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Latest Eco Homes

Hive Kiosk 18 Apr 13 Gricklegrass Community Farm 13 Mar 13 Riverhead passive solar design house 11 Mar 13 The West Birdhouse 1 Mar 13 Roseneath Cottage 3 Feb 13 Atamai Eco Village: Lot 5 for Sale 10 Dec 12 Eco Home in Browns Bay 5 Nov 12 Enviro Homes Concept 27 Aug 12 Profile your eco house

Latest Eco News

NZ's first 8 star affordable priced eco homes, and they're quake proofed! 11 Mar 13 New sustainable building company 27 Aug 12 Passive House introduction video 14 Aug 12 The Journey to a Passive House 24 Jul 12 Video: Passive Eco Home in Raglan NZ 20 Jul 12 Submit news

Upcoming Events

Ecofest 17 Aug 13 - 18 Aug 13 Submit an event

Latest Articles

How we took our power bill from $900 in winter to $20 in summer. Today How grid connect solar power works in NZ 17 Oct 12 Solar Power in NZ - What is the payback? 14 Nov 11 A guide to micro-generation in New Zealand 13 Apr 11 3 stories of local eco-entrepreneurship 6 Jan 11 Sustainable living in a city 30 Aug 10 Building the Future - BRANZ 7 Dec 09 Livingroofs.org.nz - NZ guide to living roofs 7 Sep 09 Submit an article

Eco friendly living in NZ

Find information on green homes, sustainable design and eco living. View our business directory of products such as rain water collection, solar hot water, photovoltaic panels and house hold items.

Products & services in our business directory include cleaning products, building products, architecture/design, bamboo clothing, children/baby items and much more.

Join the conversation about green building and other eco topics in the online chat forum or look at our shop for great gift ideas.
Grid connect solar power NZ
A great video about how Grid Connect solar works in New Zealand.

Watch the video...
The purpose of this project was to upgrade some parts of the house while at the same time improving its overall sustainability, as measured under the Green Homes Scheme, to achieve as high a Star Rating as practical.

See the full details...
In 2011 Ellen and Casper Valentin purchased a section in Raglan and decided to build a certified Passive House (PH). In this article we follow their journey as they take the project from conception to completion.

Follow the story...
Solar panels in a cow paddock feed power to the grid from sunny Golden Bay - Twenty eight solar panels are producing more than enough power for one house-hold in Kotinga.

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The official results are out and it makes for some very interesting reading. The team at He Kainga Oranga have released their evaluation report of the government’s $340 million Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart (WUNZ:HS) programme.

Perhaps the most impressive result is the bottom line 4:1 benefit ratio. Put simply that means that the estimated net benefits to the community, when all costs are taken into account, are four times that of the investment.

That’s a pretty good rate of return.

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This is the most common question asked on the subject of solar power systems. People are naturally curious about a technology that can produce a long-term supply of electricity with no continuous financial input, environmental side effect, or lifestyle change. Yet industry, consumers, and government only seem able to relate the value of the investment to its simple ‘payback’.

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Electric vehicles (EVs) are an emerging form of transport worldwide which could help New Zealanders meet their private transport needs while reducing their climate change impact.

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) is assisting the introduction of EVs into the New Zealand market, by working to overcome barriers such as uncertainty and inconsistency around standards.

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Vastu structures are vibrant connections to a universal-energy matrix. These structures resonate with the most sublime and powerful forces or “laws” of Nature, which are specified and generated by space/time/light.

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If our governments are sitting at the energy poker table with a full house in terms of renewables, why do they choose not to play their winning hand? There’s a hidden partner in this game, influencing their every move. Corporations, like casinos, are driven by short-term profit, not the long-term health of their customers. This isn’t just about greed; it’s enshrined in law.

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New Zealand is blessed with abundant renewable energy resources compared to many other countries, and this has helped achieve a high percentage of renewable generated electricity in our electricity grid. Large-scale renewable energy development, such as wind farms, geothermal, and hydro energy, already provides cost-effective and ‘clean’ electricity.

