Green Housing

If you are building, buying or renovating, a technical manual produced by the Commonwealth Government has been developed to show you how to design and build a more comfortable home that has less impact on the environment – a home that will also be more economical to run, healthier to live in and adaptable to your changing needs.

This Technical Manual contains specific information and practical solutions that you can adapt to your budget, climate and lifestyle.

The ideas and principles outlined in each fact sheet can be applied to any home. Suggestions cover new or existing homes and include villas, units, apartments and freestanding houses anywhere in Australia.

Always remember that whatever you do – no matter how small – it will contribute to your own health, comfort and lifestyle. It will also contribute to the health and wellbeing of the environment, which sustains us now and which will sustain future generations.

Our behaviour and the way we build our environment are interconnected. Well designed homes perform best when used in a way that makes the most of their sustainable features.

Adopt a lifestyle that minimises your use of energy, water and resources.

The most important action you can take now is to make a commitment to do all that you can within your budget. Little things, when done by enough people, create enormous change.

Source: Australia's guide to environmentally sustainable homes http://www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/index.html