The Australian Conservation Foundation's Greenhome project continues to build on fantastic results in suburban communities across Sydney.
Most recently, participants who attended the series of workshops in Strathfield have saved nearly five million litres of water a year (equivalent to five Olympic swimming pools of water), 224 tonnes of greenhouse pollution a year (equivalent to taking 52 cars off the road) and 39,374 litres of waste per year (equivalent to 328 wheelie bins per year).
Prakash Mehta shows off his gardening success with his three year old granddaughter, Vernica.
When Strathfield resident Prakash Mehta and his wife Padam decided to attend the workshops, they didn't expect to be growing giant vegetables within months. After attending the GreenHome workshop on waste avoidance, recycling and compost, the Mehtas were delighted to discover that putting what they learnt into practice at home produced dramatic and exciting results.
The Mehtas composted and mulched for the first time and the garden produced enormous organic tomatoes and a melon that has grown to 1.23 metres in length and weighs in at nine kilograms.
"It is all organic. I used homemade compost from kitchen scraps, grass clippings, leaves and newspaper plus a spray of garlic, red hot chili powder and onion to protect the plants from harmful bacteria and diseases. We covered the plant bed with grass clippings and dried leaves that worked as a very good mulch." Prakesh said.
To take the Greenhome Challenge in your area sign-up online and join people from all around Australia to see how much energy, water and waste you can save!
The program is also supported by an actions-based guidebook and workshops.
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