sustainable living – The Interiors Addict

New research released this month has shone a spotlight on Australia’s very real “plastic pandemic”. According to IPSOS research commissioned by BRITA Australia, almost 2 million Aussies consumed more single-use plastic during 2020, due to spending more time at home. This contributes significantly to Australia’s annual plastic waste total which was already at 3.5 million tonnes in 2018-2019.

Additionally, insights have shown that more than a million Aussie households primarily drink bottled water at home. If all these households pledged not to do so for just one day, we would save over 6.5 million single-use plastic bottles from being discarded in Australia.

If you want to reduce your single-use plastic waste at home, or even take part in Plastic Free July, here are some simple changes you can try:

Reducing single-use plastic in the kitchen

Instead of plastic food wrap, try alternatives like beeswax wraps or reusable containers. You can also purchase reusable silicone bowl toppers to cover your food in bowls, pots, and pans.

Make the switch to a filter jug at home instead of drinking water from single-use plastic bottles. A BRITA cartridge, for example, can filter approximately 100 litres of tap water, eliminating the need for up to 100 one litre single-use plastic bottles.

Cut back on plastic by swapping your bin liners for newspaper or certified compostable ones instead. You could also consider cutting back on the amount of bin liners you are using altogether by aiming for as little waste as possible.

Reducing single-use plastic waste in the rest of your home

Did you know every plastic toothbrush you’ve ever used still exists? Swap your plastic one for a bamboo toothbrush instead.

You can also cut out plastic from your laundry routine and use powdered laundry detergent in a box rather than laundry liquid in plastic bottles

Besides being much better for the environment, using soap bars is cheaper and lasts longer than liquid soap in plastic containers. Soap bars come in different blends, so can be used as a body wash, face wash, shampoo and for shaving. This eliminates the need for multiple plastic bottles lined up in your shower

Reducing single-use plastic in your day-to-day

Try to be more environmentally conscious when doing your grocery shop as it can make a huge difference! Where you can, avoid pre-packaged foods by choosing bulk or loose food; better yet, take in your own jars.

Plastic straws are one of the top pollutants of our beaches and oceans. Make a difference and switch to stainless steel straws or paper options if the option is there. Better yet, don’t use a straw at all!

You can easily avoid takeaway coffee cups by bringing your own reusable cup. Keep one in your bag, on your desk at work and even in your car!

Reusable shopping bags are an amazing alternative to single-use one. It’s always a great idea to keep reusable bags in places you will remember to take them like the car or by your front door

–To help tackle Australia’s plastic waste issue, BRITA Australia has teamed up with Plastic Free July, announcing a goal to prevent 50,000 single-use plastic water bottles from being discarded. They are calling on Aussies to take the #FilterForGood pledge and give up using single-use plastic water bottles at home. Make your pledge at https://www.brita.com.au/filterforgood and help make a difference.

Sustainable renovations: couple’s home transformed with Gumtree bargains

While environmental and sustainability issues are something that most of us think about, for some people it’s truly a way of life. Take Ali and Clay McNaughtan who found a…

Sustainable homes Australia: this modest one’s a winner

Earlier this week, we shared with you the winner of the Houses Awards 2020 Australian House of the Year and today we’re sharing the winner in the sustainability category, Waratah…

By Jamie Durie

Most of us will design our homes with current décor or renovation trends in mind. However, now more than ever before, sustainable living has become an increasing priority for many Australians across all areas of life, including the home.

I’ve partnered with Allianz Australia and UTS to release the Future of Living Report – which explores the many ways we might see our future homes adapt and change, in light of the growing responsibility many Aussies feel towards the environment.

We might choose to offset our carbon emissions when travelling, eat a little less meat throughout the week or try to use less plastic. However, research has found that Aussies will be making permanent changes within their homes to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle.

The report identified the five biggest changes we can expect to see in our homes over the coming years:

Living in Nature: Native sustainable plants will take over Aussie homes, inside and out.

Shared Living Spaces: With the ‘sharing economy’ taking over everything from accommodation to cars, we can expect to see this trend transforming our concept of ‘living arrangements.’