Another way of harnessing the power of New Zealand’s renewable energy resources is through small-scale generation, also known as ‘micro-generation’. This is renewable energy generation on a domestic or household scale.

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Open Source Ecology

The Global Village Construction Set (GVCS) is a modular, DIY, low-cost, high-performance platform that allows for the easy fabrication of the 50 different Industrial Machines that it takes to build a small, sustainable civilization with modern comforts.

Watch the video
It’s time to consider a better way to get from A to B. We’ve been chugging around in our combustion engine powered cars since the oil began pouring out of the ground and Henry Ford’s factories started mass-producing affordable cars back in the early 1900’s. Around 60% of our fossil fuel usage goes to powering our vehicles.

Back then it made sense. Oil was cheap and abundant – if you drilled a shallow well in parts of Texas the black gold would pour out with very little effort. You would get around 100 barrels of oil from a well for every 1 barrel of oil (energy equivalent) used to get it out. These days it takes a lot more effort to extract and we’re hunting for the black gold in increasingly remote areas of the world and using increasingly damaging means to get at it.

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With the recent destruction in New Zealand’s second largest city it’s a good time to think about sustainable town planning. While existing cities often require expensive ‘retrofits’ of environmentally friendly features, there is an opportunity in Christchurch to begin with a semi-clean slate.

Town planning is often short-sighted and does not take into account inconvenient truths such as peak oil (and the general rise in the cost of energy). Given the amount of information there is on peak oil it’s obscene that often we don’t this into consideration.

New Zealand’s urban structure is generally characterised by sprawling suburbs surrounding concentrated commercial centres. Our public transport systems are mostly inadequate with the bulk of commuters relying on private cars to get around. In the near future the rising cost of energy is going to put a lot of pressure on our poorly designed cities.

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Our homes, our egos, and our environment

I think I’ve discovered the root cause of all our environmental ills. Okay, that might sound like an outrageous claim, but let me explain. The particular villain I blame for mankind’s relentless attack on the planets eco system is our Collective Ego.

The more I investigate, the more I see the fingerprints of this villain everywhere. Take for example the average New Zealand home. Not so long ago we were satisfied with a modest house, big enough to fit our family, the dog and a television. But somewhere along the line our egos became restless; we needed bigger, fancier houses. We wanted to outdo our neighbours – out-build them, out-furnish them and over-impress our dinner party guests.

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Kai Rakau Project

The Kai Rakau Project, currently being developed by Emma Williamson and Savannah Carter-Green, is a community based project with view to create a “Mother Orchard” of 3000 fruiting trees and native plantings, in Sanders Reserve, Paremoremo, Auckland, New Zealand.



More here...

Dealing with Christchurch Earthquake Sewage

This is a message to all those in Christchurch without adequate sewerage from Transition Towns NZ. "I have asked a permaculture teacher if there is a better way to deal with it than by burying in it or digging a long drop or using a chemical toilet. The answer from Bryan Innes is this, so please pass it on to anyone you know.

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Urban Forests

Forests provide invaluable ecosystem services. These include sequestering carbon, filtering pollution from air, limiting extremes in temperature, reducing stormwater runoff and increasing precipitation, to name a few.

In urban settings these kinds of services are especially important in counteracting the detrimental effects of city living to both health and psychological well-being. Trees can also be of economic benefit to a city by providing shade to the north and west of buildings during hot summers thereby reducing the amount of energy used for cooling, and raising the value of properties.

Read more on Urban Forests...

Too much building waste

Construction, maintenance and renovation of buildings account for around 40 per cent of the world's material flows, so it's always sad to see an old building reduced to a pile of rubble...

More about building waste...

Connected communities

Over the past century, unprecedented technological breakthroughs have advanced the development of cities and promoted a move away from agricultural lifestyles. In urban areas, people have become increasingly dissociated from the source of their food and completely dependent on monetary systems as their primary resource.

Read about connected communities

Disastrous consequences?

