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When Melanie Pedler and partner Andrew Davidson decided to build their new family home near Methven, they chose to do it in the most sustainable way possible.
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The Eco-Friendly Home
When Melanie Pedler and partner Andrew Stevenson decided to build their new family home near Methven, they chose to do it in the most sustainable way possible.
The house is a virtual showcase of environmentally friendly design, from its rainwater tanks to the native species planted around the property.
The family have made the most of the free energy supplied by the sun, with a solar heating system providing hot water, while a north-facing aspect increases sunlight entering the house, reducing the need for heating.
Extra winter warmth is supplied by an underfloor system, which uses biodiesel to heat recycled water. That warmth is kept inside through double-glazed and tinted windows, and a building material called “hebel panels” which provide superior insulation.
Meanwhile, keeping cool in summer is no problem either – the house has been designed to achieve “cross-ventilation airflow” – an air-conditioning system provided by nature. All of this means less energy being used by the house, which means less fossil fuel being burned in our power stations.
For those building new homes, or those considering making their existing homes more environmentally friendly, Melanie and family provide an inspirational example of what can be achieved with the will to make a difference.
The Good Oil on Waiheke Island
Waiheke Islanders have come up with an innovative way to help the environment, while reducing their dependence on imported oil. The Island’s Waste Resources Trust has developed a biodiesel plant, which converts waste cooking oil from its restaurants and fish n’chip shops into fuel for its vehicles.
Trust spokesperson, Denise Roche said it was a volunteer driven project, “we saw all of this oil being sent to the landfill, and thought what could we do with it?”.
Students from Auckland University’s Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) team helped the Trust develop a solution, which, as well as producing high quality fuel, creates soap as a byproduct.
Other communities around the world are starting to take an interest in what Waiheke is doing, says Denise. Representatives of the Niue Government recently visited the plant, which could eventually produce up to 30,000 litres of oil a year.
The environmental benefits are many. Less waste ends up in the landfill, while the energy used to import oil to the Island, and transport waste from it, is reduced. That is good news for the climate, and good news for the people of Waiheke Island.
Reclaiming the Streets
Niki Harre of Pt. Chevalier in Auckland believes that the power to address climate change lies with communities.
Two years ago, Niki, and neighbour Bevan Woodward, organised a meeting of people in their suburb.
They were concerned that it was not safe for children to walk or cycle in their area, and that residents’ dependence on cars was unsustainable, contributing to air pollution and climate change.
Everyone agreed on the solution – Slower And Less Traffic – and an organisation called SALT was born.
Niki says the group’s vision is “a community where people ride bikes and walk, and where kids as young as five can walk to school and be safe doing so.”
SALT did a survey of people in the neighborhood to find out who was interested, and identified “street representatives” who could work with smaller units of people.
The aim was to reclaim the streets back from the cars which dominated them. Street barbeques were arranged, where neighbours gathered with their families, often meeting each other for the first time.
“The big thing anyone can do is get out on their street,” says Niki, “when I ride my bike up the street, I feel part of a community. It’s incredibly reinforcing.”
Niki, a psychology lecturer at Auckland University, is also editor of the newly released book “Carbon Neutral by 2020”.
Every single thing we do makes a difference
Natalie Cutler-Welsh of Christchurch is among the thousands of Kiwis making a difference to climate change in their own homes. Together with husband Matthew, and their one-year-old daughter Ruby, they’ve made a lot of small changes that make a real difference to their environmental impact.
As well as using eco-shopping bags and buying locally produced food, the Cutler-Welshes are also vegetarians. It was a choice motivated primarily by environmental concerns such as the amount of land required to produce meat, says Natalie.
They also buy second-hand wherever possible, to reduce the energy and resources used in manufacturing new products, although Natalie says they still manage to “dress well and have nice furniture”.
“It all comes down to the feel good factor,” says Natalie, “every single thing we do makes a difference. We do what we can, and are always open to new ideas, but it doesn’t mean denying ourselves the things we want to do”.
Natalie says it’s important people don’t see making personal changes as an “all or nothing” thing. The most important thing, she says, is “to think about what you do, why you do it, and be aware of the consequences”.
