online Peer2Peer noticeboard. FindAUniform’s mission is to make second hand uniforms as available as wearing uniforms are compulsory. Can you help spread the word?

You can connect with Bern and FindAUniform on twitter or facebook

Open Shed met our friends The Clothing Exchange via PlanBig and we are super excited that the second annual National Swap Day (17 October 2011) was another fabulous success!

We are delighted to pronounce this year’s National Swap Day to be a huge success. We had over 250 swappers across 4 states swapping simultaneously to raise the profile of swapping in the place of wasteful shopping. It was a celebration for green fashionistas who enjoyed the social, ecological and economic benefits of reinventing their wardrobes in this way.

Our partners Australian Red Cross had a ball handing out cake and chatting about doing good. There were many donations made to their Karma Bin that will go on to raise money to support the vulnerable communities that Australia Red Cross assist.

We had a fantastic line up of savvy swappers wearing their favourite pre-swapped outfit in return for a free ticket to the event. This gorgeous picture (above) showcases the treasures to be found at the clothing exchange and the smile that comes from a satisfying find. We were also inundated with cameras from keen bloggers, a Channel ten film crew and Triple J Radio so we look forward to these media appearances spreading the swapping word far and wide, long after the night is over.

Big thanks to all of the generous souls who contributed to this event, particularly our sponsors Australian Red Cross, Plan Big, Oxfam & 3things, Fitted for Work, Ethical Clothing Australia, Frankie Magazine, Buro North and all the delightful Clothing Exchange volunteers!

The Clothing Exchange Team

Last swaps for the year:

Melbourne: When: Monday 28th November Where: BMW Edge, Federation Square Time: 6.30pm

Sydney: When: Wednesday 7th of December Where: The Clock Hotel, 470 Crown St, Surry Hills Time: 6.30pm check-in for a 7.30pm swap

Open Shed is really pleased to kick start our guest blog series with a post from the Buy Nothing New Month crew.

In 2011, Buy Nothing New Month somehow blasted out internationally!

We were thrilled that as well as local Aussies pledgers who signed up to Buy Nothing New in October, we magically attracted pledgers from Portugal, USA, UK, France and South Africa! We were also over the moon to see several international blogs talking about Australia’s Buy Nothing New Month campaign.

Good news sure does spread far!

In 2011, the campaign attracted the attention of ABC’s 7.30 Report, Today Tonight, 6.30 with George Negus, Mornings With Kerri Anne and many other of Australia’s most watched media, getting the message to the masses that conscientious consumption is on the loose!

A highlight was an article in the Sydney Morning Herald Business pages. While the headline Will Any One Buy Anti-Shopping Campaign was off track (Buy Nothing New Month isn’t anti-shopping. It’s pro conscientious consumption, but it’s certainly not saying Buy Nothing New Never! the article highlighted a trend in favour of a better way.

A poll asked readers what they thought of Buy Nothing New Month. Over 10,000 people voted (this is huge for an online poll) with 82% saying Buy Nothing New Month to be a good idea, only 18% suggesting it would harm the economy.

The conversation taking place on the Buy Nothing New Month facebook page and twitter feeds shows there is a groundswell of people living thoughtfully when it comes to respecting our finite resources. These guys are clearly reaping the benefits of realising we are not what we buy and that ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ is on the way out.

It was super when Buy Nothing New Month attracted the attention of Australian business guru, Naomi Simpson, of RedBalloon.

With one of the most read business blogs in the country, we were thrilled that Naomi “talked with her readership”:naomi about Buy Nothing New Month, urging people to take up the opportunity to experience a more joyful and less wasteful way to live.

We had a ball working with second hand retailers across the country, who proudly flew the flag of responsible retail, putting the Buy Nothing New Month window decal up in their shopfronts.

Of course, Buy Nothing New Month doesn’t happen without the brilliant support of it’s sponsors. Thanks to Salvos Stores, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Gumtree Australia, Ian Potter Foundation, City of Melbourne and 1MillionWomen for their super support.

We cant wait for October 2012 when Buy Nothing New Month will be even bigger, effecting greater change (across not just Australia) that is better for ourselves, our communities our bank balances and the health of our environment.

We hope you’ll be onboard!

The Buy Nothing New Month crew

At the start of the year I stumbled across a fabulous online community called PlanBig, which essentially helps bring people together to make things happen! PlanBig creates a place for people to share their ideas for a better future and facilitates community collaboration between people from all walks of life.

Up until a couple of weeks ago I was just a PlanBig stalker - you can follow plans, make comments, provide tips and advice etc to other people’s plans. However, I recently placed our plan - let’s make borrowing the new buying - on PlanBig and the support and interest from the community has been fantastic!