Sustainability: Sustainable materials and neutral carbon footprints are no longer seen as ‘fringe.’

Timber Homes: Timber will be the material of choice for Aussie homes, over brick.
Austerity Chic: Mismatched furniture made from a mix of flatpacks and second-hand stores will be the leading style of modern homes.

Sustainable living and future-proofing our family homes is something I am incredibly passionate about. So much so, that I’m building my very own prefabricated eco-home as I write this.

For any savvy home buyer or builder, it’s important to think about how you are creating a home that has value today and tomorrow. By building sustainably, not only can you add value to your property, you can do our earth a favour and feel good about improving our children’s futures while you’re at it.

So, I have created some simple steps that will help you feel better informed about how you can future-proof your next home, without breaking the bank.

Start Simple with Solar
A simple and very achievable goal is creating a ‘solar passive’ home. This is my number one tip for two major reasons. Firstly, it reduces your carbon footprint by saving millions of tonnes of carbon emissions by allowing cool air into the building and hot air to escape, and secondly, you can expect to see your electricity and gas bills decrease significantly. In any project, it’s all about making an achievable goal for your new home. Solar panels are a great way to start your sustainable journey and don’t cost as much as you might think. Simply put, if every home in Australia installed solar panels, we would be able to rely significantly less on fossil fuels.

Use Sustainable Materials
There are a number of ways you can lighten a new home’s impact on the environment, and one of the most logical alterations is asking your contractors to use sustainable materials. We’re starting to see the building industry coming to the market with wonderfully innovative and accessible products, all available at your local hardware store. Products like solar roof tiles, low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paint and textiles, or even insulated bricks made of recycled paper. It’s also important to proactively use everyday materials that are environmentally friendly, such as using FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified timber.

Wood has been increasingly recognised as a global solution to climate change through its ability to store carbon and reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Findings uncovered in the Future of Living Report also indicate that in the future, the exterior construction of our homes will prioritise wood over brick or concrete.

Create a Smarter Home
Have you ever thought about how much energy it takes to keep your hot water tank ready for when you want to take your next shower, 24 hours a day, seven days a week? It’s a lot – potentially hundreds of litres of water per day, per household. Think of it like we’re boiling a giant kettle all day, which results in hot water systems being the second biggest carbon emitter in the home, next to the car. As it is often hidden under the house, it is often forgotten about when thinking of our energy output. Where possible, Australians should install an inline hot water system that heats the water only as it is required, and where possible, install a solar panel hot water system.

Additionally, panels and cladding with high thermo insular properties that block out the maximum amount of heat are very easy to purchase, preventing the need for unnecessary use of an electronically sourced cooling system. The Future of Living Report demonstrates that these sustainable material innovations and merging the latest technology together with our local climates, will soon become the way we stay comfortable in our homes. So why not get ahead of the curve, while dramatically lowering your electricity bill?

The Secret Garden
Our gardens can play a pivotal role in helping us to reduce our impact on the environment, while also providing the perfect opportunity to celebrate our beautiful Aussie flora and fauna. It’s not just what we build the house out of, it’s also what we surround the house with. Planting dense foliage around the side of the house, such as Australian native plants, can stop hot weather from infiltrating the house and you guessed it, reduce energy costs too!

Instead of planting expanses of grass that have zero positive impact on the environment, I urge you to consider pollinator-attracting plants, such as bottlebrush or grevillea, so that we are increasing the bee population instead of suppressing it. This is a landscaping decision I highly encourage Australians to consider, especially given the recent devastation to our local wildlife caused by the bushfires.

Embracing nature and native plants will soon begin to blur the inside and outside lines of modern homes. The Future of Living Report indicates that plant-friendly interiors and exteriors will become a pivotal trend in homes of the future.

These are just a few thought-starters to hopefully inspire and encourage any new homeowner or builder who is looking to renovate a little more sustainably. It is so important to create a home that is fit for the future. It is not only your families most valuable asset, but the environment’s too.

For more information on the Future of Living report commissioned by Allianz Australia, in partnership with UTS.

-Jamie Durie is an international award-winning landscape designer, author and TV personality, and Allianz Sustainability Advocate.