When Melanie Pedler and partner Andrew Stevenson decided to build their new family home near Methven, they chose to do it in the most sustainable way possible.
The house is a virtual showcase of environmentally friendly design, from its rainwater tanks to the native species planted around the property.
The family have made the most of the free energy supplied by the sun, with a solar heating system providing hot water, while a north-facing aspect increases sunlight entering the house, reducing the need for heating.
Extra winter warmth is supplied by an underfloor system, which uses biodiesel to heat recycled water. That warmth is kept inside through double-glazed and tinted windows, and a building material called “hebel panels” which provide superior insulation.
Meanwhile, keeping cool in summer is no problem either – the house has been designed to achieve “cross-ventilation airflow” – an air-conditioning system provided by nature. All of this means less energy being used by the house, which means less fossil fuel being burned in our power stations.
For those building new homes, or those considering making their existing homes more environmentally friendly, Melanie and family provide an inspirational example of what can be achieved with the will to make a difference.
The Good Oil on Waiheke Island
Waiheke Islanders have come up with an innovative way to help the environment, while reducing their dependence on imported oil. The Island’s Waste Resources Trust has developed a biodiesel plant, which converts waste cooking oil from its restaurants and fish n’chip shops into fuel for its vehicles.
Trust spokesperson, Denise Roche said it was a volunteer driven project, “we saw all of this oil being sent to the landfill, and thought what could we do with it?”.
Students from Auckland University’s Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) team helped the Trust develop a solution, which, as well as producing high quality fuel, creates soap as a byproduct.
Other communities around the world are starting to take an interest in what Waiheke is doing, says Denise. Representatives of the Niue Government recently visited the plant, which could eventually produce up to 30,000 litres of oil a year.
The environmental benefits are many. Less waste ends up in the landfill, while the energy used to import oil to the Island, and transport waste from it, is reduced. That is good news for the climate, and good news for the people of Waiheke Island.
Reclaiming the Streets
Niki Harre of Pt. Chevalier in Auckland believes that the power to address climate change lies with communities.
Two years ago, Niki, and neighbour Bevan Woodward, organised a meeting of people in their suburb.
They were concerned that it was not safe for children to walk or cycle in their area, and that residents’ dependence on cars was unsustainable, contributing to air pollution and climate change.
Everyone agreed on the solution – Slower And Less Traffic – and an organisation called SALT was born.
Niki says the group’s vision is “a community where people ride bikes and walk, and where kids as young as five can walk to school and be safe doing so.”
SALT did a survey of people in the neighborhood to find out who was interested, and identified “street representatives” who could work with smaller units of people.
The aim was to reclaim the streets back from the cars which dominated them. Street barbeques were arranged, where neighbours gathered with their families, often meeting each other for the first time.
“The big thing anyone can do is get out on their street,” says Niki, “when I ride my bike up the street, I feel part of a community. It’s incredibly reinforcing.”
Niki, a psychology lecturer at Auckland University, is also editor of the newly released book “Carbon Neutral by 2020”.
Every single thing we do makes a difference
Natalie Cutler-Welsh of Christchurch is among the thousands of Kiwis making a difference to climate change in their own homes. Together with husband Matthew, and their one-year-old daughter Ruby, they’ve made a lot of small changes that make a real difference to their environmental impact.
As well as using eco-shopping bags and buying locally produced food, the Cutler-Welshes are also vegetarians. It was a choice motivated primarily by environmental concerns such as the amount of land required to produce meat, says Natalie.
They also buy second-hand wherever possible, to reduce the energy and resources used in manufacturing new products, although Natalie says they still manage to “dress well and have nice furniture”.
“It all comes down to the feel good factor,” says Natalie, “every single thing we do makes a difference. We do what we can, and are always open to new ideas, but it doesn’t mean denying ourselves the things we want to do”.
Natalie says it’s important people don’t see making personal changes as an “all or nothing” thing. The most important thing, she says, is “to think about what you do, why you do it, and be aware of the consequences”.