For more than ten thousand years the earth has been in a relatively stable state - a unique period called the Holocene, which has allowed civilization to evolve into what it is today. This desirable state is now under pressure from what scientists say is largely human driven change. The question is: how far can we go before our actions cause disastrous consequences, or is it already too late?

Read more here...

Seed store to save the world

Genetic diversity is the stuff that evolution is made of. It allows a species to survive by adapting to a constantly changing environment. When a species population size decreases, some of the building blocks of that species are lost, and hence some of its ability to adapt to change is lost. This diversity within crops is the biological foundati...

More about the saving seeds

'Green roofs' - An eco friendly covering

What if a city could support natural ecosystems? What if it could blend into the rural surrounds, manage some of its own byproducts, clean its own air and even produce its own food? Such a city would use green roofs.

Read the article on green roofs

Rubbish good for building your house

People have been building dwellings for over 14,000 years, largely using materials accessible in their immediate environments. Whether that be wood, stone, clay, reeds, or ice, the practice has always been to use what's available and abundant. It's only since the advent of modern industry and mass production that we have been using products that are mass produced, and then transported over often vast distances to reach our doorsteps.

Building with rubbish

Couple builds an off grid sustainable earth house
Couple builds an off grid sustainable earth house They decided to design and build a home that was eco-friendly and could generate its own electricity. They used rammed earth for the walls, mixed with concrete – it is 450mm thick. 16 solar panels sit on the roof, generating electricity and another eight solar panels heat the hot water. The eco house is very well insulated with double glazed window...
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Greywater expert backs Council approval
Greywater expert backs Council approval The Kapiti Coast District Council’s decision to approve Plan Change 75 and make the fitting of a greywater system and/or rain tank compulsory in all new dwellings has been applauded by an expert in greywater irrigation. Steven Roberts, Managing Director of Kapiti firm Watersmart, says legislating for the re-use of water from washing machines and...
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Smart choices indoors will help the great outdoors

Smart choices indoors will help the great outdoors While we can't all afford to build our dream "green" home, we are able to retrofit and apply practical eco-logic, making our homes more eco-friendly, with a smaller environmental footprint. Some houses tend to be easier to retrofit than others, and others are inherently greener and healthier, despite not being "consciously" b...
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Developing sustainable cities - Living Roofs
Developing sustainable cities - Living Roofs A critical element to achieve environmentally sustainable design is the incorporation of living roofs as a fundamental design principle to development in New Zealand. Living roofs have been demonstrated to reduce stormwater, enhance biodiversity, reduce energy requirements through enhanced thermal insulation, increase Green Star NZ score, provide h...
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A primary school with a green roof
A primary school with a green roof A New Zealand green roof company has put a small Queenstown Primary School on the international map by becoming the first school in New Zealand to wear a ‘green roof’. Remarkables Primary School, a newly built enviro school, is one of a handful of schools throughout the world who can boast a green roof, which doubles as an outdoor classroom. ...
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Sustainability explained through animation
Sustainability explained through animation A short animated movie which explains sustainability.
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Whangarei Sustainable Living Expo
Whangarei Sustainable Living Expo Come along to learn about all how making your life more sustainable can lead to a happy healthy lifestyle and possibly save you money! We will have seminars on the day on a wide range of topics and some great workshops and demonstrations including cheese-making and mid brick making. There will be a wide range of business displaying sustainable ...
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How grid connect solar power works in NZ
How grid connect solar power works in NZ A great video about how Grid Connect solar works in New Zealand.
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Cob Building Workshops
Cob Building Workshops We are building a cob fale in six stages – one stage per month. Workshops will be held to begin each stage. Workshop One April 26-28 – Plan, design and construction methods. We will also build a cob oven and outdoor cob bathtub at this workshop. The aim is to build the fale for as little money as possible. Cob can be a cheap, strong and very e...
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Off the Grid '13
Off the Grid '13 When we decided to build a home within a 50 acre block of forest in Matakana, the cost to bring power to the site would have been many tens of thousands of dollars. So instead we put solar panels on the roof, a battery in the basement, and now we have a home that's totally off-grid. This Awareness raiser/networking event is an opportunity to enj...
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Ecofest
Ecofest Nelson's annual sustainable living expo is a joint Council project designed to educate the public on how to live more sustainably. This includes stands representing eco-products, eco-homes, alternative power systems, sustainable transport, water and energy saving, kids activities, recycled fashion, growing your own food, and more! All supported ...
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Wellington Better Home & Living Show
Wellington Better Home & Living Show Are you wanting to improve your home and lifestyle in a way that cares for the environment? Then visit the Wellington Better Home & Living Show, where you will be treated to the same range of products and services found at our regular Home & Garden Shows, but all have an eco-focus. For three days from 3-5 May, the event will inform and inspire ...
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How we took our power bill from $900 in winter to $20 in summer.
How we took our power bill from $900 in winter to $20 in summer. Background In 2002 we built our house in the mild ocean moderated climate of Hobsonville, Auckland, with preformed concrete walls complete with built in insulation and concrete floor construction to all levels, topped off with a flat poured concrete roof waterproofed with flamed on industrial bitumen. We installed two large low tech solar hot...
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NZ's first 8 star affordable priced eco homes, and they're quake proofed!
NZ's first 8 star affordable priced eco homes, and they're quake proofed! Architectural Designer Bob Burnett has overseen the completion of two affordable eco- homes designed to 8 stars, which will resist earthquakes, and both are owner occupied, this follows his design and rating of the first 7 star Homestar rated house in New Zealand in 2011 His next project which is currently in for building consent and to be built...
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Eco Houses

