The Greening of Gavin

TGoG 115 – Bek’s Backyard with Bek Stiegler

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Listen to the Episode Below (00:34:34)
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Bek Stiegler went pretty much went from the average consumer (supermarket shopping, buying stuff she didn’t need, buying the cheapest and not caring where it came from etc) to growing pretty much all her own food (except meat and dairy), reusing and recycling, and being an extremely conscious consumer.  She lives in Melbourne on a 750m² suburban block.

She writes about her own sustainable living journey over at Bek’s Backyard, a popular gardening and lifestyle blog.

Bek Stiegler

Bek Stiegler

During the show we talk about how she went from a barren backyard to building a fruitful and abundant suburban food farm!  She loves fruit trees and eating fruit that is in season.  If there is a glut she preserves via dehydration or water bath.

Her passion and enthusiasm about growing her own food is clearly evident as you listen to the episode.  Please thank Bek for sharing her story and journey with us all.

Don’t forget that this show is financially supported by you, the listener, via our Patreon page.  If you believe the show adds value to the sustainable living community and you would like to support the show, please pledge your support at http://www.patreon.com/greeningofgavin.  Any pledge small or large is most welcome, as it keeps the show going and growing week by week.

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It helps the podcast get noticed in the charts and makes it more visible for others who may be interested in living a more sustainable lifestyle in the ‘burbs.  Thanks!

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Green Quick Tips – Lighting Types, Lighting Tips, and Grey Water

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Green Quick Tips

This week’s episodes cover off some of my favourite topics.

We could all use a bit more money off our power bill, so this week I took the time to explain the pros and cons of different lighting options that you could use around the home.  I quickly followed that up with a separate episode about lighting behaviours to help save you a bit of money.

I also dedicated an episode to using grey water in your garden.  I use grey water all the time, and it  adds to the overall mix of water systems around my home.  It is particularly useful during very dry conditions, just like the ones we have been experiencing here Down Under.  There is nothing wrong with using grey water if used correctly.

Anyway, on with the show;

Episode 14 – Green Quick Tips for Understanding Efficient Lighting types.

Still got those old incandecent lightbulbs putting a massive whole in you back pocket.  Never fear, in this quick tip, I break down the different lighting choices so you can make an informed decision next time you have to buy a light bulb.

Episode 15 – Green Quick Tips for Lighting and Saving Money.

A few simple behavioural tips will help save some money with your household lighting.  The right lighting choices will save you time and effort well into the future.
Episode 16 – Green Quick Tips for using Grey Water in Your Garden.
Why not reuse the water you have used in the laundry or bathroom.  Very easy to do, and it keeps your garden looking green and healthy during water restrictions during the summer months.
Hope you enjoyed the show.  I would love some feedback about this series in general.  Is the content suitable.   Are the episodes too short or too long.  Is the audio quality okay?
Let me know via comment if you think these green quick tips are of value to you.

Our New Outdoor Kitchen – Reuse Extraordinaire!

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To complement our outdoor clay oven area, we decided to use some of the space near it into an outdoor kitchen.

We had a builder friend build the actual cabinet and seating out of pine and an eco pine cladding.  As you can see, the cabinet doors have not been fitted yet, but he is fitting them this weekend.  This job is a little beyond my DIY skills.

We have a second hand stainless steel sink to be fitted, and a two burner stove top that will be installed at the other end of the bench, which in the future will be able to be converted to biogas.

Out of shot to the right of the picture is the Clay Oven, which completes this kitchen.

Anyway, another interior designer friend gave Kim two boxes of Caesarstone samples, which were tile-shaped, so we decided to tile the bench using this material that was otherwise destined for landfill if we did not save it.

It came up pretty well, we think.  After a quick grout, it looks fantastic.  Even our builder friend said it was a great example of reuse.

Now for the seating.  Kim wanted the pipes from the laundry covered up, but I had one condition.  That it be done in such a way that I could connect a grey water hose externally.  She said that the hose had to be hidden as well.  Okay then.  
Can’t see it now.  We painted the box seat with outdoor woodland grey that we had leftover from another job.
I found a rather large hose, which was a spare from the swimming pool, and we connected up a drain diverter.  The diverter is a simple knob that diverts the flow of grey water from the drain to the hose.  The hose is long enough to reach most trees in the front fruit orchard which is a great bonus. 

There is the hose and the diverter in the box.  Very easy to fit.

And with the little door closed, you would never know it was there.  Who said that being green had be unaesthetic?  
So that is where we are up to.  Once the doors are fitted the large cabinet, we will give them a lick of paint. We have a plumber coming in the next few weeks to connect the sink and the gas top.  
I will be glad when it is all finished.  Just in time for the spring weather.  Looking forward to a cooked breakfast of fresh eggs collected no more than four meters away and prepared outside.  This kitchen will also be a great area to prepare food for Clay Oven parties.
It feel great to have given a second life to lots of items in this build.  Have you reused anything major lately?