I am a fan of the whole premise of PlanBig. I am an ‘idea generator’ and I find the Planbig site an exciting and inspiring place to hang out!

I like the collaborative underpinnings of the site and that it creates a place (online) that people can come together to talk about ideas, share inspiration, offer advice and assistance to help make ‘Big Plans’ happen, regardless of geography.

In the last couple of weeks I have met with a couple of Plan Biggers to find out more about their plans and because they really just sounded like cool people! I thought I would tell you a little bit about then and their plans, so you can get an idea of all the fabulous stuff going on in the PlanBig world:

Sarah Allen is an awesome Plan Bigger - she is bubbly, enthusiastic and full of ideas! Sarah is on the PlanBig Community advisory board and organises Sydney PlanBig Meetups.

Sarah’s PlanBig plan - Return to the old-school action thriller - is to self publish and develop a loyal and passionate following of readers for the Alex Morgan INTREPID adventure series, written by her husband, Chris Allen. You can download the first 12 chapters of Chris’ first novel, Defender of the Faith here. And you also have an opportunity to win tickets to the launch of Defender of the Faith on 26 August.

A couple of weeks ago I sat down and had a coffee with Marianne and Andrew from Young Republic, Australia’s first interactive marketplace for fashion, jewellery, homewares, art & lifestyle products from home-grown upcoming and independent designers. I first heard of Young Republic through PlanBig and ever curious, I wanted to know more about their story! Both were extremely generous in sharing the lessons they have learnt through building their site, marketing, branding and how to deal with copycats!

Last night I attended their launch and night markets to celebrate the site being live for two months. I really enjoyed chatting to the designers and this week I’ll be featuring those I met over on Outside of the Box’s daily gift ideas.

And last, but certainly not least! Last week I grabbed the opportunity to have a coffee with Ehon Chan, while he was visiting Sydney. I heard Ehon speak at Gathering’11 and when I heard he was also part of PlanBig I of course checked his plans out. Ehon’s PlanBig profile sums him up perfectly:

I breathe social change. I have passion for young people who want to change the world and their own world. I love stories and ideas; and I want to hear yours!

Ehon’s most recent PlanBig Plan - Soften the F**ck Up is all about challenging the stereotype of the ‘real man’ in Australia. The campaign seeks to reduce the stigma of mental health and issues associated with it amongst men, because without reducing the stigma, we can’t promote mental health literacy and empower young men to seek help. You can sign up for the newsletter “here”:soften and the word on the street is that the site is just hours away from going live!

I would love to hear about any PlanBig plans you think we should be supporting. If this is the first time you have heard of PlanBig I strongly encourage you to check it out, and get inspired by all the awesome ‘big plans’ that are being thought of in Australia! And since your there, why don’t you pop over and “like” our plan - cheers!

My brain is a whirl, late on Monday I got back from the most fantastically inspiring weekend in Melbourne. At the last minute I decided to head down for Gathering’11.

#Gathering11 kept on popping up in my twitter stream and then when a few other ‘signs’ appeared the seed was planted that this was something I needed to be involved in! Of course a startup budget doesn’t really allow for last minute interstate trips on a long weekend, but my plan totally came together. I was able to get flights on frequent flyer points and a great cheap room on AirBnB (it was my first experience and it was great! Stay tuned for a post on this in the future).

So what is Gathering’11? I highly recommend that you check out the site, as I know a lot of material from the weekend will be put on there. But in a few words, what I knew as I headed down to Melbourne was that Gathering’11 would bring:

together leading thinkers, change-makers and collaborators from across Australia and around the world to explore what is possible, and develop ideas on how we can best solve today’s most pressing social and environmental challenges, together.

And as a group consider:

… how might we tap into the potential of emerging technologies, networks, and systems to co-create a thrivable new world?

Where are the opportunities and what do we need to lay the foundations for a new economy, a cleaner environment, resilient communities, and a happier planet? What can we all do to build better futures?

Many more questions for the future developed out of the weekend and were captured in the fabulous photography by Courtney Crow below.

Of course such a weekend can only be as awesome as the people that participate. And one of my favourite things about Gathering’11 was that it brought together such a diverse bunch of awesome people, all connected by a desire to make a difference to the future.

It is very difficult to describe the buzz that was in the room throughout the weekend. But if you were there, you know what I mean - the room felt supercharged!

I learnt and discovered so much over the weekend - I’m really still just processing it all! Over the next few weeks I think a number of the posts on here will be inspired by Gathering’11.

But in the meantime check out the Gathering’11 twitter stream and get to know some of the awesome people that were there!

**Thanks to Paul Szymkowiak for uploading these photos to flickr.