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You can make it easier for people to live in a sustainable way by listing your house as an example.

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Latest Forum Posts

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JK, I think that’s reasonable solution for a backup heating plan and in some situations we would rec...

these guys look like they could help: http://www.fantech.com.au/Default.aspx offices in Wellingt...

Damper or Draft Blocker is probably a better term than baffle.

We have almost completed a complete renovation of our main bathroom. I installed a very good exhaust...

I agree win by having a great product, and contrubute to the improvement of the housing stock in NZ,...

But that's the whole point of the codemark process isn't it? I've been reading the rules around code...

o(0OO0)o, I share your sentiments – the politics of who is ripping of whom is not relevant here. Her...

Hi Sarah Can I suggest you go have a look around the american website... http://www.greenbuildingadv...

My point was that Magroc doesn't currently have CodeMark for NZ or Australia. They seem to think tha...

Meant to say the hot water heat pump controls could divert warm water to the slab when necessary. JK...

Is the internal temperature of the house designed to stay reasonable all year round without even min...

Hi Nickoftime, Thanks for your question. Yes, you are right; there will some minor thermal bridging ...

Do the ribs act as a thermal bridge thus reducing that excellent R8 value?

Hello Russell, This subject was covered under 'Treatments' (select any post with that heading). You ...

Rib Raft Foundation system for Coatesville being laid. 300mm thick polystyrene pods form the basis o...

What wouldbe the difference in load sharing in two cases? Tall R.C.C. building with all walls (inter...

I followed your link to the Australian codemark. It's only for board and not SIPs panels and only va...

As far as the regulations are concerned you simply need to have the prescribed opening windows. Ther...

Hi Sarah, Excellent questions. I am really pleased someone has raised these questions as I have tho...

hi, We're at the start of the design phase of a house in Auckland. All bed and living rooms facing n...

Hello there We are going to be building a pretty airtight Passive Solar house in Nelson. Not a Passi...

Hi Elrond, Thanks. The Greek Island project looks promising and makes good sense. The clients had st...

Wow... that didn't take long! Magroc has removed the the CodeMark logo that they were not licensed t...

And a Passivhaus I'm designing for a rural location in the north of the uk, which due to its connect...

Here's an example of a PH being designed on a Greek Island (Ie with plenty of sunshine!) in the loca...

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